808 



Production of Meat on Pastures. 



[July, 



the four were, 89 lb. (39 lb.), 80 lb. (85 lb.), 74 lb. (29 lb), 69 lb. 

 (29 lb.). The percentage of carcass in the best sheep was nearly 

 44, in the poorest, just over 39. The average yield of carcass 

 was 42.3 per cent. The sheep had not been shorn when killed. 

 If slaughtered after clipping the percentage of carcass would have 

 been 46. From sheep with early October fleeces about 44 per 

 cent, of mutton would have been got. 



On 8th October at the end of the grazing season, eighteen of 

 the best sheep were selected from the six lots (out of eleven lots 

 under experiment) which could produce three, or more than three, 

 sheep fit for the butcher, and after 15 hours fast were weighed 

 and killed. For one of the eighteen, full figures are not avail- 

 able; a second, the average sheep of the remaining seventeen, 

 may be left out of account ; particulars of the others, arranged in 

 four groups, Lot I, those giving the highest, and Lot IV those 

 giving the lowest percentage of mutton to live weight gain, are 

 given in Table III. Lot A refers to the four sheep killed on 

 20th May. 



Table III. 



Lot. 



Weight, 



20th May. 



Weight, 



8th Oct. 



Increase. 



of Carcass 



Lire. 



Car cans. 



Lire. 



Careas--. 



Lire. 



Carcass. 



in Live 





lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



Increase. 



A 



78 



33 











42 



I 



78 



33 



121 



59 



50 



26 



52 



II 



81 



34 



125 



59 



51 



25 



49 



III 



82 



35 



124 



57 



50 



22 



45 



IV 



78 



33 



111) 



52 



47 



19 



41 



With reference to these figures it should be noted that the 

 carcass weights of Lots I to IV on 20th May have been estimated 

 at 42.3 per cent, of the live weight, and that to the figures for 

 live weight increase an addition has been made for the wool 

 removed from each sheep in the first month of the grazing season. 



The highest percentage of carcass to live increase given by any 

 one sheep was 55 and the lowest 40. 



As contrasted with the slaughtered animals, all of which were 

 in a thriving state on 8th October, the remaining sheep on the 

 unimproved pasture were in very lean condition, and in the 

 butcher's judgment were losing weight; if they had been 

 slaughtered it is not possible that even in the good grazing season 

 of 190*2, they would have shown nearly as much as 40 per cent, 

 of carcass; comparing them with the animals selected for 

 slaughter it may be estimated that the percentage of carcass to 

 live increase could not have exceeded 35 or 36. None of the 

 very lean sheep grazed on the unimproved land at Cockle Park 



