Dry Lot or Barn Feeding 61 



Alfalfa hay in this trial proved slightly superior to clover hay. 

 Millet hay gave poor returns. Corn stover, cut into 1.5 to 3 in. pieces 

 with a silage cutter, made nearly as large daily gains as Lot 1 fed 

 clover hay, and consumed only a little more grain. This shows good 

 stover has a high value for lambs. Oat straw did not prove equal to 

 alfalfa or clover hay, still did very well and made economical gains. 

 It is added, however, that the good showing made on corn stover and 

 oat straw was made possible because roots were fed with them. Auth- 

 or's note, "Good matured corn silage would take the place of roots." 



Advantages of Agricultural Stations 



The average farmer I am sure does not realize the great opportuni- 

 ties and advantages that rightfully belong to him, such as the excellent 

 State Agricultural Colleges, the Department of Agriculture at Wash- 

 ington, and other sources of information. Almost any kind of informa- 

 tion the farmer or feeder may need can be had by applying to these 

 institutions. Feeding tables, the values of his different feeds, diagrams 

 for farm buildings, feed troughs and the like can be had, if not at one 

 place, then another, free for the asking. I wish also to say that if the 

 reader wants a more detailed work on feeds and feeding, there are 

 several books that are very good. 



Kinds and When to Buy 



If the reader has in mind buying lambs early in the fall to be run 

 through on green feed and roughage until January or February, and 

 then placing them on feed for the late spring market, he should buy 

 light 40 to 50 pound lambs, thin in flesh, so they will not become too 

 heavy for desirable weights when fat. Generally, however, men who 

 feed for the late winter and spring months buy their stuff in October, 

 November and December. If possible, they buy stuff direct from the 

 range, but during November and December there are always a great 

 many sheep and lambs dumped on the market from the corn belt states 

 that are fleshy, and just right for a 60 to 90 day feed. These sheep or 

 lambs, in most instances, are all right and will do fine. There are also 

 feeders who watch the market closely, and during the early winter 

 months buy half fat and pretty good lambs, put them on a good hay and 

 grain ration and finish them in 30 to 60 days, getting a big gain and 

 raising the quality in value possibly $2.00 to $3.00 per hundred weight. 



Shearing and Marketing Clipped Lambs 



Later, towards spring, still another class of operators come on the 

 scene. They buy lambs or sheep, generally lambs, that will shear a 

 good fleece of wool. They sometimes buy range hay-feds that are gen- 

 erally pretty fleshy, but not quite good enough for the killers, or lambs 

 made pretty fat on hay and grain, but maybe impossible to finish be- 

 cause of ticks or lice, because they were not dipped in the fall. We 

 call these men the shearers. They shear these lambs in March and 

 April, and send them back as clipped lambs in April, May and June. 

 These men are generally our best feeders, and here again is where the 



