280 GROWING THE LAMB 



develop a great deal of leaf surface. Some care must be exercised in 

 feeding rape in order to avoid bloat, scours, and poisoning. The 

 worst cases of bloat and scours occur when the sheep are allowed 

 to feed on it when it is wet. Frozen rape is very likely to cause 

 death if eaten by sheep that have not been feeding regularly 

 on unfrozen rape for several days or weeks. In getting sheep 

 accustomed to rape, it is best to turn them on it for an hour or two 

 each day after the dew is gone and after the sheep have had a partial 

 fill of hay or grass. 



Best results come from rape when it is alternated with something 

 else, such as timothy, bluegrass, or clover. In hot weather par- 

 ticularly, a field of tall rape drenched with dew is a poor run for 

 sheep. They should be kept on the grass until the rape is dry, 

 because first getting wet and then being exposed to the hot sun is 

 hard on them. 



Eape has a great deal of fattening power ; for this reason it is a 

 good feed during the last few weeks before the lambs are to go 

 to market. 



Eape is often sown in corn just before the corn is cultivated for 

 the last time. When sheep and lambs are turned in the corn the 

 rape serves as a first-rate supplement. Being hardy, it is good 

 feed until well into the winter, provided the sheep have become 

 accustomed to it before it becomes frosted or frozen (Fig. 182). 



Oats and Canadian peas sown together make a good green feed 

 for ewes and lambs, but they are better suited for soiling purposes 

 than for grazing. The peas should be sown two and one-half inches 

 deep and the oats covered lightly by harrowing so that they will get 

 a start before the peas come through the ground. Sow four pecks 

 each of peas and oats to the acre. This mixed growth is best for 

 sheep feed when the oats are about ready to head. Before that time 

 the oats are so soft and watery that it takes a very large amount to 

 satisfy the appetite. 



Soybeans, either broadcasted or sown in rows, make a fairly 

 good forage crop in late summer and early fall. When sown in 

 corn they serve as an excellent supplement to the corn for fattening 

 lambs. If pastured by alternating the grazing in different parts and 

 not allowing any particular section to be too closely eaten, a field of 

 soybeans may be used for a fairly long period. When most of the 

 leaves have been eaten off, it is time to move to a fresh portion 

 of the field so that the plants on the grazed part will have a chance 



