Luisiana State University LSU Digital Cmmns LSU Agricultural Experiment Statin Reprts LSU AgCenter 1923 "Hgging dwn crps" : cst f prducing crps and prk Albert Franklin Kidder Fllw this and additinal wrks at: http://digitalcmmns.lsu.edu/agexp Part f the Agriculture Cmmns Recmmended Citatin Kidder, Albert Franklin, ""Hgging dwn crps" : cst f prducing crps and prk" (1923). LSU Agricultural Experiment Statin Reprts. 19. http://digitalcmmns.lsu.edu/agexp/19 This Article is brught t yu fr free and pen access by the LSU AgCenter at LSU Digital Cmmns. It has been accepted fr inclusin in LSU Agricultural Experiment Statin Reprts by an authrized administratr f LSU Digital Cmmns. Fr mre infrmatin, please cntact gcste1@lsu.edu.
FEBRUARY, 1923 LUISIANA BULLETIN N. 187 LUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AND AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL LLEGE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATINS W. R. DDSN, Dean and Directr. BATN RUGE, LUISIANA "HGGING DWN CRPS^ ST F PRDUCING CRPS AND PRK BY A. F. KIDDER AGRNMIST AND W. H. DALkYMPLE PRFESSR F VETERINARY SCIENCE VETERINARIAN F THE EXPERIMENT STATIN
«Gladney's Print Shp, Batn Ruge, La.
"HGGING DWN'* CRPS ST F PRDUCING CRPS AND PRK SUMMARY Sy beans, grwn alne, was the cheapest crp t prduce. Crn and sy beans and crn and cwpeas were practically the same in cst f prductin. Thirteen and ne-half days f man labr and fur days f hrse labr, ten hurs per day, were required t grw an acre f sweet ptates. In 1921, fifty-tw pigs weighed 149.6 punds at farrwing and 1480 punds when weaned, apprximately seven weeks ld. During this time the sws and pigs cnsumed 2613 punds f cncentrates and 2320 punds f skim milk and buttermilk. Sixty pigs, in 1922, weighed 170.7 punds at farrwing and 1590 punds at weaning. The pigs and sws cnsumed 2840 punds f cncentrated feed during the suckling perid f abut seven weeks. Gd at pasture was available at th6 time during the suckling perid. The fifty-tw pigs ate 13,110 punds f cncentrates and 16,000 punds f milk frm weaning t "hgging dwn" in 1921. The gain during this time was 5020 punds. It required 2.61 punds f cncentrates and 3.19 punds f milk t make a pund f gain. In 1922, skim milk r butter milk was nt available; 18,515 punds f cncentrates was cnsumed and the pigs gained 4165 punds, r 4.44 punds f feed was required fr each pund f gain. In 1921, the pigs were fed all they wuld eat while the next year they were nt fed nearly s heavily. The cheaper gain was
4 made with the heavier feeding; calculating 5 punds f milk t be equivalent t ne pund f cncentrates, 3.25 punds f feed gave ne pund f gain, while in 1922,' with n milk and with light feeding, 4.44 punds f feed gave a pund f gain. Fr the entire perid frm farrwing t the beginning f the "hgging dwn,'^ in 1921, 3.05 punds f grain (milk being reduced in terms f abve) gave ne pund f gain and in 1922, 3.82 punds f grain gave ne pund f gain. Crn and sy beans gave the cheapest gains when "hgged dwn'' in cmparisn with crn and cwpeas, crn, sy beans and sweet ptates, sweet ptates and sy beans and sweet ptates alne. With crn and sy beans, the cst f prducing 100 punds f feed amunted t 2.9 'man hurs and 4.6 hrse hurs and the cst f prducing 100 punds f prk was 13.6 man hurs and 21.6 hrse hurs. The crn and the sy beans shuld be planted at the same time, using tw planters in rder t plant the crn slightly deeper than, the beans. The beans will prduce a larger yield when planted early and the shade frm the crn will nt affect the beans t much extent. Cwpeas prduced seed nly nce in the fur-year perid. Sy beans shuld be substituted fr cwpeas in suth Luisiana. Sweet ptates set ut after ats, r abut the first t the middle f july, made a small yield per acre. The ats were grazed until nearly ready t cut fr grain and the grund was usually hard and dry, making it rather difficult t prepare a gd seedbed. Sweet ptates shuld be set ut during the first part f May, if the highest yield is expected. Sweet ptates were "hgged dwn" at a lss, when nt in a cmbinatin. Crn and sy beans and sweet ptates make a very gd cmbinatin.
5 "Hgging Dwn" Crps Cst f Prducing Crps and Prk A. F. KIDDER and W. H. DALRYMPLE Success in farming as in any ther business shuld be measured in terms f prfit. The ability t reduce cst f prductin withut impairing a farm r discuraging labr is an imprtant asset and is ne f the main factrs which help t make a prfit in farming. The man and hrse labr necessary in crp prductin is the large item f ex- *pense and all peratins shuld be planned with this labr charge in mind. The data herewith presented cmprise a series f cst prductin studies begun in 1920. The labr cst f prducing "hgging dwn" crps, the feed cst f grwing hgs frm farrwing t ''hgging dwn", fr 1921 and 1922 and the labr cst f prk prduced by grazing the crps are included in this reprt. The crps grwn were crn, crn and cwpeas, crn and sy beans, sweet ptates and sy beans. ats was seeded t all plats every fall but n labr cst recrd was kept. This was used fr pasture fr brd sws befre farrwing as well as during the suckling perid (apprximately seven weeks). It is knwn that the labr cst f prducing ats is less than fr any f the ther crps grwn in this study. The at crp was cut fr grain frm all plats, except ne, in 1921 and 1922. The crp was cut n all plats in 1920. The average yield f ats n the grazed plats in 1920 and 1921 was nearly 15 bushels per acre and the grain was f gd quality. In 1922, the yield frm the Acknwledgment is made t Prf. E. L. Jrdan fr assistance thrughut the experiment and t E. A. Maier and E. K. Breeden fr helping t keep the recrds.
6 grazed plats was fur bushels per acre, lw yield being due principally t adverse weather cnditins. n gd land, the yield f the at crp after grazing, as under the cnditins in this reprt, shuld be mre than sufficient t pay the labr cst f prductin. The value f the grazing ught t be large enugh t pay all ther csts. LABR ST F CRPS The labr necessary fr the prductin f the "hgging dvm" crps will be expressed in man hurs and hrse hurs. The variable cnditins as t price f labr and feed fr hrses makes it practically impssible t state these items in terms f dllars and cents. Anyne can readily estimate the cst in mney t suit his cnditins. Table 1 gives this labr cst. Year TABLE I Labr Cst f "Hgging Dwn'' Crps Plat Area (acres) CRP Man HURS 1920 Ic 2 Sweet Ptates 260 80 1920 2c 2 Crn and Cwpeas 75 120 1920 3c 2 Crn 64 116 1920 4c 2.5 %A Sweet Ptates 66 25 2A Sy Beans 46 78 1921 Id 1 Sweet Ptates 125 35 1921 2d 1.1 Sy Beans 25 40 1921 3d 1.1 Crn and Cwpeas 34 60 1921 Ic 2 Sy Beans 54 72 1921 2c 2 Sweet Ptates 256 78 1921 3c 2 Crn and Sy Beans 70 128 1921 4c 2.5 YzA Sweet Ptates 65 19 2A Crn and Sy Beans 78 124 1922 Id 1 Sy Beans 29 35 1922 2d 1.1 Crn and Cwpeas 38 68 1922 3d 1.1 Sweet Ptates 154 50 1922 Ic 2 Crn and Sy Beans 80 134 1922 2c 2 Sy Beans 49 75 1922 3c 2 Sweet Ptates 290 84 1922 4c 2.5 i/^a Sy Beans 18 24 2A Crn and Sy Beans 91 98 Hrse
7 The labr cst data in Table I cver a, perid f three years. The average number f man hurs and hrse hurs per acre v^^ill be shwn in Table II. TABLE II Labr Cst per Acre f Prducing "Hgging Dwn" Crps AVERAGE HURS CRP YEARS Man Hrse Crh 1 32 58 Crn and Sy Beans 2 38.9 60.5 Crn and Cwpeas 3 35 59 Sy Beans 3 25.7 37.6 Sweet Ptates 3 133.6 40.7 These crps were grwn in small plats, the largest being tw acres. The labr cst can be reduced cnsiderably under farm cnditins where larger areas may be used. Shrt rws shuld be eliminated wherever pssible fr a large amunt f time is lst in turning at ends. The hrse hurs fr crn alne in ne year nly is apprximately the same as fr crn and cwpeas r fr crn and sy beans; an average f several years wuld prbably reduce this figure. feed cst. FEED ST F HG PRDUCTIN The main factr in ecnmical hg prductin is the In 1921, when cnsidering further wrk in cst f prducing ''hgging dwn" crps, it was thught well t include the cst f prducing the hgs frm farrwing t the time when they culd be allwed t begin fattening by grazing ff the crps grwn fr this purpse. These data include feed nly, as the labr is almst a negligible factr. It wuld have been better if the time had begun with the service instead f at farrwing. The cst f cncentrates during the pregnancy perid was decreased by having gd at pasture. Further, it was nticed that nearly all f the pigs were strng and healthy at farrwing time, a cnditin that may be attributed t a gd at pasture.
WEIGHT, 8 Table III cntains the farrwing recrd fr 1921. TABLE III Farrwing Kecrd, 1921 Sw Date f Farrwing N. f Pigs Farrwed N. f Pigs at Weaning Av'ge Wght per Pig at Farrwing, Punds Av'ge Wght per Pig at "Weaning, Punds 1 2/12/21 13 10 2.55 2 2/13/21 13 9 2.73 3 3/10/21 11 10 3.30 4 3/13/21 10 8 3.12 5 3/30/21 9 8 2.75 6 4/12/21 2.80 23.70 30.00 32.66 The average weight f the pigs fr each sw at farrwing includes nly thse pigs that were alive at weaning, an average f seven weeks ld.^ As sn as pssible after farrwing tw sws were put tgether and the average weight at weaning includes tw litters in all cases. Fiftytw pigs were saved ut f a ttal f sixty-five farrwed frm six sws r an average f 8% per sw. These fiftytw pigs weighed 149.6 punds when farrwed and 1480 punds when weaned, thus making a gain f 1330.4 punds during the suckling perid. Table IV gives the kind and amunt f feed cnsumed by sws and pigs during this perid. TABLE IV Feed Cnsumed by Sws and Pigs frm Farrwing T Weaning, 1921 KIND F FEED ' LBS. Wheat Bran 93 Wheat Shrts 40 Shelled Crn 256 Unblted Crn Meal 59 Crn Chps : 876 Rice Bran 40 Rice Plish 956 Tankage : A - 188 Shrimp Bran ^- 10'5 Skim Milk and Buttermilk -. 2320
3.00 9 In additin t the feed given in Table IV, the sws and pigs had access t gd at pasture. The ttal amunt f cncentrates cnsumed during the suckling perid in 1921 was 2613 punds and 2320 punds f skim milk and buttermilk was fed in additin. It was nticed that bth sws and pigs ate mre after milk was added t the ratin. The farrwing recrd fr 1921 is in Table V. Sw Dats f Fan-wing TABLE V Farrwing Recrd, 1922 N. f Pig-s Farrwed N. f Pig-s at Weaning A'vge W'ght per Pig at Farrwing, Punds 1 12/31/21 7 4* 2.00 2 1/8/22 9 2.14 2/18/22 6 6 2.50 4 2/23/22 7 2.90 Av'ge W'ght per Pig at Weaning, Punds 33.00 26.00 5 3/1/22 4 4 2.25 6 3/1/22 6 6 2.10 24.00 7 3/2/22 9 7 2.10 8 3/6/22 11 11 3.47 9 3/7/22 7 6 ' 24.20 10 3/9/22 7 7 ' 2.85 Ten weeks ld when weaned. The average weight at farrwing represents as in 1921 nly the weight f pigs alive at weaning. The pigs frm sw 8 while large at birth did nt seem t grw ff as quickly as sme f the smaller nes. Hwever, all appeared healthy and n attempt was made t frce them mre than the thers. Sixty-five were saved ut f a ttal f seventy-three r an average f 61-2 pigs per sw against 8-/3 in 1921. This was prbably due t the fact that seven f the sws in 1922 were gilts f a small-bne type. They were purchased late in December, 1921. Sw 4 was a bigbne Pland-China and sws 8 and 9 were grades that
10 have been n the Statin fr several years. These ten sws and pigs cnsumed 2840 punds f cncentrated feed in additin t gd at pasture frm farrwing t weaning. A detailed statement f feeds is given in Table VI. TABLE VI Feed Cnsumed by Sws and Pigs frm Farrwing t Weaning, 1922 KIND F FEED WEIGHT, LBS. '. Wheat Bran 118 Wheat Shrts : 17 Crushed Sy Beans 15 Crn Chps 2280 Tankage 410 The sixty-five pigs weighed 170.7 punds at birth and 1590 punds when weaned, thus making a gain f 1419.3 punds during the suckling perid. During the tw years, all the pigs were put tgether as sn as weaned and the amunt f feed weighed each time they were fed. They were fed three times a day when first weaned, changing t twice (mrning and evening) abut ne mnth later. Table VII gives the kind and amunt f feed cnsumed by the pigs frm weaning t the beginning f the ''hgging dwn" perid. KIND F FEED TABLE VII Feed Cnsumed by Pigs frm Weaning t ''Hgging Dwn" WEIGHT 1921 Wheat Shrts - 2915 PUNDS 1922 660 4000 Unblted Crn Meal 6400 Ear Crn 2400 6580 2930 1800 Whle ats 1000 (Black Strap) 16000 490 20 2515 5
11 In 1921, 52 pigs cnsumed 13,110 punds f cncentrates and 16,000 punds f skim milk and buttermilk. The weight at time f weaning was 1480 punds and the weight when hand feeding ceased was 6500 punds, the gain being 5020 punds. The amunt f feed required t make a pund f gain was 2.61 punds f cncentrates and 3.19 punds f milk. During the feeding perid f 1922, skim milk and buttermilk were nt available. The 65 pigs fr that year cnsumed 18,515 punds f cncentrates r 4.44 punds fr each pund f gain, the weight at weaning being 1590 punds a^d at end f the feeding perid being 5755 punds r a gain f 4165 punds. it is fair t charge the ttal amunt f feed cnsumed by the sws and pigs during the suckling perid and by the pigs frm weaning t "hgging dwn" t the gain in weight f the pigs. Table VIII gives the ttal feed and the ttal gain fr the tw perids. Initial weight f pigs at farrwing has been deducted. TABLE VIII Ttal Feed Cnsumed and Gain frm Farrwing t ''Hgging Dwn" KIND F FEED WEIGHT F FEED, LBS GAIN, LBS. 1921 1922 1921 1922 Cncentrates 15723 21355 6350.4 5584.3 Skim Milk and Buttermilk 18320 A study f the data in Table VIII reveals that 3.05 and 3.82 punds f grain was necessary t prduce a pund f prk fr the abve perid in 1921 and 1922, respectively. The skim milk and buttermilk were calculated n the basis f 5 punds f the milk being equivalent t 1 pund f grain. In 1921, the pigs averaged 2.88 punds at birth
12 and 125 punds when hand feeding stpped; the weights fr 1922 were 2.62 and 88.5 punds respectively. The pigs were fed liberally in 1921, being given practically all they wuld eat every day while, in 1922, the daily feeding was nt nearly s heavy. The cheaper gain was with the heavy feeding. Results f "Hgging Dwn" Crps These data cver a perid f fur years. The results fr each year will be given separately. In 1919, 2 acres f crn and cwpeas, 4.25 acres f crn and sy beans (planted in alternate rws five feet wide), 2.75 acres f sweet ptates, 2 acres f sy beans and 2 acres f sweet ptates were harvested by means f hgs. N labr csts were kept in 1919. The data will be fund in Table IX. The 2.75 acres f sweet ptates and 4.25 acres f crn and sy beans were grwn n very pr sil which accunts fr the extremely lw yields. The prk prductin frm these lw yields was cnsiderably mre satisfactry than if the crps had been harvested by hand and then sld. In 1920, seven acres were harvested by hgs. This acreage included 2 f crn and cwpeas, 2 f crn, 1 f sy beans and 2 f sweet ptates. See Table X fr the data. During the 16 days while the hgs were eating sweet ptates, 192 punds f shrimp bran were als cnsumed. The bran was put int a self-feeder and the hgs had access t it all the time. The 26 hgs used n the crn and cwpeas included 18 pigs that averaged nly 42 punds while the ther 8 weighed 131.5 punds each. The same hgs were used in all the grazing fr 1920. At the beginning, all f them were placed tgether in rder t see if the small nes wuld remain in gd grwing cnditin. All were in gd
13
14 cnditin after finishing the crn and cwpeas as well the crps taken ff later. as The crps grwn fr the grazing in 1921 were as fllws; 1.1 acres f crn and cwpeas, 4 acres f crn and sy beans, 3.1 acres f sy beans and 3.5 acres f sweet ptates. The sy beans were swn in the crn at the last cultivatin. During the first grazing perid (August 21 t August 30, inclusive) the weather was very ht and the hgs had the run f a Bermuda grass pasture in additin in rder that they might have plenty f shade and drinking water. They did nt seem t eat the crn at first and it is prbable that they were left a day t lng n the plat t get the best results. The small gain f.23 f a pund per day per hg was attributed mainly t the extremely ht weather. When the transfer t the crn and sy beans and sweet ptates was made, cnsiderably cler weather prevailed and the hgs ate much better. The gain during the secnd perid was rather large, being 2.325 punds per day per animal. The sy beans grazed with sweet ptates made very few beans but the vegative grwth was rank. The hgs ate the sy bean plants nly fairly well, seeming t prefer the sweet ptates and the sweet ptat vines. The sweet ptates and sy beans grazed frm September 27 t ctber9 were mre mature. This, tgether with cler weather, may have been the cause f the larger gain than was made when the first sweet ptates and sy beans were ''hgged ff." The sixty-three pigs were divided int three lts, accrding t size. The ten turned int the crn and cwpeas were practically f the same weight, varying nly a pund r s; the same was als true f the twenty turned int the 2.5 acres f crn and sy beans and sy beans; while the individual weights f the 33 turned int the 2 acres f sy beans varied slightly mre. The time fr harvesting the crps was cnsiderably mre than if all had been placed n each plat.
Hgs f Weight Esti- Feed Punds Cnsumed Pund per Gain 14.7 15 Average Daily Gain Punds 0.23 Ttal Gain Punds nds Pu Grazing Dates mated Yield Acres End g M 0) m (M r-i S U5 11.7 d 1900 Ui 6620 8435 8820 00 r-i Ui Ui 6500 6535 8435 6500 Cwpeas 138.60 Ptates... Ptates.. Ptates.. a c ft c > K P th U5 i > ih rh Ui rh rh ih C 30 15 26 9 End Aug. Sept. Sept. ct. f 21 31 16 27 Begin Aug. Aug. Sept. Sept. per Acre Bushels 28.75 00.00* 26.10 1.50 ui 60.00 5.00 ih th U5 ^' rh rh rh i 0) 0) Beans CRP and and Beans Beans Crn Sy Sweet Crn $Sweet Sy JSweet Sy ><!
Feed Punds ^ Hgs Weight Esti- Average - Ttal Grazing Dates mated Cnsumed Daily Yield Acres Pund per Gain Gain Punds End L ta 1340 00.00* L' 16 c' 0.95 2940 r-i 2900 T-i 12.4 T-i 8315 5690 Ptates.. Ptates.. Gain Punds 1 L CD j11 c 1010 P3 1^ Q g W H f nds Pu f N. Hgs Begin 2315 2440 7615 4680 cq N. Days L 00 per End Begin Acre Bushels 30.80 15 Sept. 22 Aug. 18 Sept. 30 Aug. (M* 21.00 12 Sept. 30 Aug. 2.00 12.00 2 ct. 23 Sept. H--H- T-j d th th 23 ct. 10 ct. 90.00 15.00 5 si ^ n:*.2 -I T-j T-i L d th th T-i M 03 bd a> " CRP and and Beans Beans and Beans Beans ^ (V <u 5 ^ S p, ft a, > Sy Sy tsweet tsweet (1) p>h Crn Crn Crn Sy Sy
^3 'Xi QJ 01 5"^ -P CL ra ft ' 17 rh C3 ft t <j ^ u ^ ^ ph 05 d U3 00 (1) ^ 3 ^^ -1^ c 0) ft S CD PI m CD CD +-> +-> y A ft CD +-> ^ ^ CZ2 Ul
18 The labr cst f feed (grazing crps nly) and the labr cst f the prk prduced frm the grazing crps will be fund in Table XIII. The labr cst f prducing the crn and sy beans was less than that f any f the ther crps. This was due t the fact that sme f the beans grazed with the crn were grwn alne. In all cases, where the tw crps were grwn tgether, the sy beans were nt planted until the last cultivatin f the crn. This is t late t plant sy beans fr high yields as the shade frm the crn seems t check the grwth. It wuld be better t plant the beans and the crn at the same time, using either a duplex planter r tw planters. The writers prefer using tw planters in rder t plant the crn slightly deeper than the beans. The labr necessary t prduce sy beans is cnsiderably less than fr crn and it might pay better t grw the tw crps separately and "hg them ff" tgether. Crn with cwpeas ranks secnd when labr cst is cnsidered. Cwpeas prduced seed nly nce in fur years, and fr this reasn are nt as gd a cmpanin crp fr crn as sy beans. The cwpeas were swn at the last cultivatin f the crn. Crn, sy beans and sweet ptates, as a "hgging dwn" cmbinatin, d nt shw as gd results as crn with either cwpeas r sy beans. The large amunt f hand labr required t set ut sweet ptat vines makes the labr cst f this crp cnsiderably higher. In this case, 21.5 man hurs and 17.3 hrse hurs were necessary t make 100 punds f prk as against 13.6 man hurs and and 21.6 hrse hurs fr crn and sy beans, and 12.8 man hurs and 21.6 hrse hurs fr crn and cwpeas. The sweet ptates were set ut after ats, in mst instances, which is the explanatin f the small yield, particularly, when they were "hgged ff" befre fully mature. The sweet ptat and sy bean cmbinatin prved nly fair. Sweet ptates alne, while tried nly ne year, shwed a lss. Experiments n the time t set ut sweet ptat plants r vines, previusly cnducted at the Statin, shw that
1 ' 1 1 19 the highest yields were btained when the plants r vines were put ut during the first tw weeks in May. The sil is usually thrughly warm by this time and the plants grw ff rapidly. The at crp cannt be harvested fr grain and get the sweet ptates ut by this time, but ne can make hay frm the ats. Sme f the ats may be grazed fr the grain, and sweet ptates, cwpeas, r sy beans may be used t fllw. High yields shuld nt be expected frm any f these crps because the time f planting r setting ut will be late. The hgs grazing n sweet ptates ate the vines as well as the ptates. Samples f the vines were taken fr analysis in 1920 and 1921. The results f these analyses will be given n the dry basis. The samples were taken frm the end f the vines back three feet and divided int three parts; the first ft is the extreme tip f the vine, the secnd ft cmes next, and the third ft is nearest the hill. TABLE XIV Analysis f Sweet Ptat Vines SAMPLE Crude Prtein % Fat % Carbhydrates % Crude Fiber % Water % Ash % First Ft frm Tip 14.84 3.07 50.60 14.97 5.37 11.12 Secnd Ft 13.25 3.32 49.60 17.08 4.86 11.87 Third Ft 10.72 3.42 48.85 18.30 5.15 13.37 The green vines cntained abut 85% f water. The crude prtein and the carbhydrates decrease as the distance frm the tip f^ the vine is increased, while the fat, the crude fiber and the ash increase.