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FEEDING EXPERIMENTS WITH SHEEP. 



On the Northumberland County Demonstration Farm at 

 Cockle Park some sheep- feeding experiments were carried 

 out during the past year, under the direction of the Agri- 

 cultural Department of the Durham College of Science, to 

 determine the influence of manures on the feeding value of 

 swedes and seeds hay respectively. These experiments were 

 not designed with the object of contrasting merely the feeding 

 value of swedes and hay, but a comparison of the results 

 obtained in this respect may be instructive and useful. The 

 sheep w T hose rations are to be compared consisted of two lots 

 of 40 and 20 head respectively, all of which^ were fed under 

 cover at the same time, and, except for the diet, under 

 identical conditions. They were of the same size and age,, 

 the shearlings were of the same breed, and, although the 

 hoggs were not, they were reared on the same ground and 

 were quite similar in quality. 



The sheep of Lot I., after a period of eight weeks' preliminary 

 feeding, were allowed at first nothing but swedes, of which 

 they were given as many as they would eat, and were found 

 to consume about 15 lbs. per head daily. The sheep of Lot II. 

 received 8 lbs. of swedes daily and as much clover hay as they 

 would eat. and they consumed of the latter food rather more 

 than if lbs. per head per day. After five weeks of this feed- 

 ing a more liberal dietary was resorted to, and during the 

 next six weeks the sheep on the " swede " rations received 

 \ lb. meadow hay and J lb. decorticated cotton cake daily in 

 addition to the swedes, of which the consumption per head 

 went up to about 16 lbs. per day, while those on the "hay" 

 were given a substituted ration of 1 lb. clover hay, 10 lbs., 

 swedes, Jib. decorticated cotton cake, and \ lb. maize meal. 



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