CROPS FOR PIG FEEDING

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1934, Page 25 (Supplement)

CROPS FOR PIG FEEDING

VALUE IN WINTER MONTHS. The raising of crops suitable for feeding to pigs is discussed in the N.Z. Journal of Agriculture. There is considerable recent field experience indicating that the feeding of such crops as mangels, swedes, and chou moellier in considerable quantities in winter and early, spring to pigs is giving attractive returns. Of these, the mangel is especially important both because of its high potential yield of nutriment an acre and of the fairly common belief that the mangel in some obscure way is unsuitable for pigs. Fully matured mangels have been fed widely as a substantial portion of pigs’ rations with thoroughly good results. However, the feeding of mangels as the sole constituent of . pigs’ diet is not recommended, as similarly a diet of several other feeds alone, such as swedes, is not recommended, even though the safety of these crops when fed judiciously is never questioned. It is preferable that the giving of a place to mangels and similar roots in the pigs’ rations be effected gradually. In the North Island good returns have been obtained in recent seasons from feeding to pigs barley and field peas grown on the farms on which they are used. Though the experience in this respect is limited, it is extensive and conclusive enough to indicate that the growing of these crops for pigs would prove , profitable at the current prices for pig-flesh over wide areas in the North Island in which little cropping is done. In some instances in which outstanding results were obtained no implements additional to those ordinarily on dairy-farms were employed—the crops were cut with the mower and all threshing was done by the pigs. In the warmer districts it might be advisable to grow maize ■ instead of barley.