EARLY MATURITY. 407 



maturity, making a larger growth, and showing a fuller 

 development in 12 months than the dams had shown in 18 

 months. The next cross will show also a great improve- 

 ment on the first. And here time is the great element of 

 success. As we have seen in the growth of animals, if the 

 gain in weight can be doubled in a given time, the cost is 

 not doubled, for, after the food of support, all the extra 

 food digested and assimilated is laid up in increase. If it 

 requires two- thirds of an ordinary ration to support the 

 animal without gain, and if a certain ration would increase 

 the weight of a sheep 1% Ibs. per week, then if one- third 

 addition to this ration was equally well-digested and assim- 

 ilated, the sheep would gain three pounds per week a 

 saving of two-thirds of the cost in the increased growth. 

 Then, to double the growth in a given time,, reduces the 

 cost of the whole growth one-third, and this one-third gain 

 in profit is a good margin. 



Let us illustrate this in the growth of early lambs. 

 Under scanty feeding that is, the ewe being insufficiently 

 fed to yield a good flow of milk 'the lamb would make a 

 slow growth of about \Yz Ibs. per week, and would weigh 

 about 21 Ibs. at three months old. If, on the other hand, 

 the ewe is a fair milker, and is fed one-third extra food 

 adapted to produce milk, the extra milk will double the 

 weight of the lamb, reaching 40 Ibs. at three months. The 

 significance of this double growth is not measured by 

 doubling the value of the lamb, however ; for the 40-lb. 

 lamb often brings, in April and May, $10 in our best mar- 

 kets, while the 20-lb. lamb would scarcely bring $3. 

 Doubling the weight often trebles the value, or more. The 

 yearling wether that weighs 150 Ibs. will sell for more than 

 double the price of the one that weighs 80 to 100 Ibs. ; so 

 that the more rapid growth means not only one-third less 

 cost, but double the value. This is a decided encourage- 

 ment both ways for good feeding. Early maturity that is, 



