Influence of Manures on Mutton. 



305 



larger dose of slag — as compared with the unmanured plot — 

 being 163 lbs. per acre, as against 65 lb. where half the 

 quantity of slag was used. Each year the larger dressing of 

 slag has produced practically at least double the amount of 

 mutton, the aggregate increase above the unmanured plot 

 being 132 lbs. for the smaller and 32ilbs. for the larger dress- 

 ing. Deducing the financial results from the weights, we have 

 a clear profit in the three years of 30s. 3d. per acre from Plot 4 

 and 78s. 4d. trom Plot 3, the butcher's figures being 30s. 8d. 

 and 56s. lod. respectively. It is worth noting that the only 

 two cases where the valuer's figures differ seriously from ours 

 are those where profits are at their minimum Plot 2 and 

 maximum (Plot 3). In these extreme cases the valuer 

 evidently could not bring himself to go quite so far as the 

 actual condition of the sheep warranted. 



The heavier stocking of Plot 3 would, one would think, 

 have interfered somewhat with the thriving of the animals, but 

 this is not indicated by the figures in Table I., which show 

 that each year the average weekly gain per head has been 

 greater on Plot 3 than on Plot 4. In 1S99 we had an excep- 

 tionally favourable opportunity of comparing the progress of 

 twelve sheep confined uninterruptedly for five months on 

 three acres, with the progress of the same class of sheep 

 grazing adjoining fields along with cattle. In the latter case 

 the animals (13 "reserves" of the experimental sheep had 

 practically unlimited scope, with occasional changes from 

 field to field ; and although none of their pasture had 

 received as much as 10 cwt. per acre of slag, much of it had 

 been treated with this substance, and food was present in 

 great abundance. The average weekly gain in their case 

 was 2 "5 lbs., which is just under the average weekly gain of the 

 twelve sheep on Plot 3. Although this result does not prove that 

 the confinement has not somewhat interfered with the rate of 

 growth of the experimental animals, it shows that such inter- 

 ference, if any, has been slight. It is, however, to be noted 

 that the sheep selected for slaughter from the reserves showed 

 a much higher percentage of carcase than those from Plot 3. 



The superior progress of the sheep on Plot 3 is perhaps most 

 clearly shown by a study of the monthly weights of the 



