28 BULLETIN 1045, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGKICULTIJEE. 



The Washington station (i7, p. IT) found that " a lot of pure-bred 

 lambs made an average daily gain of 0.225 pounds each when fed 

 a daily ration of 1 pound barley, one-half pound cull beans, four- 

 fifths pound of pea straw, and 2^> pounds of sunflower silage." At 

 the same station they were able to maintain breeding ewes in good 

 condition on a daily ration consisting of 2 pounds of alfalfa hay and 

 3 pounds of sunflower silage. 



At the Wyoming station sunflower silage was fed to growing ewe 

 lambs in conjunction with native hay and three- fourths of a pound 

 of a grain mixture daily. In a 42-day feeding period this group 

 of lambs averaged 0.16 pound of gain daily. A similar group fed 

 a like ration in which pea-and-oat silage was substituted for the 

 sunflower silage averaged only 0.145 pound of gain daily. 



The United States Sheep Experiment Station near Dubois, Idaho, 

 completed about April 1, 1921, a 65-day feeding test on 1,700 ewes, 

 with the following daily ration for each sheep : 



Sunflower ensilage 2 pounds. 



Alfalfa hay If pounds. 



No. 2 yellow corn ^ pound. 



The silage was fed from racks 12 feet long, each of these racks 

 accommodating 18 to 20 ewes. The first day half a pound of ensilage 

 for each sheep was distributed. The quantitj^ was gradually in- 

 creased till the fifth day, when the full 2 pounds, with If pounds of 

 ha}^ and one-fourth pound of corn per head, were fed. This ration, 

 chvided into two feedings, was continued through the test. 



In this band of sheep were 1,300 pregnant Rambouillet and cross- 

 bred ewes from 2 to 7 years of age and 400 ewes coming yearlings the 

 following spring, all in good condition at the beginning of winter. 

 They were held on the range until a heavy snow on December 15; 

 then taken to the feed lot and given 4 pounds of alfalfa hay per head 

 daily until January 28. Because this hay was of poor quality the 

 sheep lost condition during the period. From January 29 to March 

 24 the sheep received the ration mentioned above, containing sun- 

 flower ensilage, without hay the last five days, when open range was 

 substituted. The test ended on March 24 when the sunflower ensilage 

 was exhausted. At that time the entire band of sheep was stronger 

 than at the conclusion of the alfalfa-hay feeding period on January 

 28, and was in good condition for lambing, with strong-stapled well- 

 grown fleeces. Although the sheep had not tasted ensilage before 

 this test, they ate it readily after the second day, preferring ensilage 

 to hay. Only two died during the period, neither death being due 

 to ensilage poisoning. Only three ewes were noticed that had lost 

 their lambs. 



Since no water was available at the feed yard the sheep ate snow. 

 Although the sheep wintered well on the feed as described, it is be- 



