504 



Feeds and Breeding. 



oue -half tons of grain additional, will return 800 pounds of in- 

 crease with lambs. After allowing liberally for the value of the 

 grain, there are profitable returns from the rape field. 



768. Rape compared with b!ue-grass pasture. — At the Wiscon- 

 sin Station' Craig studied the influence of rape forage and blue- 

 grass pasture in the fattening of lambs. A bunch of 96 grade 

 Shropshire lambs from Noi-thern Wisconsin was divided into two 

 lots of 48 each, one grazing on blue-grass pasture and the other 

 hurdled on a rape field. In addition to this feed they were sup- 

 plied a grain mixture of equal parts of peas and com by weight , 

 The lambs were fed on pasture or rape for four weeks, after which 

 they were placed in feeding pens and the grain ration increased. 

 During the preliminary feeding of four weeks the 48 lambs on the 

 rape pasture consumed .64 acres of rape, gaining 50 per cent, 

 laore in weight than the lot on blue-grass pasture. The results 

 of the trial are summarised in the table below: 



Rape compared with bins-grass pasture in preparing lambs for fat- 

 tening — Wisconsin Station. 



Preliminary period of four weeks on 

 pasture with light grain ration. 



Fattening period of twelve 

 weeks in pens. 



Pasture. 



Av. 



wt. at 

 begin- 

 ning. 



Rape 



Blue-grass. 



Lbs. 



63 

 67 



Av. 

 gain 



per 

 week. 



Hay 



eaten. 



Grain 

 eaten. 



Lbs. 



2.6 

 1.7 



Lbs. 



2,488 

 2,704 



Lbs. 



4,084 

 4,084 



Av. 



gain 



per 



head. 



Lbs. 



20 

 18 



Feed for 100 

 pounds gain. 



Hay. Grain 



Lbs. 



261 

 315 



Lbs. 



429 

 476 



During the four weeks preliminary feeding, the lambs on rape 

 with some grain gained 2.6 pounds per head weekly, while those 

 on blue- grass gaiaed but 1.7 pounds. During the twelve weeks 

 fattening which followed the preliminary period just described 

 the rape-fed lambs gained 20 pounds, while those on the blue-grass 

 pasture gained 18 pounds. The amount of grain required for 100 

 pounds of gain was also less with the lambs previously fed on 

 rape. This trial tends to establish a secondary value for rape in 

 sheep feeding. 



■ Rept 181)7. 



