90 BULLETIN NO. 59. 



crop of hay, which made a large portion of the feed given, contained 

 considerable stems and, as will be noted in the tables there was 

 some waste. We started feeding grain three weeks after the be- 

 ginning of the experiment. At first but a small grain ration was 

 given, and we had to coax the sheep to eat it, first by reducing 

 slightly on their hay so as to make them a little mr:i ninigry, and 

 next by salting the grain slightly. Six pounds were given to each 

 lot per day at the start and one month was taken to get the animals 

 to the maximum ration of one pound per sheep per day. In weigh- 

 ing up the sheep we planned to divide the lots as evenly as possible, 

 both according to weight and quality, so that each might start off 

 on as fair a basis as possible. 



DISCUSSION OF RESULTS. 

 WEIGHT OF WETHERS. 



Table No. I gives the weights and gains of the wethers. It 

 will be noticed that they were fed for 97 days, this time being 

 divided into three periods, first 25, second 28 and the last 44 days. 

 This table also shows the gain for each lot per day and of each 

 animal per day, per week and for the whole time of the test. 



Comparing, first, by periods, it will be noticed that the wethers 

 made the fastest gains during the first and third periods, though 

 the first may have been somewhat of a "fill-up." This is shown 

 particularly in the average, which was about .22 Ibs. per day for 

 each lamb. This result is true of practically all the lots. Considering 

 next, the results from the different kinds of grain, it will be noticed 

 that on the wheat ration the wethers gained during the 97 days 21.33 

 pounds each. The next best returns were from the barley ration, 

 upon which they gained 19.87 pounds. Then follows the oats, 

 screenings, and the mixed grain last. This result is somewhat dif- 

 ferent from the previous year, in which we found the barley to be 

 the best ration, followed by the oats, wheat, screenings and mixed 

 grain. The only difference, however, when we analyze carefully 

 .is the transposition of the wheat and barley. The other results are 

 almost exactly the same as reported in bulletin 47. Taking the 

 two years, therefore, together, it would seem that the barley or 

 wheat proved the most satisfactory ration for feeding wethers, 

 though the oats were very close third. 



