12 N. H. Agri. ExPERiistENT Station [Bulletin 284 



Alfalfa and red clover hay stand in a class by themselves for protein con- 

 tent as they supply nearly twice as much of this food compound as any of 

 the other legumes or the grass hays measured. 



Soybean hay, as previously reported, stands very high in available energy 

 but is only medium or below in digestible protein, and alsike clover is only 

 medium or below in both. 



Of outstanding interest is the fact that timothy hay when cut early and 

 properly cured will make one of the more valuable roughages, while delay in 

 haying until after July 30 reduces its value to the bottom of the list. 



Nine experiments were carried out during the year in which the meta- 

 bolism was measured on four cows off pasture. The results, which are 

 largely of physiological significance, will be prepared for publication during 

 the coming year, although it may be stated at this time that the metabolism 

 of cows on pasture is on an extraordinary high level, indicating that good 

 pasture is apparently the cheapest and most effective method of feeding. 

 (£. G. Ritzman and F. G. Benedict — Purucll Fund.) 



Metabolism of Livestock 



Studies in the basal metabolism of sheep, goats, and the horse were car- 

 ried on during the year. The results of the first two experiments are being 

 prepared to be published in the very near future. The last was carried out 

 with a very small adult pony. The object was to determine whether the 

 extraordinary high basal metabolism found with the larger members of this 

 species, such as the Percheron, was also characteristic of the smaller mem- 

 bers. The study seemed to prove this to be true. (E. G. Ritcnion and F. G. 

 Benedict — A dams Fund. ) 



Sheep Breeding 



Progress made thus far in the sheep breeding investigation makes it 

 apparent that the development of a single trait, either nipples or twin pro- 

 duction, might be accomplished in a relatively small number of generations 

 provided selections could be made with entire disregard to other traits. In 

 this particular research, however, the object is not only to establish two 

 traits at the same time, but to transfer these traits from a coarse wooled 

 sheep of inferior mutton conformation to one being superior in this respect. 

 The problem thus becomes theoretically sixteen times as complex as though 

 a single trait were involved. 



In the matter of producing 4-nippled sheep bearing largely twins, prog- 

 ress has been made. A total of 85 lambs dropped this year include one set of 

 triplets, 62 twins and 20 singles. The triplets include two 6-nippled, one 

 five-nipplcd lambs, and the twins include two 6-nippled, one 5-nippled, 

 thirty-six 4-nii:)pled, eight 3-nippled, and fifteen 2-nippled lambs. That is, 

 76 per cent of the twins are multi-nippled. 



This imiM-ovement in the establishment of multini]iples and twin poten- 

 tial has been achieved without loss of other desirable (jualities as is evidenced 

 in competition with wool from all over the United States graded by the 

 National Marketing Corporation. The report stated, ". . . , we graded 

 your entire clip in our New York grading line, and we found the wool better, 

 for style and condition, than the average of the line, which we considered 

 very good style of farm-flock wools." (£. G. Ritzman, A. D. Littlchale, 

 and N. F. Colovos — Adams Fund.) 



