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A CORN-BELT FARMING SYSTEM

WHICH SAVES HARVEST LABOR BY

HOGGING DOWN CROPS

J. A. DRAKE

I)
Agriculturist

FARMERS' BULLETIN 614
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

Contribution from the Office of Farm Management
W. J. SPILLMAN, Chief

Washington, D. C.

Revised March, 1917

Additional copies of this bulletin may be obtained free from the
Division of Publications, U. S. Department of Agriculture

WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ; 1917

E\BOR and the maintenance of fertility are two
of the more serious problems of the average
corn-belt farm. This bulletin gives the details of
a system of farming efficient in meeting both. By
this system farm labor in general is distributed
well throughout the year, and harvest labor is re-
duced to a minimum by hogging or pasturing off
all or a large part of the three main crops — corn,
rye, and clover. This process of harvesting 'not
only saves much labor at rush seasons but keeps up
soil fertility.

A CORN-BELT FARMING SYSTEM WHICH SAVES
HARVEST LABOR BY HOGGING DOWN CROPS.

CONTENTS.

Page.
2

Rye or wheat — which?

Page.
11

4

The corn crop

... 11

The siz© of th.6 fields

6

The sources of income

13

7

13

The money income per acre. . .

10

Summary

16

FIG. 1.— Map of the United States showing, by shadedlines,
the territory to which this bulletin is applicable.

system of farming herein outlined provides productive labor
for practically the entire year and at the same time so distributes
this labor as to make it possible for one man, practically without
hired help, to handle a large acreage, making a net income considera-
bly greater than is at present commonly obtained on farms of similar
size in the corn-belt States
(fig. 1) . This system rap-
idly increases the produc-
tiveness of the land and is
designed to conserve soil
fertility to the greatest
possible degree. It affords
a solution for some urgent
and difficult farm problems.

Labor in itself constitutes
one of the hardest problems
encountered on the average
farm. Not only is this now
true, but the situation seems to be growing more serious each year.
The cost of extra labor is becoming greater, and efficient labor on the
farm is more difficult to secure when needed most. Transient labor
for the general farm is very unsatisfactory. As a rule, also, it is not
convenient or profitable to keep the necessary extra labor throughout
the entire year, even if it were available. This condition must soon
result in the reorganization of a large number of farms throughout the
corn belt, and in other sections as well. The main features of these
changes must be (1) a better distribution of labor throughout the
entire season and (2) systems that will reduce the extra labor
required at certain critical seasons of the year to a minimum.

The average corn-belt farm must be *devoted largely to the growing
of staple field crops, such as can be planted and cultivated by ma-
chinery and handled on a large scale. There is little place in that

NOTE.— This bulletin was prepared originally in the. Bureau of Plant Industry and published Nov.
13, 1914.

3C5712 l

2 ^AKMEKS BULLETIN 614.

region for crops that yield a big income per acre, such as truck crops
and small fruits, except in a few localities close to cities, where good
markets are available. The tendency in most sections is for the
labor of the farm to be done by one man or by one man and his family.
Occasionally it is done by the owner or tenant and a hired man.
In this case it is rare that the hired man can be depended upon to
stay the entire year, unless he has a family and is furnished a place to
live. In any event, it is growing more imperative that the efficiency
of the one man be increased as much as possible in such operations as
plowing, planting, and cultivating the farm crops, and that all the
labor possible be eliminated in the harvesting of these crops, in
order to cover a greater acreage effectively and at the same time to
use the greatest economy in the employment of outside labor, inas-
much as it is so difficult to secure.

Already this has given rise to certain well-formed and definite
systems which include these elements as prominent features in the
management of the farm. In several widely separated places prac-
tically the same system has been worked out. In all of these in-
stances 3 and 4 horse machinery is being rapidly substituted for
that of the 2-horse type, in order to double the efficiency of each man
employed. Crops are being grown that do not compete for labor.
Live stock is being used in every way possible in the harvesting of
the crops produced, thus eliminating to a very great extent the
necessity of hiring extra labor. By this process, also, the soil is
being brought to a higher stage of productiveness.

THE CROPPING SYSTEM.

A system which meets the requirements of the average conditions
in the corn belt has been found in actual operation on a number of
widely separated farms. It is one of the most definite and clearly
defined systems that have been encountered during several years of
farm-management studies throughout the region. It has been de-
vised by the farmers themselves, as they have been forced gradually
to meet present conditions.

The system in itself is very simple. Only three different crops are
grown, and these follow in a 4 or 5 year rotation that is easily man-
aged. The crops are corn, rye, and a mixture of clover and timothy,
or clover alone, as is thought best. The rotation in its 4-year form
is corn, corn, rye, and timothy and clover. The 5-year rotation is
the same, with the exception that the clover and timothy are allowed
to stand two years instead of one.

The ease with which the labor of such a rotation is taken care of is
very evident. Corn is the first and only crop to receive attention
during the spring and early summer until time to lay it by, at which
time hay harvest begins. Since the rye is harvested later by the

A CORN-BELT FARMING SYSTEM.

3

hogs, there is nothing to correspond to the wheat harvest, which
always comes at about the time the corn crop should be given its last
cultivation. Haying, then, is the only job to look after from the
time the corn is laid by until it is necessary to cut corn or sow the fall
grain, which in this case is rye. Thus the program is not crowded,
and eachcropcan have its due attention withoutrushingorslighting any
part of the work. This makes it possible for a given crew to handle
a maximum acreage with the least possible expense for outside help.
In order that a clear and definite understanding may be had of the
entire system, its rotations, the layout of the fields; and the methods
of handling the live stock, a diagram with fields numbered and crops
indicated is presented herewith (fig. 2).

1

z

3

4

Z>

CORN

COR N

RYE

CLOVER

TIMOTHY

1st

2d>

AND

/MO

AND

VEAR ,

ye* ft,

YOUNG

T/MOTHY,

Ci-OVER

TO BE.

TO BE CL/T

CLOVER,

HOG-

FOR

HOGGED

AND RYE

HOGGED

PASTURED.

H/tY OR

OFF.

3OW/V.

OFF flND

PASTURE.

PASTURED.

^ »-*Nt ^ V /5 *«*•" ^ /^

FIG. 2. — Plan of a farm run on a 5-year rotation.

This drawing represents an actual farm as it is being operated, with
the exception that one field is left in permanent pasture. Thus, the
real farm is being run on a 4-year rotation, but for the sake of illus-
tration it is shown on the 5-year plan, which, everything considered,
is probably the most desirable. This depends somewhat on the size
of the farm. If the farm is of sufficient size, a sixth field may well be
added and devoted to permanent pasture.

As the crops are arranged in the drawing, the rotation moves one
field to the right each year. The details of the crop management are
as follows :

Field No. 1. — The crop in field No. 1 is first-year corn, or corn the
first year after sod. This corn is grown and hogged off as soon as it
is ripe. This process generally begins as soon as the corn has become
hard and as soon as the hogs can be brought up to full feed, or about
September 1 to 10. On some farms the commendable practice is
followed of sowing soy beans or rape, or both, at the last cultivation
of the corn, in order to furnish pasturage for the hogs while gathering
the corn crop. Generally this will furnish a large amount of forage,
and it is valuable not only on this account, but because of the humus-
forming material it affords that will be turned back into the soil. The
success of this practice depends somewhat on local conditions, but it
comes in so nicely with the hogging down of the corn and requires so

4 FARMERS' BULLETIN 614.

little labor that it is worth a thorough trial. The following spring
the stalks and trash that remain on the surface of the field are cut
over with a sharp disk. This is the first step in the preparation of
this field for the second-year corn to follow.

Field No. 2. — Field No. 2 is devoted to second-year corn, or corn
following the year previous. Rye must be sown here in the fall
in order to furnish a field of rye for the next season, which, in
turn, affords a ready means of getting a stand of clover and timothy.
If it is a normal season and the corn stands well, the rye may be
sown in the standing corn with a 1-horse drill. If this is not possible,
the corn must be cut as early as is allowable, the ground prepared,
and the rye sown after the corn has been cut and shocked. If corn
cutting conies late, the rye may be sown late also and still give very
good results. Rye may be sown much later than wheat with much
more certainty 01 success. In some instances it is sown so late that
it does not come up until the next spring, and still it produces a fair
crop. This, however, is not desirable if it can be avoided.

Field No. 3. — Field No. 3 is devoted to rye during the entire season.
I n the fall of the year previous, timothy is sown with the rye, and the
clover is sown in the rye early the next spring, preferably in February.
During the spring the rye is pastured by the hogs as long as it is
palatable. It affords excellent pasturage, which is quite valuable
for young hogs and brood sows. As soon as it becomes tough the
hogs will begin to chew it for the juices and throw the remainder out
on the ground. This is a sign that they have derived about all the
benefit they are capable of getting from the green pasturage. They
are then taken out and are not returned to the field until about two
weeks after the rye has ripened. Then they are allowed to gather
the entire crop of rye and graze on the young clover that has come
up from the spring seeding. The hogging down of rye is discussed
in full later under the heading "The rye crop."

Field No. 4- — The clover and timothy in field No. 4 in a 5-year
rotation are devoted entirely to hog pasture. Where this plan is used
with a 4-year rotation, as is often done, the grass crop on this field
must furnish both pasture for the hogs and hay for the horses and for
the cows kept for family use. Hence, it is seen to be an advantage to
sow a mixture of clover and timothy instead of clover alone. The
hogs graze principally on the clover and leave most of the timothy
to be cut for hay. A good cutting of mixed hay can generally be
taken from the best parts of the field. This will usually be sufficient
for the horses and cows.

Field No. 5. — The clover and timothy in field No. 5 occupy the
ground for the second year. It should! be nearly all timothy, though
sometimes a good deal of clover may be present also. The grass crop
on this field is cut for hay and may be sold. Late in the fall it is
plowed for the first-year corn, which follows the next year. If not
pastured too closely, this affords an excellent opportunity to plow
under a good second growth of grass that will be very beneficial to
the land.

THE SYSTEM OF LIVE-STOCK MANAGEMENT.

The principal live stock to be kept on a farm using this system is
swine. The fall pigs are turned in on the rye in field No. 3 as early in
the spring as is permissible. This is generally from April 10 to 15.

A CORN-BELT FARMING SYSTEM. 5

The sows and their spring litters are turned out on a part of the rye
field or a small bluegrass pasture as soon as the pigs are old enough
to travel well and are approaching the weaning age. When they are
from 6 to 8 weeks old they are weaned and the sows taken to other
inclosures, where they are bred for fall litters.

The fall shotes and the spring pigs remain on the rye as long as it
is tender and succulent. This varies somewhat with the season, but
generally throughout the corn belt the rye has become so woody by
May 1 to 15 that it no longer affords good pasturage, and at this time
the hogs are turned from the rye field, shown in the illustration as
field No. 3, into the first-year clover and timothy in field No. 4.
There they receive a reasonably liberal corn ration.1 This is con-
tinued until fully two weeks have elapsed after the rye has ripened in
field No. 3. This is generally about July 15. At this time the young
hogs, and very often the brood sows also, are all turned into the ripe
rye and allowed to hog it down and to eat the young clover along
with it. While engaged in this operation they are given no corn or
slop feeds whatever, and the only attention they require is to be
given plenty of fresh water.

As a working basis on which calculations may be made, it has been
found that six 100-pound hogs to the acre will gather a 17-bushel per
acre crop of rye in six weeks. Timed in this way, the hogs will have
the average rye crop harvested by September 1, at which time new
corn is about ready to feed. Then, as soon as the hogs can be brought
up to full feed on the new corn, or about September 10, they are turned
into the first-year corn in field No. 1. There they remain until the
field is hogged off or they are sold. This will be about November 1
to 10 if all the hogs are kept until the entire crop is gathered.

Many who have followed this system have found it advisable to
take the fall shotes out of the rye and clover field about August 15
and allow them to finish out on old corn, thus getting them on the
market before the rush of new-corn hogs. In this case the spring pigs
are allowed to continue gathering the rye, and if any is left when
they are turned into cornfield No. 1, the brood sows are turned in or
are left in the rye field to clean it up.

Thus, the whole herd is furnished pasture and grain feed throughout
the entire spring, summer, and fall, which the hogs have gathered
with practically no labor and very little attention on the part of the
owner or the man who operates the farm. Besides this, the brood
sows and the fall litters are furnished pasturage on the rye field
during the fall and early winter of the same year it is sown.

For the winter feeding of the fall pigs it is desirable to sow a few
acres of soy beans. This may be done in the second-year cornfield or

i Two or three pounds of shelled corn (5 or 6 average ears) for each 100 pounds of live weight is about right.

6 FAKMEBS* BULLETIN 614.

on some small field set apart for that purpose. The most practical
method of feeding this crop is to cut and stack" the beans when ripe
and feed them out as hay. Racks may be provided or they may be
fed on the ground. The pigs are very fond of them, and if they are
not fed in too great abundance none will be wasted. Soy beans fed
in this way with corn make one of the most satisfactory winter feeds
that can be grown or purchased on the market.

It may be desirable in some instances to enlarge on this farm sys-
tem so as to include cattle or sheep or both in the live stock kept.
This may be done by adding a sixth field to the plan proposed and
allowing it to remain in permanent pasture. Dairying might be
introduced into the system in localities favorable to this enterprise.
If this is done, enough cows should be maintained to keep a second
man practically busy with their care and management, since the
crops and hogs keep one man well employed. Another live-stock
enterprise suitable for combination with the system here outlined
is the keeping of brood mares to do the work and raise colts. With
any of these additional live-stock enterprises the farm should be of
sufficient size to permit the sixth field to remain in permanent pasture
and still allow the other fields to be of good size.

THE SIZE OF THE FIELDS.

In carrying out this system to the best advantage, the fields should
not be less than about 20 acres. In a 4-year rotation this would call
for 80 acres of tillable land and would just about represent a 1-man
3-horse farm in this latitude. In the 5-year rotation plan it would
call for 100 acres of tillable land, and this could still be handled
with the same working force. The sizes of the fields may be increased
up to 40 acres, beyond which it is doubtful whether the acreage
should be extended. If the fields are made to include 40 acres on
the 4-year plan, it would call for 160 acres of tillable land, and on the
5-year plan there would be 200 acres in the rotation. If one field
should be added and the same size maintained, there would be 240
acres in all. With this sixth field left in permanent pasture, the
entire farm can be handled by one man with the assistance of a hired
hand during the summer, provided he is equipped with a good
4-horse team and all machinery to correspond. The only extra labor
that would be required would be while putting up 40 acres of hay and
cutting and husking 40 acres of corn. If modern machinery is used,
but little extra labor will be required, even for these operations.

By plowing one of the fields for corn late in the fall, such a plan
is perfectly feasible, and there would be no rush season when the
work could not be managed with a reasonable degree of comfort.
To carry this out, it would be necessary to have the sows farrow their
spring litters early in March, so as to require very little attention

A CORN-BELT FARMING SYSTEM. /

after the season for field work opens. The fall litters should be far-
rowed about September 1, as this is another time of year when
work would not be pressing.

It will be seen that this S3^stem of managing a farm is capable of
great possibilities in extending the area that one man can handle.
For small farms it probably has less value; but it fits well into any
scheme of farming medium and large acreages. It is especially
suited to farms on which the labor conditions are difficult to meet
and to farms that a.re in a low state of fertility. The method of
disposing of half the corn and all the rye is such that it builds up the
soil rapidly, and the labor saved in allowing the hogs to harvest
these crops and a great part of the clover is a very important advan-
tage over the ordinary system.

THE RYE CROP.

One of the very distinctive features of this farm system is the rye
crop and the part it plays in the general details of management.
There is no other crop that will fit in so well as rye and none that
will take its place in carrying out this system in its most desirable
form in the corn belt. In the first place it is a fall grain, which is
absolutely necessary in order to get the most desirable distribution
of labor. Wheat might fill this requirement, but there are many
features about wheat that make it very much less desirable for this
purpose than rye. Wheat is less certain to yield a good crop, and
rye can be sown much later in the fall, if necessary, with greater
assurance of success. Wheat can be hogged down in small acreages
as well as rye, provided it is eaten quickly, before it has time to waste.
The straw of wheat will break near the ground and allow the grain
to lie flat on the ground, whereas rye straw breaks higher up and near
the heads and thus keeps the grain off the soil, preventing it from
rotting before the hogs have had time to gather it. When allowed
to stand after it is ripe, wheat will shatter out, while rye will be re-
tained in the heads until very late in the fall or early winter.

There is some objection to rye when used as outlined in this system
in the dry regions of the West, on account of the grain remaining so
hard that the hogs will not eat it, and, therefore, wheat for such sec-
tions is more desirable for hogging down than rye. But in the corn
belt there is no trouble of this kind, provided tlje rye crop is allowed
to stand in the field unmolested for a period -of two weeks after it is
ripe. When this is done, the beards lose their sharpness, the grain
softens and becomes more palatable, and the hogs waste no time in
taking hold of their new feed. This wait of two weeks is absolutely
necessary, or there will be great disappointment in the hogging down
of rye. Many have condemned the practice merely because this pre-
caution was not observed. Another mistake that is often made is to
89356°— 17 2

8 FARMERS' BULLETIN 614.

feed corn when the hogs are gathering the rye, thinking that thereby
their growth will be hastened. After the hogs have been on the rye
for a few days the corn ration should be gradually lessened until none
is fed. If corn is fed, the hogs will simply eat that much less rye.

Rye possesses other advantages over wheat. Aside from being a
more certain crop, rye will do better on poor soil than wheat. In
many sections of the corn belt wheat is hardly a profitable crop, and
many farmers say they grow it merely in order to get a stand of
clover and are inquiring what they must do to get away from raising
wheat. Rye, when managed as it is in this system, offers a solution
of this problem. It not only takes the place of the wheat crop where
the yield of wheat is low and unprofitable, but it offers a better
chance of success with the clover crop that is sown in it. Rye grows
tall and does not produce so dense a shade as wheat, and it therefore
gives the clover a better opportunity to thrive.

In carrying out this general plan with the rye crop it is the most
common practice to pasture it with the hogs for a while during the
early spring. This is not only a beneficial thing for the hogs, but
their trampling helps to sink the clover seed into the soil and is an
important item in securing a stand of clover. Figure 3 shows a good
bunch of pigs grazing on rye early in the spring and the splendid
pasturage they are getting.

Another important feature about the practice of hogging down rye
which must not be overlooked is its contribution toward the building
up of the soil and the maintenance of soil fertility. All the rye straw
and practically 80 per cent of the fertilizing value of the grain is

FIG. 3.— Hogs grazing on rye in the spring.

A CORN-BELT FARMING SYSTEM.

FIG. 4.— A splendid growth of rye, with the hogging-down process just beginning.

immediately put back on the field and is better distributed than would
be possiblb oy any other system of feeding and distributing the
manure. It is possible, even on poor land, to produce immense
growths of rye straw with fair yields of grain. This straw furnishes
great quantities of the vegetable matter and humus-forming material
that is so essential to all soils. The crop of rye shown in figure 4 was
grown on only medium soil with the aid of 200 pounds of acid phos-
phate per acre. Turning back such quantities of straw soon makes a
decided change, even on very poor soil.

An item of no little importance is the ease with which the hogs take
care of themselves while hogging off the rye crop and eating the young
clover that has grown up therein. During the hot season of July and
August the hogs lie in the shade during midday, but about sundown
start out in the rye field and work there generally all night, coming in
late the following morning. If plenty of pure water is furnished them,
this is all the attention they require, and they will continue to do the
work of Harvest hands very effectively.

Compared with the cost of harvesting, thrashing, and marketing the
grain it has been determined that each hog will do about 1 cent's
worth of work per day. This, taken into account with the fact that
each hog will make a very creditable gain of one-half to three-fourths
of a pound per day, and in some cases a pound, during a time when
the labor situation is most tense, is a big factor in the economic
management of the farm.

The composition of rye grain is about the same as that of corn,
being only slightly higher in protein than corn. Young clover, when
eaten with ripe rye, makes an excellent ration, which produces a
smooth, "growthy" type of hog that is in just the right condition to
put on fat rapidly when given a corn diet later.

10

FARMERS' BULLETIN 614.

* Figure 5 shows a rye field that is nearly harvested and the splendid
hogs that it has produced.

THE MONEY INCOME PER ACRE.

The money value of an acre of rye, whether hogged down or
thrashed and sold on the market, is not great; hence, on smaller
farms of 40 to 60 acres of fertile soil this crop with this method of
management will not have so much place as on larger farms that are
less productive. On the smaller farms it is desirable to grow crops
that will bring a greater profit per acre, even though a greater outlay
of labor is necessary. If, however, this demand for extra labor can
not be met, then rye and the practice of hogging it down still have a
place on the smaller farm, and especially if such farms are in a run-
down condition.

Under average conditions in the corn belt 1 7 bushels of rye per acre
is a good yield. This, when sold on the market at 70 cents per bushel
(which is a liberal standard price), will bring $11.90. The income
when the crop is hogged down will vary with the price of hogs. With
the young clover that grows up in the rye, a 17-bushel acre of rye will
produce approximately 200 pounds of pork without any outside or
supplementary feeds. This, when sold at 6 cents per pound, will
bring $12 per acre, and at 7 cents, $14.

FIG. 5. — A field of rye and young clover nearly hogged off and the thrifty hogs that have been doing

the work.

A CORN-BELT FARMING SYSTEM. 11

In collecting data on the income derived from an acre of rye when
hogged down, it has been repeatedly shown that this is about the same
as when the crop is cut, thrashed, and sold. Generally, there has
been a slight advantage in favor of the hogging-down process. This
varies somewhat, and in some cases this advantage has been consid-
erable. In addition to yielding an equal or slightly greater money
income, the hogging-down method permits the rye to stand through-
out the hot, dry season and come down gradually, thus furnishing a
protection for the young clover; it saves the labor involved in har-
vesting, thrashing, and marketing the crop, and is a very important
means of building up the soil. Even if the two methods yield the
same financial returns, that of hogging down the crop is decidedly
superior, in that it protects the clover, builds up the soil, and saves
the labor of harvesting, thrashing, and marketing the grain.

RYE OR WHEAT— WHICH?

There may be some question when this farm system is considered
for the average corn-belt farm as to whether it is not better to continue
growing wheat than to substitute rye with the practice of hogging it
off. This is a question that must be worked out and answered sepa-
rately on each farm.

In deciding this question there are many things that must be con-
sidered. The first is the man himself. Has the man who will operate
the farm an inclination toward swine raising or a dislike for it ? Has
he or can he acquire sufficient skill in this to be reasonably sure of
raising the number of hogs each year that would be required to harvest
the rye crop ? The next item is the equipment and fences on the farm.
Is the farm so fenced or can it be so fenced that hogs of all sizes may
be kept in all fields ? Certain equipment for housing the brood sows
and their litters will be necessary also. Is it desirable to furnish the
fence and other equipment necessary, or continue more along crop-
farming lines, of which wheat growing and selling shall be a part ?
Finally, the item of labor must be considered. Is there labor available
to handle the wheat crop without seriously hindering the other farm
operations? If not, even if it is more profitable, it may be advisable
to substitute rye and the practice of hogging it down.

THE CORN CROP.

The corn crop is a very important factor in the success of this
system. On farms where corn yields are extremely low this plan
would require the purchase of a large amount of corn, and it might
not be feasible until the soil has been built up to a point where a fair
yield of corn may be expected. It might be better in such cases to
run the farm as a grain farm, with such legumes as soy beans or cow-
peas as cash crops, until the soil has been built up to at least a moder-
ate degree of fertility by this means and by the use of such green

12 FARMERS' BULLETIN 614.

manures and other soil amendments as the farmer can afford under
the circumstances. An alternative would be to reduce the number
of hogs in proportion to the corn yield, say to three or four for each
acre of rye, instead of six. By doing this the rye will last longer and
less corn will be required.

The possibility of securing at least fair yields of corn should be kept
in mind in putting this plan in operation outside of the corn belt
proper. With the precautions mentioned above, this system as a
whole, or modifications of it, should be of value in the reorganization
of a large number of farms in other sections as well.

The system proper should always include two fields of corn, as
shown in figure 2. One field should be cut and shocked and later
shredded, in order to furnish bedding, while the fodder is being fed
in the barn. All or a part of the other field should be hogged down
as it may seem wise to do under the circumstances at hand. All the
fields in the rotation should be of approximately the same size. With
this arrangement and corn yielding 60 bushels per acre, ample corn
will be produced to meet the needs of the farm. If the yields are
lower than this, the number of hogs must be cut down accordingly,
or the difference made up by buying corn.

The practice of hogging down corn which is called for in this system
of management is so prevalent throughout the corn belt that it is not
necessary to discuss it at length.1 Farmers have learned that when
properly handled it is a most successful and profitable farm practice.
It is not wasteful, it saves a great amount of labor during a rush sea-
son when outside labor is badly needed, and it immediately returns
to the soil most of the fertility contained in the corn crop. In addi-
tion to this, by plowing down the cornstalks and the remaining vege-
tation left by the rape and soy beans sown in the corn, a large amount
of vegetable matter is turned under, which is very important if crop
yields are to be increased and maintained.

The general experience is that a part of the field should be set off
by a temporary fence 2 and that the hogs should not be allowed to
cover too large an area at one time. This precaution is a big factor
in preventing waste, and it avoids the possibility of having to leave
the fieM only partly gathered if it should become necessary to sell
tha hogs before the work is finished. This is especially desirable
with this system, since only six hogs are to be raised for each acre of
corn to be hogged off. In this case, it will take the six hogs, three of
which will be fall shotes and three spring pigs, about 60 days to hog off
an acre of corn yielding 60 bushels. Very often it may not be desir-
able to allow the hogs to cover more than one-half or two-thirds of the
field. It would seem advisable, therefore, to fence off from 5 to 8 acres

1 For a lull discussion of the practice of hogging down corn, see Bulletin 143, Iowa Agricultural Experi-
ment Station, and Bulletin 104, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.

2 This fencing is easily done by setting good anchor posts at each side of the field, stretching 25-inch woven-
wire fence, and tying it to the hills of corn.

A CORN-BELT FARMING SYSTEM. 13

at a time and have this cleaned up well before moving the fence. It
is good practice also to allow the brood sows and their fall litters to fol-
low later to gather up what little waste corn may be left in the field.
When the hogging down of corn, properly managed, is combined
with the hogging down of rye and the pasturing of clover, as outlined
in this paper, the result is one of the most economical and efficient
of farm systems and one that will meet many of the most urgent farm
problems in the corn belt.

THE SOURCES OF INCOME.

It is evident that the principal income from this system is to be
derived from the sale of hogs. In addition, there will be a calf or
two for sale each year. The hay needed for the horses and cows will
be cut from the hog pasture shown as field No. 4 in figure 2. This
will permit the sale of all the hay cut from field No. 5.

THE LABOR PROBLEM.

One of the most striking features of this system is the way it
meets and solves the labor problem. The chief aim has been
to grow only those crops that do not compete seriously for la-
bor, to eliminate as much labor as possible at the rush seasons
by the harvesting of crops with live stock, and so to distribute the
necessary labor throughout the year as to enable a given crew to
handle a maximum acreage with the least possible amount of outside
labor. How effectively this is accomplished is shown by the accom-
panying chart (fig. 6), which shows graphically the amount of time
available for field work throughout an average season and the amount
of work of this character that is required during each month on a
100-acre farm run by this system. Figure 7 shows the additional
labor required to take care of 10 brood sows and their litters under
this system of management.

The labor on the 100-acre farm, as charted in figure 6, is done by
one man and three horses, with a very small amount of outside help.
The crops are two 20-acre fields of corn, 20 acres of rye, 20 acres
of clover and timothy, and 20 acres of timothy. The labor indi-
cated in figure 6 also includes the growing of two acres of potatoes.
By plowing one field for corn in the fall the one man and three horses
are able to handle all the spring work within the limits of available
time, get the corn in, cultivate it, and produce the crop without
assistance. The next operation is that of putting up the hay, and even
with the most modern haying machinery some extra labor is needed.

As previously stated under " The system of live-stock management,"
the hogs are turned in on the rye field (fig. 2, No. 3) about July 15
and allowed to harvest that crop. On account of this the man and
his team are practically relieved from field work after the hay is
put up until early in September, when one field of corn must be cut
and 20 acres of rye sown. The harvesting of the hay will be done

14

FARMERS BULLETIN 614.

by the last of July, and, with the possible exception of a day or two
during August in finishing the haying job, there will be no field
work to be done from then until the second 10-day period of Septem-
ber, when corn cutting begins. Thus, there are about five weeks
when the man and his team would be idle, but this is thrashing
time and he can help his neighbors and do the work indicated in
figure 6 as extra labor, in order to pay back the labor he would be
forced to hire when shredding a part of the 20 acres of corn in field
No. 1 of figure 2, this being necessary to provide bedding in the
barn. While extra labor to the extent of 16 extra hands and 6 extra
teams is shown in figure 6 during the last 10 days of October for

FIG. 6.— Diagram showing the distribution of iabor for one man and three horses on a 100-acre corn-belt
farm when run on the plan described in this bulletin. Explanation: A=man days, B=3-horse team
days, C= extra man labor, D= extra horse labor, E= exchange man labor, F= exchange horse labor,
G= available time for one man and three horses.

doing the shredding, this labor is paid for during August and the
first 10 days of September by helping these men in thrashing their
wheat and oats.

With the extra labor taken care of in this manner there will still
remain about 10 days of extra labor during hay harvest that must
be paid for in cash. With this small amount of hired help and the
assistance of the hogs in harvesting the 20 acres of rye, 20 acres of
corn, and the greater part of 20 acres of clover and timothy, one
man and three horses can do the work on a 100-acre corn-belt farm.

Figure 7 shows the labor required in the care of 10 sows and their
litters during the entire year. This must be done in addition to
the regular farm work. A glance at figures 6 and 7 will show how well
the labor required by the hogs fits in with the other farm operations

A COBN-BELT FARMING I

and helps fill in the program during slack periods of the regular work.
During the winter months there is little work the farmer can do
profitably, and it is during this season that the heaviest work is
demanded by the hogs. At this time there should be 60 fall pigs,
10 brood sows, and 1 boar to care for, feed, water, slop, bed, etc.
The amount of time actually put in at this will vary with the man
and the arrangements for handling the hogs. The fall pigs should be
divided into two or three lots, according to size. If these are scat-
tered somewhat and the feeding done out of doors, portable shelter
houses being used both for the shotes and the sows, more than 4
hours a day will be necessary. If the shotes are allowed to run
together in one herd and are housed in a large, permanent house
and the sows kept together in a part of the same building, less time

JAN. FEB. MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPr OCT NQV DEC

FIG. 7.— Diagram showing the amount and distribution of labor required by 10 brood sows and 120
pigs by the system of management described in this bulletin.

will be required. Under ordinary conditions 4 hours a day will be
required for this work throughout the corn belt for the winter months.
The two litters of pigs produced each year are farrowed between
March 1 and 15 and September 1 and 15. This accounts for the
extra amount of work with the hogs at these two periods. A glance
at figure 6 shows that at these periods the farmer has practically no
field work to do and can well devote his time to the care of the sows
and their young litters, together with whatever attention the shotes
may require. From September 1 to 15 there is more work to be done
in connection with the hogs than at any other period of the year.
During this time the fall litters are farrowed and the shotes are fed
corn in order to get them on full feed before turning them into the
cornfield which is to t}e hogged down. For a few days old corn is
fed, but gradually new corn takes its place. This is gathered from
the field, and stillfurther increases the labor at this time. This consti-
tutes the busiest season of the year for this kind of work, but it comes
when there is the least amount of regular farm work to be done.

16 'V FARMKHS' BULLETIN 614.

It will be seen that the hogs are an effective means of cutting down
the labor at rush seasons, of avoiding the expense and annoyance of
securing much hired labor, and of transferring the bulk of this labor
to other seasons of the year, when the farmer can do the work him-
self. By following a system of this kind the amount of outside or
extra labor needed is extremely small. Aside from the saving in
money, this independence of outside circumstances is desirable.

SUMMARY.

Labor is the most difficult problem to meet on the average corn-
belt farm. This condition is growing worse instead of better and
will probably make it necessary to reorganize a large number of
farms in that section. Unless systems of farming are adopted that
will eliminate a part of the work required at rush seasons, it means
cutting down the acreage that each farmer can handle and the net
income as well.

By force of necessity many farmers throughout this section have
devised such a system and have formulated about the same rotation
and general plan of operation. The fact that they can plant and
cultivate more crops than they can harvest has led them to resort to
gathering much of their crops with live stock and to planting such
crops as will lend themselves to this mode of harvesting. The possi-
bilities of saving labor and extending the acreage, and thus increasing
the income, by this method are only beginning to be realized.

Swine are a class of live stock admirably suited to solve this
particular farm problem. These animals most successfully and profit-
ably harvest the greatest variety of farm crops. Rye, corn, clover,
soy beans, rape, and other forage crops that can be grown in the
corn belt are harvested thus with a maximum of profit and a mini-
mum of labor to the farmer.

Rye and the hogging off of this crop offer a substitute for wheat,
which has become unprofitable on many farms of this section. Under
ordinary conditions a price greater than that given for rye on the
market is obtained, and all of the rye straw and about 80 per cent
of the fertilizing value of the grain are returned immediately to the
soil by this process.

The money return per acre from the rye crop, either when hogged
off or sold on the market, is not great. When hogged off, this varies
with the price of hogs, but will generally be more than if the rye is
sold. If the yield of wheat is 20 bushels or more per acre, it is doubtful
whether rye should be substituted, but even then the labor situation
may force the adoption of rye, together with the hogging-off process.

Corn and clover are most profitably and economically harvested
by hogs, and the fertility contained in these crops is thereby returned
to the soil with the least possible loss. When these crops are com-
bined with rye and harvested in the same manner, using either a 4,
5, or 6 year rotation, a most efficient farm system for the corn beit
is the result. It meets the labor problem, builds up the soil, con-
serves fertility, and yields a satisfactory income.

The ever-present danger from hog cholera in any system of farming
involving swine is fully recognized, but on a number of farms which
are using the system here outlined this danger has been successfully
obviated by inoculation with hog-cholera serum.

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