Raising Sheep on Temporary Pastures. 
5 
vided. In most cases it is more economical and more satisfactory to 
provide permanent or movable fences for a number of smaller 
pasture lots, on each of which two or three crops can be grown each 
season to a stage suitable for grazing. On larger lots a system of 
hurdles can be used to permit access to a portion furnishing only 
one or two days' feed. It is more satisfactory to have lots of a size 
to furnish from 10 to 14 days' feed for the flock. Two weeks is the 
longest time that one piece of ground should be used during the 
warmer part of the season. Young lambs are most susceptible to 
injury from parasites and are exposed to th^ least possible danger 
if moved to fresh ground at intervals of not more than two weeks. 
IMPROVEMENT OF SOIL. ' 
An additional advantage in using temporary pastures for sheep 
raising is the improvement of the soil. The greatest demand upon 
fertility is avoided by not requiring the crops to mature seed. All 
the manure is distributed upon the ground together Avith all uneaten 
parts of the crop. With legume forages the gain to soil is especially 
valuable and allows production of still larger crops which are again 
returned to the land diminished only by the materials contained in 
the increased size of lambs or ewes while on that particular crop. 
RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS WITH TEMPORARY 
PASTURES. 
A study of the possibilities of sheep raising under a temporary 
pasture system was begun in 1916, when a field of 30 acres at the 
Bureau of Animal Industry's experiment farm at Beltsville, Md., 
was set aside to be used exclusively for sheep. The objects and 
results of the experiment relate to amount and value of pasturage; 
carrying capacity and value of various crops ; health of sheep ; size 
of lots and methods of fencing and grazing ; effect on the land. 
AMOUNT AND VALUE OF PASTURAGE. 
On the 30-acre field used in this experiment sufficient pasturage 
was produced to furnish an average of 505 days' grazing on each acre 
for a mature ewe. This is equivalent to about 2 sheep an acre for a 
season of 250 days, or 2J sheep for a 200-day period. This pasturage 
is much more than could be obtained from perennial grass grown on 
land of the character and value of that used in the experiment, but ^ 
not more than can be obtained from the best blue-grass pastures. 
Good land used for such a succession of temporary pastures should 
produce from 50 to 100 per cent more pasturage than was obtained in 
this instance. 
In a system like this there is not much choice of crops to be used in 
different months. It is chiefly necessary to make sure of having one 
