Spring Management of the Flock 199 



the lambs ate 488.75 pounds of grain, and they 

 gained 18.5 pounds more than the lambs of lot I, 

 that, during ten weeks, gained 432.25 pounds. The 

 only compensation for the feeding of the grain to the 

 ewes was in the fact that those receiving grain lost 

 in weight only the total of 80.9 pounds, while those 

 in lot II lost a total of 111 pounds in ten weeks. 

 The only difference in the feeding of lots III and 

 IV lies in the management of the ewes. The ewes 

 of lot III ate 583 pounds of grain and the lambs 

 without grain made exactly the same gain and their 

 dams had no grain. The grain fed to these sheep 

 consisted of a mixture of one part oil meal and three 

 parts bran during the first three weeks of the experi- 

 ment, and one part crushed corn, one part oil meal, 

 and two parts bran during the last seven weeks of 

 the experiment. In addition to this, they had excel- 

 lent pasturage. 



The ewes that are suckling lambs should have 

 3 or 4 pounds of roots or silage as a part of their 

 ration. Either of these will stimulate the flow of 

 milk. Sweet and clean clover hay should be given 

 them. The finer it is in the stalk and the more 

 heads it contains, the better they like it. 



Castration of lambs. — The safest method of cas- 

 tration is best performed when the lamb is one to two 

 weeks old. If attempted before this time, the tes- 

 ticles will be found to be small and soft, and as a 

 result diflficult to remove. Two persons are re- 



