ANIMAL PEODUCTION. 73 



Fitting cattle for the show- ring, C. H. Makin {Breeder's Gaz., 6S (1915), 

 No. 13, p. 497, figs. 2). — A general description is given of methods used by 

 Iiromiuent breeders in fitting cattle for the show-ring. 



The value of sheep on alfalfa farms in Pecos County, Texas, S. A. Mineab 

 (Bnl. Ft. Stockton, Tex., Sheep Feeding Expt. [1915], pp. 7, fig. l).—ln this 

 experiment 600 aged grade Rambouillet ewes bred to Rambouillet rams were 

 used. A portion of thes,e ewes with their lambs were divided into two lots, 

 lot 1 being fed alfalfa hay, silage, and ground milo maize, and lot 2 alfalfa 

 hay and ground milo maize, both lots being pastured on alfalfa. During the 

 57 days' feeding period the average gains per head were for lot 1, ewes 6.5 

 lbs., lambs 20.5 lbs. ; lot 2, ewes 6.1 lbs. and lambs 16.1 lbs., it costing 2.6 cts, 

 to produce a pound of gain in lot 1 and 3.6 cts. in lot 2. These results indicate 

 that when alfalfa range is short during winter months it may be supplemented 

 tc advantage with silage. 



The lots were then consolidated and fed for about two months, the lambs being 

 marketed in May and June. During 25 days, following consolidation, the sheep 

 were fed ground milo maize, silage, and alfalfa hay, the lambs eating grain 

 separate from the ewes. Silage and hay were then discontinued. During tlie 

 following 28 days the ewe.s were fed no grain but the lambs received ground 

 milo maize. During the entire 89 days the lambs made average gains per head 

 of 36.8 lbs. The 125-day-old lambs were put on the marliet weighing 63.3 lbs. 



Considering the entire herd of ewes and lambs, the approximate cost of pro- 

 ducing one pound of gain of live weight was 4.4 cts. The cost of producing the 

 lambs by way of feed they actually ate and the labor devoted to them was esti- 

 mated to be much less than 4.4 cts. per pound. A profit of $1,516.89 was secured 

 from an investment of $1,950. 



In connection with this experiment it was found that suckling lambs do not 

 suffer from bloat like older sheep. Keeping the sheep on alfalfa range day 

 and night gave a smaller death rate than allowing them to graze one-half day 

 at a time. 



Reversion in sheep, L. L. BteuLEE {Jour. Heredity, 6 (1915), No. 10, p. 480, 

 fig. i). — The Rambouillet breed, a French improvement on the Spanish Merino, 

 is one of the most highly improved of all sheep. Its color is pure white. 



A description is given of a twin ewe Rambouillet lamb recently dropped at 

 the Wyoming Experiment Station, showing a reversion of black on a portion 

 of the body, the other twin being the normal white. The ventral part of the 

 body, the legs, the lower part of the neck, the face, with the exception of a 

 bar between the eyes, and the inside of the ears are black. It is said that the 

 markings of the Barbados or woolless sheep are sometimes after this same 

 pattern. It has also been noted in crosses of the Southdown and Barbados. 



The question is raised as to whether our improved breeds could have come 

 from a similar type, and whether this character has for the most part been 

 latent during the past several centuries and cropped out only at intervals. 



Degree of resemblance of parents and offspring with respect to birth as 

 twins for registered Shropshire sheep, H. L. Rietz and E. Roberts ( U. S. 

 Dept. Agr., Jour. Agr. Research, 4 (1915), No. 6, pp. 479-510). — Data from the 

 American Shropshire Sheep Record were collected and examined at the Illinois 

 Experiment Station to determine whether and to what extent the offspring 

 of parents born in twins and of grandpai-ents born in twins are more likely to 

 be twins than if these ancestors are born as singles. 



It was found that in general the twin parents give a larger percentage of 

 twins among offspring than do parents born as singles. The small positive 

 correlation coefficient between the sum of numbers in litters in wliich the two 

 parents are born and the size of litter in which the corresponding offspring 



