14 



WISCONSIN BULLETIN 232 



which it is easier to do, especially in summer, with a light, bulky 

 ration than with a more concentrated one. The wheat bran is 

 excellent to keep the bowels in good condition, and it also has a 

 high nutritive value for feeding purposes. 



The ration of wheat and oats fed in 1902 was the only unsat- 

 isfactory ration fed during the two periods and was discontinued 

 after feeding it for .only one year. It was difficult to get the 

 sheep to eat it regularly and the gains made by the wethers 

 were therefore small. 



TABLE I. AVERAGE RESULTS FOR THE TWO 3- YEAR PERIODS OF FEED- 

 ING VARIOUS GRAIN RATIONS TO WETHERS 



1902-04 



Average for two years. Wheat and oats fed in 1902 did not prove satisfactory. 



1907-09 



Whole oats fed alone are bulky in proportion to the amount 

 of nutriment they contain and therefore the sheep ate less of 

 them than of any of the other rations. They are a most excel- 

 lent feed for sheep which are well advanced in flesh, but, as a 

 rule, for sheep being fitted for fat classes they do not tend to 

 push the sheep along fast enough to insure the required finish. 

 The whole oats produced beautiful carcasses, but these carcasses 

 were never awarded prizes in the dressed carcass competition 



