FATTENING RANGE LAMBS. 



77 



While the extent of gains was approximately the same for all 

 of the lots, it is worthy of note that the cost of gains is rather 

 widely different for some of the lots. Lot 4, fed a grain ration of 

 corn and stock food, made slightly cheaper gains than did lot 1, fed 

 a grain ration of corn alone, while the gains made by the lots which 

 received cottonseed meal and linseed oil meal were decidedly more 

 expensive than the gains made by lot 1. The cost of gains, how- 

 ever, depends somewhat upon existing market values of the feeds 

 used, so the cost of gains as given in Table 5 must be understood to 

 apply only to the experiment under discussion. Both cottonseed 

 meal and linseed oilmeal are usually more expensive, pound for 

 pound, than corn, and, since they do not appear to increase gains 

 very markedly, it seems doubtful whether it is good business to feed 

 them to fattening lambs in connection with corn, clover and alfalfa. 



One lamb in lot 4 was found dead on the morning of March 1. 

 Its weight was obtained and added to the final weight of the lot, so 

 its death did not interfere materially with the test. A reduction in 

 the amount of corn and hay fed to lot 4 was made after the loss of 

 this lamb, in order that the daily amount of feed per lamb might 

 remain the same throughout the test. 



TABLE 6 FEED PER 100 LBS. GAIN. 



"Includes all roughage; see table 9 for amount of roughage refused by the different lots. 

 SHRINKAGE AND DRESSED PERCENTAGE. 



The experiment was ended on March 13 so far as feeds con- 

 sumed and gains produced were concerned. The lambs were, 

 however, fed in the same manner as usual until March 21, when 

 they were shipped to Cleveland. On the afternoon of March 20 

 the lambs were weighed by lots, water having been shut off just 

 before the weighing began and while the lambs were yet quiet. 

 The lambs were loaded after having received the morning's feed on 

 March 21. Immediately after being unloaded in Cleveland the 

 lambs were weighed without food or w r ater. 



