ANIMAL PEODUCTION. 383 



corn and 0.2 Ih. oats per head daily. A few were sold to local l)utchers, but the 

 f^reater numlicr were sold in eastern markets, the total sum received being equiva- 

 lent to !?1.4i» per head. This test, according to the antlidr, indicates that it is more 

 profitable to fatten such sheep than to sell them for a low i)rice. 



Continuing earlier work (E. S. R., 13, p. 582), the author tested tlie comparative 

 merits of native hay and alfalfa hay in addition to corn, with 2 lots each containing 

 50 lambs. At the beginning of the trial the average weight of the lambs fed native 

 hay was 46.2 lbs., and of those fed alfalfa hay, 45.8 lbs. The test covered 70 days. 

 During that period the average daily gain per head was 0.221 lb. for the lot on native 

 hay, and 0.34o for the lot on alfalfa hay. Following this period all the lambs were 

 fed alfalfa hay with corn, and were sold for slaughtering in lots of 25, the last lot 

 being sold some 5 months after the beginning of the trial. The average daily gain 

 per head was 0.186 lb. The total cost of feeding the lambs was estimated at $4.23 

 per head; they were sold for 5.21 cts. per pound. The author states in effect that 

 up to the conclusion of the comparative feeding of alfalfa and native hay there was 

 a profit, the high price for feed being balanced l)y the high price the lambs were 

 then worth. But at the end of the test, although the land)s continued to make good 

 suljstantial gains, there was a heavy loss, aggregating nearly three times the profit 

 up to the end nf the comparative period. 



Breeding' experiments with sheep, F. B. Mumford {Missouri, ,Sta. Bui. 53, pp. 

 167-188, Jigs. 7). — Cross-bred ewes were bred to registered Hampshire, Shropshire, 

 and Delaine Merino rams, and records kept of the weight of the lambs, etc. The 

 principal conclusions follow: The birth weight of lambs is largely or entirely con- 

 trolled by the mother, those weighing most at birth being from the heaviest ewes. 

 Apparently the birth weight of the lambs and the weight of the ewes are closely 

 related and vary together. Neither the breed nor the size of the rams used were 

 determining factors in fixing the birth weight of the lambs, which was found on an 

 average to be 7.7 lbs. At ])irtli the male lambs were 16 per cent heavier than the 

 female lambs, the former averaging 8.10 lbs. and the latter 6.98 lbs. The average birth 

 weight of twin lambs was only 0.5 lb. l^elow the general average. For an average 

 period of 7 weeks after birth the male lambs gained 4.01 lbs. per week and the female 

 lambs 3.97 lbs. Lambs having the heaviest weight at birth made the largest weekly 

 gains during the 7 weeks covered by the author's observations. Those weighing 10 

 lbs. and over at birth gained on an average 4.5 lbs.; those weighing below 7 lbs. at 

 birth, 1.7 lbs. The average milk yield of ewes is recorded as Avell as their feed 

 requirements. Lambs fed cows' milk from a bottle in 11 weeks gained on an average 

 3.09 lbs. per week; those fed ewes' milk from a bottle, 4.11 lbs.; and those nursing 

 their dams, 3.7 lbs. According to the author the lambs receiving ewes' milk developed 

 a fleece with a more almndant yolk and of a more uniform color than the laml)s fed 

 cows' milk, while the oiliness of the fleece of the lambs fed ewes' milk was also 

 thought to increase more rapidly. 



Mohair and mohair manufactures, G. F. Thompson ( f7. *S'. JJejil. Agr. Ycctrhook 

 1901, pp. 371-284, ph. 2, fig. 1) . — Suggestions for improving Angora goats as mohair 

 producers are given, as well as descriptions of some of the manufatured mohair 

 fabrics. The use of the skin for rugs, etc., is also noted. 



Horse feeding, L. A. Merrill {Vtali SUt. Bui. 77, pp. 1J9-104, figs. 9). — In addi- 

 tion to reviewing briefly the previous work on horse feeding at the station (E. S. K., 

 6, p. 751 ), a number of expei'iments are reported on the value of aU'alfa luiy for 

 horses, as compared with timothy bay, when fed with grain and when fed alone. 

 The alleged diuretic properties of alfalfa were also investigated, as well as the amount 

 of water consumed on different rations, and the comparative merits of oats and a 

 mixture of bran and shorts. 



In the first ])eriod of the first test reported 2 farm work horses fed a ration of 25 

 lbs. of alfalfa hav and 10 lbs. bran and shi:)rts lost 4 lbs. in 95 davs; 2 similar horses 



