426 



Comparative Fattening Qualities of Sheep. 



sumed joer 100 lbs. live loeight was rather lessened than increased 

 as the experiment advanced and the sheep approached maturity. 



Tarnrng now to Table IV. we have a view of the conrparative 

 productive effects of the food in the tvv'o cases, during the different 

 periods, so far as the fluctuating weights of the animals during 

 such short intervals can be taken as the basis upon which to cal- 

 culate it ; but a glance down the columns of the Table will show 

 that no single period could be taken in itself as giving a fair point 

 of comparison between the two breeds in this respect. 



It is seen that in some of the intervals the Sussex sheep con- 

 sumed the least food to produce a given quantity of increase^ but 

 in the majority of the cases the Hampshires had the advantage ; and 

 the final result, as shown in the bottom line of the Table, is, that 

 to produce 100 lbs. increase of live weight the Sussex sheep 

 required 20^ lbs. more oil-cake, 42^ lbs. more clover chaff, and 

 145 lbs. more swedes than the Hampshires. This is shown in 

 the summary of Table IV. given below ; but it remains to be 

 seen as we proceed whether the increase of the Sussex sheep was 

 of such an increased value as to compensate for this greater quan- 

 tity of food required to produce it. 



Table IX. 



Showing the average Food consumed to produce 100 increase during the entire period 



of 26 Weeks. 









Oil Cake. 



Clov 





Swedes. j 





Sussex 





lbs. 

 314 



oz. 

 4 



Ihs. 

 304 



OZ. 



3 



lbs. 

 4086 







Hants 





•-^94 



0 



259 



12 



3941 









More food required! 

 by Sussex sheep j 



20 



4 



44 



7 



145 





In Table V. are given the average quantities of food consumed 

 per head weekly during each period of the experiment, and of 

 course the same relationship of figures will here be found as in 

 Table III., wherein are given the quantities consumed by 40 

 sheep per month ; but the lessened numbers in Table V. will be 

 more easily studied. However, some of the chief points of 

 interest embodied in the facts of this Table are more clearly 

 brought out in Table VI., immediately succeeding it, in which 

 are given the quantities consumed weekly per 100 lbs. instead of 

 per head. Contrasting, however, the results of the two Tables V. 

 and VI., we find, as has already been alluded to, that although 

 there is with both breeds something like a constant increase in 

 the amount of food consumed per head as the experiment pro- 



