FEEDING AND CARE OF BREEDING EWES 131 



Sheep more than other quadrupeds seem to crave variety 

 summer and winter. Though alfalfa of fine growth 

 should form the bulk of the diet fed to them, they will at 

 the same time consume considerable quantities of well- 

 cured wheat straw. 



Leguminous fodders have highest adaptation for all 

 classes of sheep, but especially for pregnant ewes. No 

 class of roughage probably is superior to alfalfa, grown 

 thickly, alsike clover and also the common red clover. 

 Hay produced by the common vetch is excellent. That 

 from the sand vetch is not quite so good. Hay from the 

 Canada field pea and oats is excellent. That from the 

 cowpea is good if well cured. Hay from millet cut when 

 the earliest heads begin to tint, and cured in the cock, an- 

 swers well to feed once a day, but it should not form the 

 sole fodder for any long period. Hay from Russian brome 

 grass, being leafy, is one of the best fodders furnished by 

 the grasses. Hay composed of timothy and clover, grown 

 thickly and cut early is very good, but that from timothy 

 alone, if coarse, and especially if cut late, is not well 

 suited to the needs of sheep. 



Pea straw well cured stands at the head of the list 

 of the varieties of straw. When not coarse, cut promptly 

 on maturing and cured without exposure to rain, it fur- 

 nishes food that sheep greatly relish, but if cut late and 

 exposed to heavy rain, it is not of much value as fodder. 

 Next to pea straw in value is that obtained from oats 

 The value of straw furnished by any of the cereals is 

 much dependent on the early stage of maturity at which 

 it is cut. Bean straw is excellent when well saved, but 

 is usually limited in supply. Rye straw is probably the 

 least valuable straw for sheep because of its woody char- 

 acter. Corn fodder finely grown and well preserved an- 

 swers well as a part of the fodder ration during the late 

 autumn and midwinter months, but corn stover is not so 

 good because of its coarseness. Finely grown sorghum 



