EARLY LAMB PRODUCTION 245 



with the fourth crop of lambs. The ewes and their 

 lambs are then fattened off together. Some of the single 

 lambs will be sufficiently fat in about ten weeks, and 

 probably weigh 56 to 60 Ibs. live weight, and if of good 

 quality will command a high price ; in fact, those which 

 are sold later and at probably a month older, may not 

 make such a high price per head. 



The ewes are given a liberal amount of concentrated 

 food (i to 2 Ibs.), made up in the same proportions as 

 the rations for dairy cows (see p. 193^, along with hay 

 and up to 20 Ibs. roots. In about three weeks the 

 lambs will begin to eat cake, etc., out of the troughs. 

 This is encouraged, and the lambs are fattened as 

 rapidly as possible. At the same time the "top" 

 lambs will be placed on the best grass or young 

 wheat and given every advantage, so as to get 

 them fat in time to catch the early market, say, from 

 mid-April up to the end of May. A large number 

 are sold off in June and early July, and may weigh 

 anywhere from 60 up to 100 Ibs. 



Mr Wyllie, writing in the Transactions of the 

 Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland for 

 1907, mentions a novel way he has of giving the lambs 

 the best of the cake. The ewes are fed with " rough " 

 (undecorticated) coarsely broken cotton cake, and as 

 soon as the lambs show an inclination to eat cake, 

 linseed cake broken down to the size of beans is 

 added ; with the result that the lambs, being unable 

 to deal with the larger pieces of cotton cake, feed 

 chiefly on the linseed cake, while curiously enough, 

 Mr Wyllie points out, the ewes seem to prefer the 

 cotton cake after they have become so accustomed 

 to it. 



In some cases the lambs may receive special and 



