EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 253 



The conclusions drawn by Prof. Goessmann from these experiments 

 were that the superior feeding effect of a daily diet rich in digestible 

 nitrogenous food constitueuts when raising lambs for the meat market 

 was well demonstrated in Division 1 as compared with those in Division 

 '1 ; that the good services of the particular fodder rations used in case 

 of the first division of lambs is shown by the fair rate of increase in live 

 weight; that corn ensilage as a substitute in part for rowen gave very 

 satisfactory results; and that the profit obtained with reference to both 

 divisions of lambs was due to the commercial value of the fertilizing 

 constituent contained in the obtainable manure. This value in the case 

 of the first division of lambs was $5.67. To appreciate this value prop- 

 erly it needs to be considered, that in determining the financial results 

 of the experiment all home-raised fodder articles were counted on the 

 basis of their retail selling price in the vicinity of the experiment sta- 

 tion. Sheep are known to produce one of the best homemade manures.* 



Regarding the manurial value of hay it has been stated by Prof. 

 Goessmann, in one of his many valuable contributions to agricultural 

 science, that a ton fed to stock upon the farm returned more than 

 60 per cent of its value to the farm, or in other words, that from 

 $5.93 to $9.60 worth of fertilizing constituents, or, as an average for a 

 quarter of a century shows in New York, $6.37 went in every $10 worth 

 of hay sold from the farm. And yet our farms need this very fertility 

 material which this hay contains, and which, by feeding it to sheep or 

 cattle, might be kept upon the farms and largely increase the fertility 

 of our lands. How many farmers are there who, when carrying $20 

 worth of hay to market, reflect that they are robbing their ground of 

 over $13 worth of its value had the hay been fed to stock? 



That intelligent sheep-breeding can be made to pay in Massachusetts 

 is well demonstrated by some figures given in the report of the board 

 of agriculture of that State for 1891 : 



A farmer had 21 breeding ewes in 1890. They were high-grade 

 Southdowns, upon which were used the very best of pure-bred South- 

 down rams. They were fed upon rowen twice a day during the winter 

 till the 1st of March. After that they were fed oftener, and a daily 

 ration of grain was added, consisting of bran, 4 quarts, oats, 4 quarts, 

 and corn, 2 quarts. They were turned to pasture May 1. The receipts 

 that year were as follows : 



28 lambs, average weight, August 1, 91 pounds, 6J cents per pound $165.62 



168 pounds of wool, at 22 cents 36.96 



202.58 



or nearly $10 per head. The expenses 



Grain fed -"- $9.00 



Hay, 6 tons, at $10 per ton 63.00 



Pasturing 21 sheep 28 weeks, 5 cents per week 



Service of ram 5.25 



106.65 

 Bulletin No. 37, July, 1890, Massachusetts State Agricultural Experiment Station. 



