Maine Agricultural Experiment Station. 1917. 91 



The losses from death and accident were shght in each 

 year and were mostly lambs that were still born or weak at 

 birth. 



Receipts. 



The wool and lambs sold each year were probably as well 

 marketed as the average farmer could expect unless he put a 

 good deal of his own time (and in the case of the Station that 

 means added cost) into finding a market. No attempt to mar- 

 ket in any unusual way was attempted as that would have been 

 contrary to the plan of the experiment. The sales per head 

 in 1914-15 averaged a little under $3 and in 1915-16 a little over 

 $7. This difference was due to a larger number of lambs, their 

 higher selling price, a heavier clip of wool and its very high 

 price. In the spring of 1915, 67 strong lambs were dropped by 

 ewes and in the spring of 1916 there were 80 strong lambs. 

 The clip ayeraged 5.7 pounds per head in the spring of 1915 

 and 6.4 pounds in the spring of 1916. 



In 1914-15 the manure was left under the sheep during 

 the winter, as is customary with all handlers of sheep the writ- 

 er has knowledge of in the East or the Middle West. It is 

 commonly supposed that the compacting of the manure by the 

 sheep treading upon it and. the moistening from the urine will 

 prevent losses. The value of the manure in 1914-15 was from 

 estimates by the farm superintendent as to what we would be 

 willing to pay for the manure if we were buying it. It may be 

 that the farm superintendent underestimated the value of the 

 sheep manure from the bam and yard and that it was worth 

 more than was credited. As it is not the fault of the sheep 

 if faulty handling of the manure results in loss, the attempt 

 to guard against loss was made in 1915-16. The methods used 

 are given on pages 94-99 beyond. 



In 1915-16 there were produced 75 tons of manure which 

 contained nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash worth, at the 

 valuation used for commercial fertilizers in 1914 (before the 

 war prices) about $300. The labor cost, teams and men, for 

 moving the manure monthly to the manure platform for work- 

 ing over by swine, was about $25. The net value of the plant 

 food in the manure at the barn was, therefore, about $275. 



