FATTENING SHEEP WHILE GRAZING 197 



or not while they are being grazed on rape will turn upon 

 facts such as relate to the abundance of the rape, the cir- 

 cumstances attending the grazing and the cost or value of the 

 grain. There can be no doubt that the feeding of grain will 

 proportionately extend the period for grazing the rape. Nor 

 can there be any doubt that the feeding of grain is in some 

 measure a safeguard: (i) When the rape is immature or 

 unusually succulent ; (2) when it is grazed in the absence of 

 a grass pasture; and (3) when the rape is more or less 

 frozen or even covered with rime. It would seem safe to 

 say that when the sheep have no other grazing than rape, 

 the value of the grain fed will more than be recovered in the 

 returns from the sheep. This, however, does not seem to be 

 true when the sheep have access at the same time to an old 

 blue grass pasture. In the experience of Prof John A. Craig, 

 and also of the author, the increase made from feeding a 

 supplement of grain to sheep that were being grazed on rape 

 only was less than that resulting from rape and blue grass 

 pastures, and the latter furnishes a relatively cheaper food 

 than the former. 



Finishing sheep on corn The finishing of sheep on 

 corn by allowing the sheep to harvest the corn is grow- 

 ing in favor in certain areas. The high cost of labor gives 

 encouragement to the practice. It is most in favor in 

 those areas in which corn of the small and quick-growing 

 varieties has the best chance to mature, but to some ex- 

 tent it is practiced in areas where large and later varieties 

 may mature. This method of putting land in condition to 

 grow good crops of wheat and other grain has met with 

 much favor in certain parts of North Dakota. 



Any variety of corn that will mature with reasonable 

 certainty in the climate where grown will serve the pur- 

 pose, but those varieties that bear much ear relatively to 

 the stalk are the most suitable. Some of the squaw corns 

 have been found very suitable. The great hardihood of 

 these corns makes it safe to plant them earlier than it 

 would be safe to plant other varieties. In some instances 



