AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 53 



AN EXPERIMENT IN PRODUCING GROWTH IN LAMBS. 



The object of this experiment was to present an object lesson 

 on the profits of the liberal feeding of lambs that are intended for 

 the market. A farmer is occasionally found who has adopted the 

 practice of producing early lambs, which by liberal feeding can be 

 put upon an early market at high prices. The more common 

 practice is the production of late lambs which are grown largely 

 on grass and are sold at the lowest ptices that rule during the 

 year. It was thought that possibly an illustration of the difference 

 between these two methods might serve to stimulate some towards 

 adopting the former and more profitable practice. It was found 

 that the 24 ewes used in the feeding experiment with roots just 

 described, were likely to drop their lambs during the month of 

 April. As they were a lot of sheep quite uniform in quality, of 

 more than average size and in good condition, because of the 

 liberal rations which they had received, it was decided to use their 

 lambs for this experiment. Accordingly, as fast as the lambs 

 were born, they were divided into two lots. Fortunately tbere 

 were an even number of pairs of twins, so that when the division 

 into the two lots was completed, it was found that there were ten 

 sheep with twelve lambs in each pen. 



These two lots of sheep and lambs were fed in a radically 

 different manner. The ration of Lot 1 was intended to be an 

 intensive ration, or a copy of the method that is used for forcing 

 the growth of early lambs. On the other hand, Lot 2 was fed in 

 a manner similar to that which is adopted by many farmers, who 

 consider the sheep to be an animal that can be successfully fed on 

 the refuse of a barn without the addition of very much grain. 

 The sheep of Lot 1 received what good hay they would consume 

 and a pound of grain each, per day. Besides this, the pen was 

 so arranged that the lambs had access at all times to a supply of 

 mixed grain. The sheep of Lot 2 were fed one-half pound grain 

 per head daily, with what good hay they would eat. The lambs 

 of this lot were allowed no grain excepting what they ate f om 

 the mother's ration. Until May 2Gth, the grain mixture con- 

 sisted of three parts of gluten meal, two parts of corn meal and 

 one part of wheat bran, by weight. After May 26th, the mixture 



