254 THE STOCKFEEDER'S COMPANION 



ance, and thus encourage rapid fattening. In the 

 autumn, turnips fed before they are properly ripe tend 

 to scour the sheep. This tendency can be largely 

 counteracted by feeding liberal amounts of Bombay 

 cotton cake as long as this tendency lasts ; but as the 

 turnips mature, or a change is made on to swedes, 

 it will generally be found necessary to give concen- 

 trates of a more laxative tendency than Bombay cotton 

 cake. If Egyptian is rather too binding, one cannot do 

 better than include some linseed cake, which has a 

 laxative tendency, and generally gives good results 

 when given to fattening sheep. 



Many of the rations for fattening cattle (see p. 227), 

 would do very well for sheep, but it is important to 

 keep in mind that sheep have their concentrated foods 

 put into troughs in the dry state, and in the open field, 

 where finely ground meals would generally be inadvis- 

 able, as the wind would blow much away. It is there- 

 fore best to feed maize, beans, oats, gram, soy beans, 

 etc., cracked or coarsely bruised, so as to overcome 

 this difficulty. Rations 2 and 4 would be very suitable 

 for the first two months of fattening. A capital mixture 

 could also be made by taking : 



1 part soya-bean cake. 



2 parts Egyptian cotton cake. 

 2 dried brewers' grains. 

 2 cracked maize. 



i part locust beans (kibbled). 



In the later stages of fattening, rations 6, 8, 

 and 9 would give very good results, but the food 

 should be fed in a much coarser condition than the 



