FLUSHING TO INCREASE LAMB YIELDS. 7 



In all but two cases flushed ewes came to the first service earlier 

 than those unflushed, the time ranging from one-half day to 8 days. 



UNIFORMITY OF LAMBS' AGES. 



Having all the lambs of about the same age is a great advantage 

 in marketing and flock management. Since flushing brings ewes to 

 service earlier, it should be a great aid in preventing late lambs. 

 This expectation was not realized, however, in the experiments. 

 More of the cases of not getting in lamb until the second or third 

 service occurred among the flushed ewes and was of course followed 

 by a larger proportion of late lambs. 



The number of ewes lambing to each successive service in each 

 year is shown in the following table; the ewes which were bred after 

 being interchanged between lots are not included : 



Table 2. — Number and per cent of ewes getting in lamb at each service. 





Unflushed lots. 



Flushed lots. 



Year. 



Lot 

 No. 



Ewes 

 in 

 lot. 



Service. 



Lot 



No. 



Ewes 

 in 

 lot. 



Service. 





1st. 



2d. 



3d. 



4th. 



5th. 



1st. 



2d. 



3d. 



4th. 



5th. 



1916 



1 

 3 



5 

 7 

 9 



15 

 10 

 19 

 17 

 15 



S 

 



15 

 7 



14 



5 

 4 

 3 

 4 

 1 



2 

 5 

 1 

 5 

 





 1 

 

 1 

 





 

 

 

 



2 

 4 

 6 

 8 

 10 

 11 

 13 

 14 

 16 

 17 



25 

 15 

 20 

 13 

 14 

 11 

 21 

 21 

 20 

 16 



10 

 7 



15 

 6 



11 

 7 

 6 



12 



13 

 9 



10 

 7 

 3 

 3 

 3 

 2 

 7 

 3 

 4 

 4 



1 

 2 

 3 

 

 1 

 6 

 6 

 2 

 1 



1 

 

 

 1 

 



1 



2 

 

 1 

 1 



1 



1917 





 



1918 





 









1919 



12 



25 



13 



9 



2 



1 

















1920 



15 



20 



11 



' 8 







1 













1 



















Total . . . 





121 



68 j 34 



56 i 



15 

 13 



4 

 3 





 





176 



96 

 55 



46 

 26 



25 



14 



7 

 4 



2 







1 



















TWIN PRODUCTION AS AFFECTED BY AGE OF EWE. 



Flock records of the Bureau of Animal Industry show a gradual 

 rise in the proportion of twins born until the ewes are 5 and 6 

 years old. There is a possibility that this is due in part to elimination 

 of ewes not dropping twins. In our experimental flocks, however, 

 ewes have never been discarded on that account, although some ewes 

 have been kept to advanced age that might have been disposed of 

 one or two seasons earlier if it had not been for their marked prolifi- 

 cacy. The figures given in Table 3 for ewes over 6 years old may, 

 therefore, have been to a slight extent affected by selection. The 

 data given include nine years' records. The ages are those at time 

 of lambing and not at time bred. 



