138 



with the flock at all through the breeding season, but un- 

 less the owner has time to examine the ewes closely every 

 day it is better for the male to be with them at least one- 

 half of the time or the lamb crop will come on irregularly. 



WINTER FEEDING OF EWES. 



In the fall when the pastures became exhausted the ewes 

 had to be managed as the small, farmer would have handled 

 them. There was no open range upon the Station farm 

 o they had to be fed throughout the winter months. 

 The man who has a farm with a winter pasture or range 

 could have avoided this extra expense. 



Some farmers in the state feed nothing but cotton seed 

 meal and hulls to the pregnant ewes during the winter 

 months. Others feed nothing but cotton seed. Still others 

 are afraid to feed either cotton seed meal or cotton seed, 

 thinking that cotton by-products are dangerous feeds for 

 sheep. It is often claimed that cotton seed or cotton seed 

 meal will cause blindness, dizziness, etc., and sometimes 

 death when given to ewes. During the winter of 190G-'07 

 the old flock was divided into two lots of eight ewes eaclu 

 and one lot was fed upon soy bean hay alone and the other 

 lot upon cotton seed meal and hulls. The soy bean hay 

 was of excellent quality but had no mature beans upon it, 

 as it was cut before the beans were ripened. The cotton 

 seed meal was fresh and bright. 



Local conditions determine, to a large extent, the prices 

 ef feeds. Any prices that the authors might assume would 

 not meet all conditions, so actual Auburn prices were taken 

 as a basis upon which to rest the financial estimates. The 

 local prices were: 



Cotton seed meal $25.00 per ton. 



Cotton seed hulls . :__ _f 6.00 per ton. 



Roy bean hay ___ _|12.50 per ton. 



Pasture rent per sheep per month .10 



Cotton seed $12.00 per ton. 



During the winter (time the animals were enclosed in a 

 small pen, with a 'shelter across one end, so they could get 



