The Progressive Farmer And Southern Farm Gazette

concentrated feeding stuff rich in protein for feeding young animals and suckling sows when legume-grazing crops are not available. The soy bean might be used for this purpose, but as long as the price remains as at present it will not pay to go to the expense of harvesting and threshing the beans and then feed them to hogs, if any other protein feed is available. At present our best sources of protein for such purposes are in grazing crops like cowpeas, soy beans and peanuts, but when these can not be had, tankage at present prices is about our best prospect for balancing the corn ration.

Finish Hogs Grazed on Legumes on Corn and Cottonseed Meal.
Since the making of pork on cow-pea, soy bean and peanut grazing crops is becoming more common, the important question of the effect of these feeds on the quality of the carcass has been raised, and it must be admitted that these feeds alone, produce a soft and unsatisfactory car-cass.
It is important that this fact be known and admitted, so that we may avoid the serious loss which will re-sult if a bad reputation is built up for hogs grazed on these crops. It is much easier to overcome this unsatis-factory condition of the carcass made by cowpeas, soy beans or peanuts alone, and prevent our hogs being discriminated against, than to over-come this discrimination and preju-dice after it has once become estab-lished. For this reason, we must give special attention to the improvement of the carcass when hogs are fatten-ed on these crops, by the feeding of such other feeds as will make the car-cass satisfactory. The usual remedy is to put the hogs up in a pen or dry lot and feed on corn alone for 60 or 90 days. This method is unneces-sarily expensive, although sufficiently effective. Hogs do not do well on corn alone for 60 or 90 days, and the small gains obtained on the hogs and the high price of corn make the method unprofitable.
It may be stated, however, that a fairly satisfactory carcass is produced if for the last month or six weeks the hogs are on the grazing crops, a half or three-fourths ration of corn is fed. But perhaps the most satis-factory and profitable way of correct-ing this defect in the quality of the carcass is to take the hogs off the grazing crops from three to four weeks before selling or slaughtering, and during these three or four weeks, but not longer, feed them on a mixture of 1 part of cottonseed meal to 3 parts of corn.

Cottonseed Meal Makes Firm Meat.
It is a well known fact that the feeding of cottonseed meal to the dairy cow increases the firmness of the butter, or "hardens" the but-ter-fat, and when only a moderate amount is fed, especially in summer, the quality of the butter is improved.
In the same way, the feeding of cot-tonseed meal to hogs makes the flesh and fat more firm and produces a fairly satisfactory carcass. In fact, if every hog fattened on cowpeas, soy beans and peanuts up to within three or four weeks of selling or slaughter-ing time is then fed a ration of 1 part of cottonseed meal and 3 parts of corn for three or four weeks there will be no complaint on the part of the packers because of any lack of firmness in the carcass. Moreover, another advantage from this method is, that large and cheap gains will be made during this last part of the fat-tening period; whereas, if corn alone is used for six weeks or two months it will materially increase the cost of producing the pork.
Fed in this way for not to exceed four weeks the cottonseed meal will produce no ill effects, but on the other hand will make cheap pork and improve the quality of the carcass.
If for any reason the hogs can not be sold or slaughtered after cottonseed meal has been fed for four weeks, stop the feeding of the meal; but do not feed corn alone, balance it with some rich protein feed, like tankage.