248 FARM ANIMALS 



ration, followed in effectiveness by the mixed grains 

 and wheat, barley and oats in the order given. 

 A slightly greater amount of grain was required 

 in the ration containing mixed grain than when 

 screenings were used and the relative profit was 

 considerably greater since the cost of one hundred 

 pounds of mutton was $1 less with screenings 

 than with the mixed grains. 



Soy-beans have been fed extensively to sheep 

 and with excellent results. The amount of grain 

 required for a pound of gain is much less in a 

 ration containing corn and soy-beans than in one 

 containing corn and oats. Wherever soy-beans 

 can be grown successfully they may well be used as 

 a part of the grain ration for lambs and old sheep. 



Grain on Pasture. The question is often asked 

 with sheep on pasture, as with steers and hogs, 

 whether tne feeding of grain under such condi- 

 tions is a profitable practice or not. This matter 

 has been carefully tested by many sheep raisers and 

 by some of the agricultural experiment stations. 

 It appears that the greatest profit is to be obtained 

 when sheep are kept on pasture sown especially 

 for them. This system of sheep raising enables 

 the farmer to maintain a much larger number of 

 sheep with the same area of ground and also 

 makes it possible to supply the sheep with a 

 succulent ration for a longer period than could be 

 done on ordinary unimproved pasture. Among 

 the crops used for this purpose we should mention 

 winter rye, oats, peas, barley and oats, and rape. 

 By this means the farmer may keep the pasture 

 capable of maintaining a large number of sheep for 

 the whole growing season. Where the feeding 

 of grain has been tested with sheep maintained 

 even on the best of pasture it appears that the 



