i 5 8 



Sheep Feeding Experiments. 



turnip were equally relished. So far, however, is this from 

 being the case, that it has been found that sheep prefer 

 turnips that are richer in solids, and make greater progress 

 on them than they do on the more watery kind. 



The following results obtained in these experiments 

 will serve to illustrate this point if the turnips are arranged 

 according to their content of solids : — 



Live-weight in= 

 Albuminoids in crease per head 



Solids. Solids. per week. 



Per cent. Per cent. lbs. 



1. 1898 Whitelaw - - - 10*98 iro 2-4 



2. 1901 Airleywright - - icroo 13 'o 2*6 

 3 1900 Challoch - - - 9*56 9-0 21 

 4. 1898 Ferney Castle - - 8*89 8-5 i'8 



The more solids the turnips contained the better was 

 the progress made in a general way ; but it will be 

 seen that there is something more than mere quantity of 

 solids to consider — there is quality as well, and that will ex- 

 plain why No. 2, consuming turnips containing 13 per cent, of 

 albuminoids in their solid matter, progressed better than No. 1 

 with turnips containing only 11 per cent, of albuminoids. 

 Objection may easily be taken to such a comparison as the 

 above, seeing that the experiments were carried out in 

 different years and on different farms, and otherwise in 

 circumstances not exactly comparable; but the same thing 

 had been, previously noticed in the Society's cattle-feeding 

 experiments, where the conditions were entirely favourable 

 for such comparisons. 



The effect of by-fodders upon the consumption of turnips. 



It is natural to expect that when sheep are getting some 

 by-fodder along with their turnip dietary, they will consume 

 less turnips than they would do if they were fed on turnips 

 alone. That does not always happen. At Challoch, in 1900, 

 the lot that got nothing but turnips did not eat so much 

 turnips as most of the other lots that had from half a pound to 

 a pound per head of cake, grains, or other dry by-fodders in 

 addition. The one probable explanation seemed to be that 

 the turnips were not of very good feeding quality, and, there- 



