Experiments in Fattening Sheep. 



463 



considering the excellence of the combination of grain, hay, and 

 roots or cabbage, they were hardly as economical. 



751. Millet, low-grade wheat, weed seeds. — Below are given the 

 results of trials at several stations with cull wheat and weed seeds 

 compared with cracked corn for fattening lambs : 



Millet, cull wheat, and weed seeds compared with craclced corn for fatten- 

 ing lambs. 



Station and average ration 



Av. 

 daily 

 gain 



Feed for 100 lbs. gain 



Hay 



Minnesota* 

 Lot I 

 Cracked corn, 1.3 lbs. 



Timothy hay, 1.01b 



Lot II 

 Small wheat, 1.8 lbs. 



Timothy hay, 0.9 lb 



Lot III 

 Pigeon grass, 2.4 lbs. 



Timothy hay, 0.5 lb 



Lot IV 

 Wild buckwheat, 2.3 lbs. 

 Timothy hay, 0.7 lb 



Lbs. 



South Dakotat 

 Millet, 1.6 lbs. 



Mixed hay, 1.3 lbs 



Frosted wheat, 0. 9 lb. 

 Alfalfa hay, 1.4 lbs. 



Utaht 



0.25 

 0.24 

 0.27 

 0.28 



0.28 



0.21 



Lbs. 

 523 

 745 



874 

 816 



581 



419 



402 

 367 

 189 

 249 



474 



650 



*Rpt. 1893. tBul. 86. |Bul. 78. 



Apparently no advantage was gained from cracking corn for the 

 lambs, since it gave only normal returns. Small wheat, pigeon-grass 

 seed, and wild buckwheat, about 90 per ct. pure, fed with hay pro- 

 duced satisfactory gains in each case, tho larger amounts were re- 

 quired than of cracked corn for a given gain. If clean and free 

 from poorer stuff, these elevator by-products may be considered to 

 have about three-fourths the value of corn for fattening lambs. (185) 

 In a previous trial at the South Dakota Station it was found that 

 lambs fed whole millet voided a large percentage of the seed un- 

 broken and undigested. Accordingly in this trial the millet was 

 coarsely ground, and thus prepared it proved nearly as valuable for 

 fattening lambs as cracked corn. Frosted wheat produced nearly as 

 large gain as good wheat, 419 lbs. of wheat and 650 lbs. of alfalfa 

 hay putting on 100 lbs. of gain. 



