72 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



The soil of the pasture at Ardross, in Ross-shire, is light and moorish in 

 character with a fair amount of organic matter ; a boggy soil but not deficient 

 in lime and naturally suitable for white clover. There were used 5 plats of 4 

 acres each. The sheep used were mostly black-faced ewes. The results for the 

 5 years are given in the following table : 



Results of fertilizer tests for pastures at Ardross. 



The value of the mutton was rated at 3d. per pound. 



" The most remunerative application is a dressing of basic slag, and the profit 

 obtainable from slag is chiefly conditioned by the abundance of white clover 

 which the slag can stimulate to rapid growth." 



" Where lime is fully effective it is doubtful if it will ever pay its way on poor 

 hill pasture. 



" Harrowing and sowing poor pasture with grass and white clover seeds 

 without also manuring it has made no improvement, and sowing white clover 

 seeds on a thick fog to which basic slag and kainit have been applied has made 

 no change in the prevalence of clover plants. Low grade basic slag is quite as 

 effective as high grade slag if the same quantity of phosphoric acid is supplied. 

 Sheep on hill pasture generally make the most rapid growth in the beginning of 

 the season, after which the pasture is better suited to cattle. The best results 

 are obtained when cattle and sheep are grazed together. The calculated figures 

 do not show the full benefits of the treatment. The best plats at both centers 

 are worth 4s. to 5s. more rent per acre than the unmanured plats." 



Corn silage for winter feeding of ewes and young lambs, J. II. Skinner 

 and W. W. Smith (Indiana Sta. Bui. W, pp. 611-628, fig. i).— The purpose of 

 this bulletin is to present the results of 3 years' experiments in feeding corn 

 silage to (1) 41 pregnant ewes due to lamb in March, (2) 31 ewes with fall 

 lambs at their side, and (3) 80 young lambs prior to weaning. The flock con- 

 sisted mainly of Rambouillets, but included a few cross breds. Besides silage 

 the rations consisted of mixed hay, clover hay, corn stover, oats, shelled com, 

 and bran. 



With the pregnant ewes the average gain per head prior to lambing was 20 

 lbs. for those receiving silage, and 15i lbs. for those without silage. There was 

 little difference in the birth rate or in the average daily gains per lamb. This 

 experiment established the fact of the entire safety of good corn ensilage as a 

 feed for lambing ewes. 



Other conclusions drawn are the following: 



" The ewes due to lamb in the spring which received the silage rations con- 

 sumed 7.06 per cent less grain and 32.25 per cent less clover hay than those 

 eating the dry rations. For each pound of hay consumed by the pregnant ewes 



