572 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



was discontinued and the oats and hay increased. All the calves were cas- 

 trated when about 6 months old and then fed throughout the winter on linseed 

 calie, cotton cake, hay, and sliced roots. During this period the calves were 

 weighed twice, with the results seen in the following table : 



Calf-rearing experiments. 



" It is concluded that the early feeding of calves has an Important bearing 

 on their after development, and that a 'good start' is very essential. The im- 

 provement effected by the early feeding with dry crushed oats was thus main- 

 tained for a period of quite 7 months after the special feeding had been 

 dropped." 



Feeding' value of lupine flakes, A. Stutzer and S. Got {Landw. Vers. Stat., 

 79-80 (1913), pp. 219-22S, fig. i ) .—Experiments in feeding sheep on lupine 

 flalies Indicated the high nutritive value of this feed. 



The cost of mutton production, C. S. Plumb {N. Y. Dept. Agr. Bui. 35, 1912, 

 pp. 1056-1070). — This is a general summary of experiment station work on the 

 cost of mutton production and of the experiences of practical feeders. The cost 

 of fattening range lambs, a comparison of whole shelled corn and clover hay, 

 alfalfa as a feed for sheep, advantages of silage for sheep and lambs, and the 

 cost of fattening wethers are some of the subjects considered. 



Dorset Horn sheep, T. H. Ensor (Jour. Roy. Agr. Soc. England, 73 (1912), 

 pp. 66-73, figs. 2). — An account of the history, ancestry, breed characteristics, 

 management, and market value of the Dorset Horn breed of sheep. Favorable 

 results were obtained from the crossing of Dorset Horn ewes with a Southdown 

 ram, this resulting in earlier maturity and increased market qualities. 



The Tasmanian Merino, Camden (Pastoral Rev., 23 (1913), No. 7, pp. 637- 

 640, figs. 7). — An account of the foundation, history, and purity of descent of 

 this distinct strain of Merino sheep. 



Fat-tailed sheep, J. C. Ewart (Rpt. Brit. Assoc. Adv. Sd., 1912, pp. 512, 

 513). — The author contends that "all true wild sheep are characterized by a 

 short tail," and that " there is no evidence that long-tailed sheep, with or with- 

 out a store of fat, are descended from long-tailed wild ancestors." It is sug- 

 gested that environment and domestication have played an important part in 

 determining these characters. 



On the nutritive value of banana meal for fattening' swine and the in- 

 fluence on the quality of the dressed carcass, S. Zilva (Kiihn Arch., 3 (1913), 

 pt. 1, pp. 129-168). — Experiments in feeding banana meal to fattening swine 

 Indicated that this feed is highly digestible, especially when prepared from the 

 ripe banana. It seemed to have a special influence on the muscle fibers, ren- 

 dering the flesh and fat of a softer consistency than where the hogs are fed on 



