THE INFLUENCE OF SEX 



371 



Fattening Sheep of Different Ages. 



The writer/ in a study of the effect of age and weight on the 

 rate and eeonocmy of gains, fed three lots of native lambs for a period 

 of 98 days. The results are given in the following table : 



Rate and Economy of Gains with Lambs of Different Weights. 



The Influence of Sex. — Sex is a consideration chiefly in feeding 

 lambs as this is the only class in which ewes and wethers are 

 placed together. Wether lambs are inclined to gain a little faster 

 than ewes, but since the ewes are slightly superior in general quality, 

 they attain market finish quite as soon as the wethers and sell for 

 as much per hundredweight. Both sexes are practically the same 

 in the consumption of feed. 



Carcasses from wethers are slightly thicker in lean meat than 

 those from ewes, but in the general meat trade no distinction is 

 made between ewe and wether lamb mutton. 



Mature wethers usually sell for more per hundredweight than 

 ewes because they dress out a higher percentage of carcass to live 

 weight and their carcasses are somewhat more shapely. 



^ Thesis — Illinois Agricultural College. 



