RATIONS FOR BREEDING EWES 33 



Roughnesses. The clover hay used in 1911 was choice hay. It 

 ras clear and bright with few waeds or foreign grasses in it. During 

 the second year of the experiment it was impossible to obtain choice 

 :lover hay, most of it being slightly mixed with timothy hay. The 

 ly was of good quality and well cured. Bales that were badly 

 lixed with timothy were set aside. The timothy hay used for Lot 

 r l was graded choice, being of a good, bright color containing very 

 ittle foreign grasses or weeds. The yield of corn in 1911, was not 

 lormal on account of the extremely dry summer, the result was that 

 corn silage of that year contained a low per cent of grain and a 

 ittle higher per cent of acid than good silage should contain. The 

 silage made during 1912 was of good quality containing a normal per 

 :nt of grain and was not so sour as the silage of the previous year, 

 "he stover used was field cured, and from time to time the shocks 

 -ere hauled in from the field and stacked near the feeding shed, 

 "he stover used the winter of 1911-12 was not of good quality, on 

 :cpunt of the fall rains having caused some deterioration. The 

 >tover used during the second winter was of good quality. 



The Grain Ration. The grain ration was the same for all lots, 

 't consisted of six parts shelled corn, three parts wheat bran and one 



trt pea-size linseed oil cake, by weight. The amount of grain fed 

 the different lots varied, the object being to keep the ewes in good con- 

 lition of flesh, hence it was necessary to feed some lots more grain 



lan others as the roughnesses did not have equal feeding values, 

 "he corn used was good No. 2 shelled corn. The bran was first 

 jrade soft wheat bran and the linseed oil meal was old process meal 



id the best quality that could be obtained. 



Quarters. The different lots were kept in yards of uniform size. 

 'hey were fed in a shed open to the south, with an exercise yard 

 sloping to the south. The covered space allowed to each lot was 

 8J/2x22i/2 ft., including feeding racks and water troughs. The ad- 

 joining exercise yard for each lot was 8^x100 ft. 



The feeding racks consisted of eight-inch grain troughs with a V- 

 shaped hay rack above, so arranged that the hay would feed down 

 through the grain trough. The sides and ends of the rack were 

 tight to prevent loss of hay. 



Method of Feeding. The first year all rations were divided into 

 two equal portions, one-half of which was fed in the morning and one- 

 half in the evening. 



The second year all the grain and part of the roughage was fed in 

 the morning, the remainder of the roughage was fed in the evening. 



