FATTENING SHEEP AND LAMBS IN WINTER 211 



ditions prevail again. When a sheep is thus affected to 

 the extent of refusing food altogether, its progress in fat- 

 tening is much hindered, as considerable time must elapse 

 before the digestive organs recover lost vigor, if, indeed, 

 they ever recover it fully. 



Fodders that are suitable The range of the fodders 

 that may be fed to sheep that are being fattened is wide. 

 Of the legumes, it includes clover in all its varieties> 

 alfalfa, cowpeas and vetches. Among the non-leguminous 

 fodders it includes timothy and hay made from various 

 other grasses, corn stover, corn fodder, sorghum and the 

 nonsaccharine sorghums and straw of some of the small 

 cereals. A mixture of pea and oat hay or of vetch and 

 oat hay makes an excellent change. Millet hay given 

 alone or with oats may also be used. 



Beyond question the legumes furnish the most val- 

 uable fodders. Relative suitability in these is more a 

 matter of palatability than of variety, and palatability is 

 more dependent on fine growth and careful harvesting 

 than on the kind of the legumes. Timothy and other 

 grasses are not so highly relished as clovers, but if cut 

 sufficiently early they will answer the purpose without 

 admixture. The combination, however, with clover, 

 when the fodder is of fine growth, furnishes a decided im- 

 provement. The value of millet hay or of millet and oat 

 hay is highest when harvested, as some of the millet heads 

 assume a yellow tint. Corn stover furnishes a cheap fod- 

 der, but is more suitable when shredded, as a larger pro- 

 portion of it is then consumed. Corn fodder, if of fine 

 growth, is decidedly superior to corn stover, and when 

 of the character mentioned it is not necessary to shred it. 

 The value of nonsaccharine sorghums for such feeding is 

 also largely dependent upon their fineness. Whether it 

 will pay to shred corn or the sorghums for such feeding 

 is still an unsettled question. The higher in price that fod- 

 ders are the greater will be the gain from shredding. Corn 

 fodder has the advantage usually of furnishing more or 



