682 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Grain rations for fattening sheep, J. H. Shepperd {North Dakota 

 Sta. Bui. 28, pp. 165-175). — To determine whether it is not more profit- 

 able to fatten sheep on inexpensive feeding stuff's available in the local 

 market than to ship them from the range a test was made with 4 lots 

 of range wethers. Lots 1 and 3 consisted of 5 sheep each and lots 2 

 and 4 of 4 sheep. The test, which began February 9, was divided into 

 3 periods of 4 weeks each. The periods were separated by several 

 days. Lot 1 was fed oats and timothy hay, lot 2 wheat screenings and 

 timothy hay, lot 3 barley and bran (3:1) and timothy hay, and lot 4 

 barley and bran (3 :1) and oat straw. The screenings were made up 

 of 33 per cent shrunken wheat, 27.9 per cent wild buckwheat, 11.6 per 

 cent straw, 2.5 per cent oats, 4.2 per cent foxtail, and 20.8 per cent 

 mixed weed seed. For a mouth before the beginning of the test the 

 sheep had been given a heavy grain ration, and the test proper was 

 preceded by a preliminary period of 10 days on the rations used during 

 the experiment. 



The financial statement is based on oats at 25 cts. and barley at 35 

 cts. per bushel and bran at $10, screenings at $6, timothy hay at $5, 

 and oat straw at $1 per ton. 



The cost per pound of gain for the different lots was as follows: Lot 

 1, 5.90 cts.; lot 2, 5.22 cts.; lot 3, 4.48 cts., and lot 4, 4.93 cts. 



A month after the close of the test the sheep were sold for 4£ cts. per 

 pound. On this basis the average profit per head for all the lots was 

 $2.14. The author believes that wheat screenings and bran may be 

 profitably fed to sheep under local conditions. 



Among the conclusions drawn from the experiment are the following: 



" The best gain was made on a ration of ungroimd oats and timothy hay. A ration 

 consisting of 3 parts bailey and 1 part bran, by weight, with timothy hay, made the 

 second best average of 2£ lbs. per head per week. Oat straw fed as a substitute for 

 timothy hay gave \ lb. less gain per head per week. The lot fed straw ate a much 

 larger proportion of grain to produce a given gain, however, which made the cost 

 per 100 lbs. of gain 45 cts. greater than in the lot fed hay. Sheep fed screenings and 

 timothy hay made the lowest rate of gain, an average of 2 lbs. per head per week. 

 The lot fed screenings required more hay than any other lot which was fed hay. 

 The gain in the lot fed screenings cost 74 cts. per 100 lbs. more than the lot fed barley 

 and bran with hay." 



Fodders and feeds {New Jersey Stas. Rpt. 1896, pp. 122-125). — Analyses are given 

 of crimson clover, cowpea vines, green rye, rape, corn silage, hay, wheat bran, wheat 

 middlings, dried distillery grains, dried brewers' grains, linseed meal, improved Buf- 

 falo gluten feed, Chicago gluten meal, hominy meal, oat feed, nutriotone, aud apples. 



Average composition of fodders and feeds (New Jersey Stas. Rpt. 1SDG, pp. 127- 

 13o). — This includes a compilation of analyses (food and fertilizer constituents) of 

 the more common feeding stuffs. 



Market prices of commercial feeds (New Jersey Stas. Rpt. 1S9G, pp. 126, 127). — 

 The cost of a number of feeding stuffs from 1891 to 1896 is given in tabular form. 



Feeding stuffs inspection, C. D. Woods- (Maine Sta. Bui. 37, pp. S). — This con- 

 tains the text of the Maine feeding stuffs law aud briefly points out its chief pro- 

 visions. 



On feeding Indian corn to farm animals, F. FEUS (Landmansblade, 30 (1897), No. 

 24, pp. 319-322). 



