SHEEP FEEDING. 109 



that there was a difference of 118 pounds between the two lots. 

 The lighter sheep, in lot 4, weighed 579 pounds and the heavier 

 sheep, in lot 3, weighed 607 pounds. In 65 days lot 3, the heavier 

 sheep gained but .193 pounds per day, but lot 4, the lighter sheep, 

 gained 3 Ibs. per day, or more than 1-3 greater gain. The total gain 

 was 188 pounds for lot 3 in 65 days and 273 pounds for lot 4, a dif- 

 ference of 85 pounds. Each sheep of lot 3 gained 12^ pounds and 

 of lot 4 gained 19^2 Ibs., or 6 Ibs. more. The only difference in the 

 ration was that lot 3 received screenings. Both got the same kind 

 and amount of roots. 



The average gain for those "locoed" sheep was 16 pounds each 

 for the 65 days. 



This was considerably more than the gain made by the "poison 

 plant" sheep, and 2.3 pounds more than the average gained by the 

 wethers in the same time. The test would seem to show that the 

 so-called "locoed" sheep, if properly treated, will gain as rapidly as 

 other sheep. This is not the whole story, however,. They gained 

 more, yet they were so thin to begin with, only 42^ pounds each, 

 that the 16 pounds of gain only made them weigh 58^ pounds. They 

 were thus too light and too poor to go into the market when the 

 other sheep were shipped. 



These two lots (3 and 4) were therefore fed for another 58 days. 

 During this time they each gained .213 pounds per day or 12.3 

 pounds for the 58 days. During this time they were fed the same as 

 before, namely: clover, grain and roots. This gain was greater 

 than the average gain of wethers or "poison plant" sheep for the 

 first 65 days of the feeding test. 



Considering the 123 days during which the locoed sheep were 

 fed they made a gain of .229 pounds per day and added 28.2 pounds 

 to the 42.5 pounds original weight. These gains also compare very 

 favorably with the gains made by the sheep the two previous years, 

 as recorded in bulletin 47, and in the first part of this bulletin. 



