8 Maine Agricultural Experiment Station. 1918. 



The Three Year Results. 



If any farmer had started with a flock of about ioo sheep 

 at the time this experiment was begun the marked advance in 

 the value of the flock would have made the venture a profitable 

 one. But the same would have been true if he had invested a 

 like sum of money in any one of numerous commodities that 

 have been advancing in price at leaps and bounds. While 

 viewed from that standpoint the balance is on the right side 

 of the ledger from the standpoint of sheep production alone 

 the 3 years are still behind. The loss the first year was (with- 

 out taking manure into account) $375, and $200 the second 

 year. This year there is a credit balance of $135. The dif- 

 ferences in values of hay in the different years largely accounts 

 for the differences in the cost of the food consumed in the 

 different years. If hay had been worth in 1916-17 $15 a ton 

 as it was the year before the sheep would have about broken 

 even. With the low price of hay the present year, unless some 

 unexpected reasons cause marked falling off in price of mutton 

 and wool, the sheep should show a profit.. 



Without taking into account the profit that came from the 

 increased value of the sheep during the year, a man who had 

 handled a flock of 100 sheep for profit in 1916-17 would have 

 found a market for his hay at $15 a ton, kept the plant food in 

 the hay on his farm, had 20 cents an hour for the time spent in 

 care of the sheep and the approximately $250 worth of manure 

 for rent of land, upkeep of buildings and fences, interest on 

 investment and other overhead charges. Or reckoning the hay 

 at its market value of about $10 a ton in the barn, by feeding 

 it to the sheep he would have received about 45 cents an hour 

 for the time given to their care. 



