The following tables give the average amount 'of food consumed by each sheep weekly, and the 

 amount consumed by each 100 pounds live weight; 



TABLE II — SnowtNQ aveeagk amount of Food consumed by each Sheep weekly. 



Oilcake. Hay. Turnips. 



lbs. OS. lbs. 03. ' lbs. oz. 



Cotswold, 8 1 6 14 113 4 



Hampshire, 8 7 106 10 



Leicester 5 14 5 Oj^ 83 12 



, Half-breed wethers, 5 14 5 9>5' 82 14^ • 



do. ewes, 5 9>^ 6 4Ji 78 



Sussex, 6 3 5 14 79 1 



TABLE III — Showing average amount of Food consumed by 100 lbs. live weight. 



Oilcake. Hay. Turnips. 



Ihs. oz. lbs. 03. lbs. 03. 



Cotswold, 5 4}i 4 9 »^ 74 4 • 



Hampshire, 5 6 4 lIJi 71 7 



Leicester 4 12 4 10 70 



Half-breed wethers, 6 4 12 70 8 



do. ewes, 5 3 4 12 70 



Sussex, 5 6 5 2 68 14 



The second table is obtained by taking the average weight of the animals of each breed, and the 

 actual food they consumed, and saying, If a sheep of any given weight consumes so much food, how 

 much will be consumed by one hundred pounds ? We learn from these tables, that, although sheep 

 of different weights consume different proportions of food, yet that equal weights of sheep of all the 

 different breeds consume equal toeights of food ; or, in other words, two Sussex sheep, weighing each 

 90 pounds, will consume the same amount of food as one Cotswold sheep, weighing 180 pounds. It 

 will be remembered that, although the dry food was limited, the sheep were permitted to consume 

 all the turnips they required ; we may assume therefore, that they ceased to eat when the demands 

 of the system were satisfied- 



TABLE IV — Showing amount op Dry Food consumed by each Sheep weekly. 



Cotswold, 15.12 



Hampsliire, '. 14.09 



Leicester, 14.12 



Cross-breed wethers, 15.03 



do. ewes, 15.03 



Sussex, 14.09 



By removing the water, the figures are brought still nearer together ; and although there is a gene- 

 ral impression among agriculturists that large sheep eat proportionally less than small sheep, it is 

 evident that equal weights of sheep consume equal amounts of food, 



"We now proceed to the second and most important point connected with' this investigation — 

 namely, the increase of weight obtained by the consumption of food. 



It may be considered a fact in agriculture, that the food consumed by any fatting animal is worth 

 more than the increase of meat obtained by such food will sell for. It is not, perhaps, easy to prove 

 this when sheep are fed upon grass and other foods having no money value in a market, but applied 

 to any foods having a distinct money value, it will be found to be strictly correct. The profit of 

 the feeder is derived partly from the meat and partly from the manure made by the animal In 

 order to determine which breed of sheep will be the most profitable to fatten, we have to determine 

 how much food is consumed to produce a given increase, and the probable value of such increase. 



TABLE V — Giving the amount of Food consumed to produce 100 lbs. increase, live weight, oe each Bbeed. 



Oilcake. Hay. Turnips. 



lbs. OS. lbs. 03. lbs. 



Cotswold, 269 12 219 1 8603 



H.impshire, 294 2.^9 12 8941 



Leicester 262 8 2.^1 8759 



Half-breed wethers, 204 251 8T25 



do. ewes, 263 2.50 8666 



Sussex, 314 4 304 8 4086 



It will be seen that, although every breed of sheep consumes an equal amount of fobd for equal 

 weight, vet that they possess very different powers of converting a given amount of food into meat 

 The Cotswold sheep have consumed the smallest amount of food to produce 100 pounds of increase, 

 and the Su.=sex the most: the difference is very considerable — 54 lbs. oilcake, 85 lbs. of hay, 478 

 lbs. of Swedes. Unless, then, the meat of the Sussex sheep commanded a price considerably higher 

 than any other breed, it could not be a profitable breed to fatteiu In the London market a Sussex 



