^^ -^-^Av WAriM'l^'' ^'^^'-' 



Vol. XXI, Second Series. 



ROCHESTER, N. Y., JUNE, 1860. 



No. 6. 



DO ANIMALS CONSUME FOOD IN PROPORTION TO 

 THEIR LIVE WEIGHT T 



We have always taken the affirmative side of this 

 .question, although we are well aware that the 

 ojiinion of many intelligent farmers is against us. 

 Thus John Johnston, whom we all delight to honor 

 as a farmer of great experience and sagacity, writes 

 to the Country Gentleman : 



"It takes no more feed to fat a lot of sheep 

 averaging 140 or 150 Ihs., than it does the same 

 number averaging only 85 or 90 lbs.; therefore, it 

 is more profitable to feed heavy sheep than light 



ones." 



If Mr. Johnston simply means by this that the 

 same quantity of food will produce more mutton 

 wlien fed to heavy than to light sheep, we believe 

 lie is right. But if he means that a lot of say 20 

 sheep, averaging 140 or 150 lbs., will eat no more 

 food per day than a lot of 20 sheep averaging 85 or 

 'JO lbs., then we believe he is mistaken. 



The most reliable experiments bearing on this 

 question are those of Mr. Lawes, These experi- 

 ments were made to determine the " comparative 

 fattening properties of some of the most important 

 English breeds of sheep." The breeds selected 

 were the Sussex Down, the Hampshire Down, the 

 Leicester, the Ootswold, and half-bred wethers and 

 half-bred ewes. 



The Sussex Down, which was brought to great 

 perfection by the labors of Ellman, is a very small 

 sheep, with short and very compact wool. This 

 breed is admirably adapted for upland and scanty 

 pastures, where larger breeds would starve. The 

 mutton commands a higher price in London than 

 that of any other breed. 



The Hampshire Down is a Jarger and coarser 

 breed. 



The Leicester, brought to such perfection by 

 Baeewell, is, when pure, larger than the Sussex 

 Down, but not quite so large as the Hampshire 

 Down. Contrary to the generally received opinion 

 in this country, it is really a small breed ; it yields 



a large quantity of long wool, and, in rich pastures, 

 possesses great aptitude to fatten. 



The Cotswold is one of the largest breeds of 

 sheep. The wool is very long and of good qual- 

 ity. The mutton is of rather inferior quality, but 

 the Cotswold fattens so rapidly that it has not 

 inappropriately been termed "the poor man's 

 sheep." 



The half-breeds used in these experiments were 

 a cross between a Leicester ram and a Sussex ewe. 



The sheep for these experiments were selected 

 by good judges, from the best flocks in England. 

 Mr. Lawes says : " Letters were written to breeders 

 of eminence (those being generally selected who 

 had obtained prizes for their sheep), requesting 

 them to select 50 wether sheep, born the same year, 

 and representing fairly the breed required for the 

 experiment. No limit was set upon price. The 

 sheep were sent about the month of September to 

 the farm, and they were kept upon ordinary food 

 until the middle of November. At this time, the 

 sheep were about nine months old, having been 

 lambed about the February preceding." 



At the commencement of the experiment in 

 November, the sheep being about nine months old, 

 the 50 Cotswolds weighed on an average, 119flbs.; 

 the Hampshire Downs, 113^ lbs.; the Leicesters, 

 101 lbs.; the half-bred wethers, 95 lbs.; the half- 

 bred ewes, 91 lbs., and the Sussex Downs, 88 lbs. 

 each. 



The experiment lasted from five to six months, 

 the sheep being weighed at the end of every four 

 weeks. The quantity of food consumed was accu- 

 rately ascertained. 



The following table shows the average amount 

 of food consumed weekly by each sheep : 



Oilcake. 

 lbs. OS. 



Ootswold, 8 1 



Hampshire, 8 



Leicester, 5 14 



Half-I)re'jd wethers, 5 14 



Do. ewes, 5 



Sussex, 6 



3 



Hay. Turnips. 

 Ihs. oa. lbs. m. 

 6 14 118 4 

 r 116 10 



5 9^ 83 12 

 5 ^]4 82 14^ 

 4Ji 78 

 14 79 1 



