564 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



roughage, tho somewhat inferior to alfalfa. 56 (352) In the same trial 

 field pea hay, while relished by the lambs, produced lower gains than 

 either alfalfa or sweet clover hay. (355) Oat and pea hay is satisfactory 

 for sheep. 



Legume straws are good substitutes for legume hay in sheep feeding, 

 when bright and free from mold, tho of course they are worth consid- 

 erably less per ton than legume hay. Field bean straw is used quite ex- 

 tensively by Michigan sheep feeders. In a trial by H. W. Mumford at 

 the Michigan Station 57 lambs fed bean straw, shelled corn, and ruta- 

 bagas made satisfactory gains but required considerably more feed for 

 100 Ibs. gain than others fed clover or alfalfa hay. Hence, the bean 

 straw was worth only about half as much a ton as the hay. Field pea 

 straw was fed to ewe lambs and ewes in winter by Hackedorn and Ruehl 

 at the Washington Station 58 in comparison with alfalfa hay. Somewhat 

 smaller gains were made on the pea straw, and more grain was required 

 to keep the animals in good condition, but with alfalfa hay at $25 per 

 ton and pea straw at $10 per ton, the cost of wintering was considerably 

 less on the straw. Soybean straw, fed with shelled corn and linseed 

 meal, produced fair gains in a trial by Carmichael and Hammond at the 

 Ohio Station, 59 but the straw was worth only about one-third as much a 

 ton as clover or alfalfa hay. 



860. Field peas. The fattening of lambs by grazing on field peas is 

 an important industry in certain sections of the West, especially in the 

 San Luis Valley, Colorado. Mexican peas, similar to the common Can- 

 adian field peas, are sown at the rate of 30 to 50 Ibs. per acre, with a 

 small quantity of oats or barley to support the vines and furnish addi- 

 tional feed. About November 1, as soon as most of the peas have ma- 

 tured, lambs or sheep are turned into the field, and without other feed 

 are fattened in from 70 to 120 days. An acre of such peas will fatten 

 from 8 to 15 lambs, each making a gain of from 6 to 8 Ibs. per month. 

 This system is economical, because there is no expense for harvesting the 

 crop. Confining the lambs to small areas by hurdles gives better results 

 than allowing them to roam over the entire field. Sometimes the peas 

 are cut, stacked, and fed to the lambs in yards. (355) 



At the Wyoming Station 60 lambs grazed on field peas made larger 

 gains and reached market in better condition than others fed alfalfa and 

 corn. In a second trial Morton 61 found that, altho the gains of lambs 

 fed alfalfa and corn were 50 per ct. greater than those grazed on field 

 peas, the net returns were the same, due to the low cost of producing 

 the peas. In this trial the lambs consumed 0.6 acre of peas for each 100 

 Ibs. gain. 



"Hackedorn, information to the authors; Wilson, S. D. Bui. 143. 

 "Mich. Bui. 136. "Wyo. Bui. 60. 



"Information to the authors. 81 Wyo. Bui. 73. 



"Ohio Bui. 245. 



