56 Experiments on the Comparative Fattening Qualities 
losing the protection of their wool, and it may be recalled to 
mind that the same effect was observable in the experiments 
with the Cotswolds and the Hampshire and Sussex sheep. The 
gross increase was, however, by no means in projiortion to the 
increased consmnption of food during the last four weeks of the 
experiment. 
These remarks on the general progress of the experiment as 
shown in Table IV. apply pretty equally to the three lots of 
sheep ; though, as is seen in the Table, the increase in the supply 
of dry food during the last four weeks was, in proportion, rather 
greater for the cross-bred ewes than for the other two lots of 
sheep ; for it was considered that, taking into calculation their 
progress, their allowance hitherto had perhaps been scarcely 
equal to that of the others, in relation to their mean weight 
throughout the experiment. 
Table V. — which gives the quantity of each food consumed to 
produce 100 Ihs. increase in live weight, during each monthly 
period of the experiment — shows an extraordinary variation in 
the apparent effect of the food as measured by increase, during 
the different periods. This irregularity is notably greater with 
the Leicesters than with either of the cross-breds. It is at the 
same time apparent that there was somewhat of a general tendency 
among the three lots to gi'eater or less rate of increase, at one and 
the same period. Thus all three consume a larger amount of 
food for a given effect during the second period ; during the next 
two periods there was a somewhat better result with all ; and 
during the final month there Avas again a tendency with all to 
consume a larger amount of food for a given amount of increase. 
These observations only tend again to prove the necessity of 
extending comparative feeding experiments over a considerable 
length of time ; and this will be further seen from the observa- 
tions which next follow. 
Notwithstanding the very great differences which Table V., 
as just noticed, shows in the amounts of food consumed during 
one period of the experiment compared with another to produce 
100 lbs. of increase — and also the great difference in the amounts 
consumed by the different lots of sheep for a given effect during 
each separate period — still, the base line of the table, which 
gives the average amount consumed, to produce 100 lbs. of 
increase during the total period of the experiment, shows, that 
thus taking the whole course of the experiment, the three lots 
consumed almost identical amounts of the respective foods, to 
produce a given weight of increase. The identity of the figures 
is indeed quite remarkable, in a series of comparative trials on 
such a scale. Though, if the variations, small as they are, are 
to be taken as indicating any real difference between the lots, it 
