SHEEP FEEDING EXPERIMENTS FOI< i9o 3 =4 



INTRODUCTION. 



The [Montana Experiment Station has fed a car load of sheep 

 each winter since the year 1898, and, up to date, therefore, has fed 

 for seven reasons. The last report published of this work was Bul- 

 letin No. 47. in which, on some points, a summary was given of the 

 work previously done. This work was continued for the season of 

 1903-4 and 1904-5, and the results of this work will be reported here- 

 with. 



The experiment for the winter of 1903-4 was a repetition of 

 that of the year before, although with not quite as good a grade of 

 stock. The sheep, both the lambs and the wethers, fed during the 

 winter of 1902-3 were an extra fine lot, containing considerable of 

 mutton blood upon a Merino foundation. They were good, thrifty 

 stock when they arrived on the station farm, and a month's feeding 

 upon the grain and hay fields of the farm put them into the feed 

 lots in extra fine condition. At the end of the season they had, 

 therefore, the size and fatness to command the top price on the 

 market. However, there are many other classes of stock in the 

 state and it is our purpose to learn all we can about these various 

 grades and classes. 





 NUMBER AND KIND OF SHEEP PURCHASED. 



The sheep purchased for the experiment of the winter of 1903-4 

 consisted of 120 lambs, which cost us $1.7.9 3~ 10 eacri delivered at 

 Bozeman, and 120 two-year-old wethers, which cost us $2.56 each 

 at Bozeman. They were selected and purchased for us by Mr. 

 John M. Robinson, of Bozeman, to whom we are indebted for this 

 favor. No special attempt was made to select any especial grade 

 of stock, but they were taken out of a larger bunch just as they 

 would come. They were delivered at the station farm on the 3rd 



