6 BULLETIN 906, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Breeds having a larger proportion of twin births than the South- 

 downs can be expected to give larger returns from flushing. Also, 

 most farm ewes should show larger increases in lamb yields as a 

 result of flushing than were obtained in these experiments because 

 of the fact that ordinarily they are thinner at the time of breeding. 



RELATION OF WEIGHT GAINS TO NUMBER OF TWINS. 



Individual weights of the ewes were kept, and these permit an 

 analysis of the relation between actual gains and numbers of twins 

 produced. 



Of 30 cases in which ewes lost 1 to 7 pounds during the breeding 

 season, twins were produced by 11, or 37 per cent. 



Of 133 cases in which ewes gained up to 7 pounds during the breed- 

 ing season, twins were produced by 45, or 34 per cent. 



Of 74 cases in which ewes gained 7 to 30 pounds during the breed- 

 ing season, twins were produced by 33, or 44 per cent. 



These results suggest that in order to produce the largest number 

 of twins, ewes should gain 7 pounds or more. 



FEED FOR FLUSHING. 



With regard to kinds of feed most effective and most economical 

 for use in flushing, no data have been obtained except in the cases 

 of Lots 11 and 14. These lots had first access to good growths of 

 soy beans, while the grain-fed lots and the unflushed lots followed on 

 the same grazing after the pasture-flushed lots were moved forward. 

 The difference in the grazing so obtained caused Lot 11 to gain 3 

 pounds more than Lot 9 in 1918 and Lot 14 to gain 4 pounds more 

 than Lot 12 in 1919. In 1918 the pasture-flushed Lot No. 11 pro- 

 duced 4.5 per cent fewer lambs than the grain-flushed Lot No. 10, 

 while in 1919 the pasture-flushed Lot No. 14 produced 4.8 per cent 

 more lambs than the grain-flushed Lot No. 13. 



This would indicate that there is no decided advantage in the 

 kind of feed used in flushing other than the saving in labor and 

 more expensive grain feed when pasture flushing is practiced. There 

 are times, however, owing to unfavorable weather, when good pas- 

 ture is not available and pastures are too short even to hold ewes 

 at their initial weight. In such cases grain could no doubt be 

 economically used. 



EARLLNESS OF LAMBING. 



In addition to the increase in the number of lambs from flushed 

 ewes, it has been believed that the extra nourishment brought the 

 ewes in heat earlier and thereby resulted in earlier lambs. This is a 

 reasonable expectation when the rams are in service at the beginning 

 of the breeding season. 



