104 BULLETIN NO. 59. 



SHEEP FEEDING TEST FOR WINTER 1904=5. 



INTRODUCTION. 



During the winter of 1904-5 there was fed at the Experiment 

 Station three lots of sheep. First, we purchased 100 two-year-old 

 wethers. These sheep were grade Merinos with considerable of 

 mutton blood, particularly the Cotswold, in their make-up. These 

 sheep were purchased from Mr. John M. Robinson, of Bozeman, out 

 of a lot of about 900 obtained near Twin Bridges. They were a 

 fairly good grade of sheep, but were rather light. They averaged 

 no pounds when weighed at the college farm at delivery, which is 

 the lightest wethers we have fed for the past three years They cost 

 laid down, $3.25 each, which at the weights given, made them cost 

 3 cents per pound live weight. The wethers were put in pens and 

 ied hay as soon as they arrived on the farm, which was on Nov. 6, 

 1904. No weights of the feed were kept until Nov. 28, when the 

 experiment started. At this time the wethers weighed 115 pounds, 

 having gained 5 pounds in about 20 days. 



The second lot of sheep handled were 64 head, the remaindei 

 of a lot which our chemist had been working with, during the sum- 

 mer, on the range near Big Timber, testing, in co-operation with the 

 Department of Agriculture, some problems in relation to the effect 

 of loco weed upon the sheep. They were a good band of sheep, 

 but some of them had lost weight during the summer. They weigh- 

 ed on the average 83 pounds at the beginning of the test. They 

 were a mixed lot of ewes, wethers and lambs. These we have 

 designated as the "poison-plant" sheep to distinguish them from the 

 ether lots. 



The third lot of sheep consisted at the beginning of 42 head, 

 but later were reduced, through killing for post-mortem purposes 

 and some that died, to 29 head. These animals were very badly 

 "locoed", as the symptoms for this trouble are usually described. The 



