FIELD EXPERIMENTS IN I915. 33 



EXPENDITURES. 



The Cost of the Sheep. The sheep were shipped about the 

 first of July and were unloaded from the cars the evening 

 of the day they were loaded at the shipping point. There 

 were 75 ewes and 55 lambs with them. The price paid 

 was (including freight) $755.15 for 75 ewes, 55 lambs, ana 

 3 registered Hampshire . bucks. In order to bring the 

 financial calculations to a comparable basis, the sheep are 

 considered in the account as though they cost $5 each 

 and the lambs $3 each, as that is the value the farm 

 superintendent used in the 19 15 inventory. The bucks are 

 carried in the inventory at the price paid, deducting shipping 

 charges. This depreciation in valuation has no bearing at all 

 on the question of whether we did or did not pay a fair price 

 for the sheep. It is merely to put the matter on a comparable 

 basis. Some of the sheep were older than was agreed. One 

 experienced handler of sheep claimed that a few of them were 

 as old as 8 years. But as there is no way of telling a sheep's 

 age after she is 4 the statement of the seller's shepherd that 

 none of them was over 6 years old may be accepted. The oldest 

 ewes have been replaced by the yearling ewes of our own 

 raising. The sheep as sent were a good looking lot and have 

 steadily improved under Highrnoor Farm management and 

 conditions. 



The Food. The three pastures have about 100 acres. They 

 are fenced with a very heavy wire fence that is dog-proof 

 and nearly man-proof. They are well equipped with shelters 

 and supplied with abundant water. They are adjacent to the 

 fields where crops are grown to supplement the pasture in 

 case of shortage. Rape is grown and fed by cutting or by 

 pasturing, according to circumstances. Turnips are grown for 

 winter feed. Only first quality hay is produced on the farm. 

 There are no fine, light yielding grasses on the farm. Hence, 

 hay must be valued at what hay is worth to sell. Probably no 

 man who keeps a labor account would continue to grow June 

 grass for hay, as keeping account of time and yields would 

 show the high cost per ton of such hay. 



About 95 sheep, lambs and bucks, were carried through the 

 winter of 1914-15. They ate about 6 tons of grain and 23 

 tons of hay, which at cost for the grain and selling value of 

 3 



