1922.] 



Production of Meat on Pastures. 



807 



complete we may concentrate attention on it, remarking only 

 that although the actual experimental fields selected in Cam- 

 bridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Essex were somewhat betl r 

 than that in Northumberland, there would be little difficulty in 

 matching the poverty of the Cockle Park pastures in moel English 

 counties. No statistics indicating the area of land equally poor 

 are available, but the total amount of this poor grass must be at 

 least ten times as great as the area of the very rich pastures to 

 which reference has been made above. 



Over a period of twenty-four years, including some very bad 

 and some very good grazing seasons, the sheep on the unim- 

 proved land at Cockle Park made gains which average -29 lb. per 

 acre per annum. But what does this increase in the living 

 animal represent in the form of meat? This is a point to which 

 little attention has been directed. It is often assumed that 

 from 48 to 50 per cent, of the increase made by sheep of the class 

 used in these experiments, would consist of carcass. In my 

 opinion the proportion on very poor gl azings is very much less. 



In an experiment reported by me in 1902* it was shown that 

 in 1901, a bad grazing season, the carcass increase of the best 

 animals on improved land at Cockle Park was equal to 42.6 per 

 cent, of the live weight gain. In 1902 a more extended experiment 

 on the same lines was arranged and certain figures relating to the 

 sheep of that season will be found on page 9 of the Seventh Report 

 on the work at Cockle Park; but as my own connection with the 

 Northumberland Station terminated before the end of the 

 grazing season, the special point now in question was not dis- 

 cussed at the time. Through the courtesy of Professor Gilchrist 

 and the Record Keeper at Cockle Park I have obtained the 

 original figures relating to the sheep of 1902, and will now refer 

 to those results of this old experiment which bear directly on the 

 subject of carcass increase. 



It may first be recalled that the grazing season of 1902 was a 

 good one, a marked contrast to its predecessor ; on th i unim- 

 proved land sheep produced 11 11). live Increase per acre as 

 against 23 lb. in 1901. At the end of the year the quality of the 

 sheep grazing on the improved land was favourably reported en 

 by the butcher. 



On 20th May, when the experiment began, four typical sheep 

 were selected, and after fasting for 15 hours were weighed and 

 then slaughtered. The live and carcass weights 'in brackets) of 



* Sixth Annual Report on Experiments with Crops and St ick ; t t lie 

 County Demonstration rami. Cockle Park, Morpeth, p. 34. 



B 2 



