638 Journal oj Agriculture. [11 Oct., 1909. 



If sheep are to be fattened exclusively on oats, it will take ij lb. to 2 lb. 

 per day to fatten a thick-set 60-lb. crossbred. The thicker set they are 

 the less time they will be fattening; long-legged, narrow-framed sheep take 

 longest to fatten, all else, such as health, &c., being equal. If these 60-lb. 

 sheep be bought verv poor, it will take fullv ten weeks to make them fat, 

 and fourteen weeks to make them prime; it will take longer in winter, and 

 less time in warmer weather. If the sheep are at all unhealthy, the fatten- 

 ing period will be longer still. For an average period of twelve weeks, they 

 will eat about 4 bushels per head. At is. 6d. per bushel on rails, this means 

 6s. ; so that each sheep, estimating the average cost of them in the first 

 place at 8s., will then stand at 14s. cost, and will at that price have 

 earned is. 6d. per bushel for the oats. It will not take more than an 

 hour per day to attend them. For 300 sheep the cost for labour would be 

 about 3d. per head. 



To earn 2s. per bushel, the sheep should sell at i6s., which is about 

 the average value of a sheep of this weight during winter months in average 

 seasons. With the addition of railway freights, commission, &c., the 

 sheep would need to bring more monev still. 



One of the ways that feeding will pay is in buving up good sorts of 

 crossbred lambs or weaners in the wool. During October, November, and 

 December, man\ lambs not suitable quality for freezing mav be obtained. 

 These could be shoTn and then fattened ; the wool will in most years 

 average 3s. to 4s. per head. 



With grown sheep the difficulty is that they are usually cheapest off 

 shears, and through the summer. If these are fattened on oats they will 

 be ready at the end of summer, and fat sheep at that time are not selling 

 well. If they can be bought in the autumn and fattened for July and 

 August months, they may be made to pay well. 



The best buying of late years has been in roomy, good-framed ewes, of 

 almost any breeding, 5 and 6 years old, and even 7 years if thev are 

 coarse crossbreds. These have been purchaseable at from 6s. to 8s. each. 

 Some farmers buy these early and join their own rams to them. They 

 then know what class of lamb they can expect. These ewes are put into 

 grass or stubble paddocks, and, if found necessary, as is usually the case, 

 oats are fed to them and they steadily improve. As they lamb in July and 

 August, they should be cut off each dav or two, and the ram himbs 

 castrated at once, so that they will suffer no check later on. They should 

 be tailed with the seaxing-iron later — at same time as the ewe lambs. 



Fodder croj>s, such as a mixture of rape and oats, or turnips, sown in 

 the previous autumn, are usually coming to their best during August and 

 Septemlxjr. The ewes put on these crops with their lambs will fatten at 

 the same time as the lambs. The ewes, when dried off their milk on 

 natural pasture for a week after the lambs are sold, can be sold fat also. 

 Farmers in this way can clear from 155. to 20s. per ewe. 



The difficult\ has Ijeen to keep these ewes <)\<t from the s\immer months 

 (the time they can be bought cheape.st) until July and August. By feeding 

 oats, this can be managed, and larger numbers fattened on spring feed 

 than was possible under former management. Very f(>w farmers in closely 

 settled districts have enough spare grass laiul lo canv oxer dry sheep in 

 any numbers, and improve them steadily all the time, without feeding. In 

 this way, oats can be made to return more than 2s. per bushel, but of 

 course the whole trouble has teen to get the right class of sheej). 



Aged ewes, if fed well, are the best of mothers. It will not pay 

 farmers to buy young crossbred ewes to turn on fodder crops. Graziers 

 can give more for the.se, as they can raise a fair lamb and a good fleece 



