157 



Sixty-live ewes have been fed upon cotton seed nieal fur 

 different lengths of time, and in varied amounts and no ill 

 results have occurred with the possible exception of one 

 ewe (Ewe No. 4). After she had been on a cotton seed 

 meal ration for 147 days (in 1907) she staggered and be- 

 came blind, and finally died. Aside from the blindness and 

 staggering she seemed to be in good health and was very 

 fat when death occurred. There were, during the four 

 years, six cases of abortion among the ewes eating cotton 

 seed meal. Among the check lots (those eating no cotton seed 

 meal) there were as many abortions. The ewes in 1908 were 

 fed upon the same load of cotton seed meal that killed sev- 

 eral hogs in the swine experimental work, but not a single 

 ewe suffered any ill results from its use. It is true that the 

 ewes did not receive as much cotton seed meal as did the 

 hogs, per hundred pounds live weight, but still the sheep 

 were kept upon the meal double the length of time the 

 hogs were. 



The roughage used in all of the above cases was cotton 

 seed hulls. 



While the results are but negative ones, still they seem 

 to warrant the conclusion that there is very little risk to 

 run. if any, in feeding cotton seed meal to ewes, when fed 

 in amounts just sufficient to carry the animal through the 

 winter in good breeding condition. 



