GERMAN EXPERIMENTS. 449 



clover and grain produced 16 Ibs, gain). The actual nutri- 

 ment in 20 to 23 pounds of turnips is only equal to 3 Ibs. 

 of Indian corn. And when we take into consideration the 

 amount of extra water that must be exhaled and evapo- 

 rated from the body in the excessive use of turnips as a 

 food in moderately cold weather, it is highly probable that 

 23 Ibs. of turnips scarcely represents in heat and fat- 

 forming power, 3 Ibs. of corn. This would make a bushel 

 of corn balance 429 pounds of turnips, or an acre of corn, 

 at 40 bushels per acre, would equal 8% tons of 2,000 pounds 

 of turnips; and, counting the corn at 25 cents per bushel, 

 as it averages over large districts of the West, it would give 

 but $1.18 per ton for the turnips, and $2.36 when corn is 

 50 cfcs. per bushel. This last price would equal 6 cents per 

 bushel a price for which some American farmers say 

 turnips or beets can be raised. But this comparison will 

 show that turnips cannot compete with Indian corn when 

 the latter can be purchased at 25 cts. per bushel. Yet the 

 real value of turnips, as a food preservative of animal 

 health and growth, is higher than that given here. Ten 

 pounds of turnips with 1% Ibs. of corn will fatten a young 

 sheep or lamb faster than 3 Ibs. of corn alone. The 

 English ration of turnips or other roots for both sheep and 

 cattle is quite excessive, and would be more profitable if 

 divided and the same value in grain fed for the other half. 

 The succulent root crop, fed in moderate quantity, is the 

 basis of successful winter-feeding of sheep in England, and 

 may yet be widely adopted in this country, unless the silo 

 shall preserve better green food at a less price, where the 

 price of corn ranges from 40 to 75 cts. per bushel. 



GERMAN EXPERIMENTS IN SHEEP-FEEDING. 



We will now give some German experiments the first 

 conducted by Dr. Wolff in feeding two common lambs for 

 9 months, from 5 to 14 months old. These lambs were fed 



