'■oL. XXIV. Second Series. ROCHESTER, N. Y., JANUARY, 1863. 



No. 1. 



EXPERIMENTS ON THE FEEDING OF SHEEP. 



Mr. Lawes has recently published the results of 

 ame additional experiments in feeding sheep on 

 ifterent foods.* It is some fifteen years ago that 

 fr. La^ves first commenced a series of experi- 

 leiits on sheep, and it may be safely asserted that 

 early all our definite knowledge in regard to 

 be nutritive value of foods, and to the fattening 

 ualities of the different breeds of sheep, are due 

 ) bis investigations. Others have made experi- 

 lents, but few have conducted them with that 

 atience and comprehensiveness which are needed 

 ) render the results satisfactory and conclusive. 



I the experiments at Rothamsted, all that wealth 

 3uld command or scieuce suggest has been called 

 ito req^uisition, and the farmers of all countries 

 re indebted to Messrs. Lawes & Gilbebt for their 

 fe-long aud indefatigable efibrts to throw light on 

 le various questions pertaining to agricultural 

 jience. 



This last series of experiments on the feeding of 

 leep was instituted mainly for the purpose of as- 

 ertaining how far cellulose or woody fiber, which 

 nters so largely into the composition of hay, straw, 

 wn-stalks, &c., is digested and contributes to meet 

 iie respiratory requirements of the body, or to the 

 )rmatioa of fat ; or whether, on the other hand, 

 ; serves little other purpose than that of supply- 

 ig bulk, aud dilution, so to speak, of the other 

 onstituents of the food — thus aiding their diges- 

 on and assimilation, and then passing off, itself 

 ndigested and unchangal. 



A number of three-year old Hampshire Down 

 ^etlier sheep, in very poor condition, were pur- 

 liased for the experiment. Twenty sheep were 

 jlected from them, and divided, as evenly as pos- 

 ble, into four lots of five each. They were put 



II rafters, under cover, November 30, 1860. The 



** Supplementary Report of Experiments on the Feeding of 

 foep. By ,T. B. Lawes, F. K. S.. F. C. S., and Dr. J. H. Gil- 

 wt, F, £. S., F. C. S. London. 18«2. 



five sheep at this time, in pen 1, averaged 119 lbs. 

 each ; those in pen 2, 118.6 ; in pen 3, 119.2 ; and 

 in pen 4, 118.2 lbs. 



During the first eight weeks all the pens were 

 supplied with nothing but meadow-hay, cut up 

 into chaff, and water. This was done for the pur- 

 pose of allowing them to get accustomed to their 

 new quarters and to each other, as well as to the 

 bulk of their food before the experiment proper 

 should commence. During this preliminary period 

 of eight weeks, the five sheep in pen 1 gaiued 5 

 lbs. ; in pen 2 they lost 10 lbs. ; in pen 3 they lost 

 7 lbs. ; and in pen 4 they gained 11 lbs. 



It was Mr. Lawes' intention to mix some straw 

 with the hay in one of the pens — the object being 

 to furnish only just digestible matter enougli, be- 

 side w«ody fiber, to keep the animals from losing 

 weight; but it was found, after a short trial, that 

 hay and straw together would not do this, aud so 

 the sheep were allowed hay alone. 



Some of our farmers, who are in the habit of 

 keeping their sheep through the winter on straw, 

 with an occasional feed of hay, may be surprised 

 at this result, but the facts are undoubtedly as here 

 stated; and it might be well for them to ascertain 

 whether sheep so fed do not actually lose .rather 

 than gain during the winter. 



The experiment proper commenced January 2-5, 

 1861. Thefivesheep in each pen were fed as follows: 



Pen 1. Meadow-hay-chaff alone, ad liMtum. 



Pen 2. 1 lb. of ground beans per head per day ; 

 meadow-hay-chaff ad liMUim. 



Pen. 3. 1 lb. of ground barley per head per day ; 

 meadow-hay-chaiT ad libitum. 



Pen 4. About 6^ ounces of ground beans, and 

 about 3i ounces of linseed oil, per head per day; 

 meadow-hay-chaff ad libitum. 



All the sheep had, in addition, an unlimited sup- 

 ply of water always within their reach. 



The experiment wiis continued until September 

 6 ] 861, a period of thirty-two weeks. 



