10 



BULLETIN 144 



sumed 27.6 per cent more air-dry matter in their feeds than did 

 those of Lot III for which corn silage was the sole roughage. The 

 lower cost of $.691 per ewe for feeds consumed in Lot III does 

 not justify its being fed, because of high mortality of lambs. 



The quality and market value of wool from both lots was 

 the same 9 . 



The lambs were more vigorous in Lot IV than in Lot III. 

 In Lot III one lamb was killed by a blood sucking animal and in 

 1913 three lambs died because of weakness. One ewe in Lot III 

 died the summer of 1912 and another the spring of 1913. 



A comparison of the two lots of the two breeds shows similar 

 results. The Delaine-Merino ewes consumed their roughage more 

 uniformly and with greater relish than the Shropshire ewes. Per 

 ewe, the Shropshires of Lot I consumed 25.7 per cent more air-dry 

 matter than the Delaine-Merinos of Lot III, but 3.4 per cent less 

 per 100 pounds liveweight. Likewise in Lots II and IV, the 

 Shropshires consumed 13.5 per cent more per ewe but 12.2 per cent 

 less per 100 pounds liveweight than the Delaine-Merinos. The 

 care required by Merino ewes at lambing time was less than that 

 required by Shropshire ewes. The weakness of ewes and lambs in 

 Lot III, Delaine-Merinos, was not as great as that manifested by 

 the Shropshire ewes in Lot I, to which a similar ration was offered. 



The loss of lambs in Lots I and III was largely due to the 

 ration fed, namely, corn silage alone as a roughage. Conditions 

 that affected losses in lambs, aside from the rations fed, were lack 

 of sufficient exercise space and inexperienced labor in caring for 

 the sheep. 



Table 2. Summary of One Summer's Results (216 Days) 



acre per Delaine-Merino ewe, land valued at $56 



1. Weight of fleece not included. 



2. Estimated % acre per Shropshire ewe and 



per acre @ 5 per cent interest. 



3. Equipment $100 for 216 days @ 6 per cent. 



4. Labor 15 minutes (flock) daily @ 15c per hour. 



5. Grain mixture 978 pounds. 5 parts corn @ 70c per bushel; 8 parts oats @ 50c per bushel; 



2 parts wheat bran @ $30 per ton; 1 part oil meal @ $38 per ton. 



6. Service of one ram for 38 ewes, valued at $25, cost of maintenance $6 annually, depreciation 25%. 



9 Based on quotations on individual fleeces by J. Bateman & Co., Philadelphia. 



