356 SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 



are tight, the sheep fed on the upper floor will always do the best. And 

 it is a fact that in a third-story fold the sheep on the top floor will 

 make more gain in the same time than either of the others. 



As has been hinted, it is lean meat and that which is tender and juicy, 

 that is most desirable to have grown on our lambs. It being an admit- 

 ted fact that the nitrogenous foods tend to the production of lean meat, 

 the lambs should be largely fed on those. Among the best, in fact at 

 the head for dry forage stands clover ha}'; early cut, well-cured clover 

 hay is the best of all forage. Bean pods or pea vines are both good and 

 much better than the best timothy hay, but timothy hay, as usually cut 

 and cured, is among the least desirable of all foods. Early-cut, well- 

 cured corn fodder is not bad forage, and bright, barn housed straw will 

 be greedily eaten for one feed per day. For grain, sheep have a great 

 hankering after variet}'. Constant change is very agreeable to them; in 

 fact after they have been fed on a food for several days, however good, 

 they will ravenously eat what would seem much less palatable. But for 

 a stanby, wheat bran, oil meal, corn, gluten meal, oats, peas, and beans 

 are all good, but they should be so mixed or changed from one to an- 

 ther as to stimulate the eating and digesting of as much as possible. 



Whatever may be fed as forage or grain, no sheep must be expected 

 to do its best or to remain healthy for more than ninety days high feed- 

 ing, without plenty of succulence in their food. Nothing is better for 

 this purpose than good corn silage, having a large amount of grain and 

 well advanced toward ripening when put into the silo. All kinds of 

 roots are good for sheep, and will fill the bill for succulence, but the 

 preference would be ruta-bagas, mangels, and flat or English turnips in 

 the order named, so far as nutrition is concerned, but counting the ex- 

 pense of production in connection, the list would be reversed, although 

 it is hard to keep the flat turnips in good eating condition after Febru- 

 ary first. 



But fattening sheep will certainly do better and make more gain when 

 they can be fed both silage and roots each day. They will thrive with 

 only one but will make more gain when having a feed in the forenoon 

 of one and in the afternoon of the other. The succulent not only adds 

 whatever of nutritive value it may have, but helps the sheep digest and 

 assimilate more of the dry food. Besides the succulent food surely 

 makes the meat of the sheep more juicy and tender. 



One other thing must not be overlooked in the sheep folds. The 

 sheep must have plenty of water and that which is fresh and clean. No 



