230  Report  on  the  Field  and  Feeding  Experiments  at  Woburn. 
sheep  fed  in  the  field,  the  number  of  days  they  were  on  the 
land,  and  the  total  increase  in  live-weight  produced  : — 
Increase  in  Live-weight. 
Plots.  lbs. 
(Fed-off  by  sheep,  with  672  lbs.  decorticated  cotton- 1 
1.  1 cake;  10  sheep  on  land  88  days,  and  5 sheep  > 3141 
( 22  days  J 
2. 
(Fed-off  by  sheep,  with  728  lbs.  of  maize-meal;) 
1 10  sheep  on  land  88  days,  and  6 sheep  22  days  J 
401£ 
3. 
(Fed-off  by  sheep,  without  other  food;  10  sheep) 
( on  land  59  days,  and  6 sheep  23  days  ..  ..  f 
1981 
4. 
(Fed-off  by  sheep,  without  other  food;  10  sheep) 
( on  land  62  days,  and  6 sheep  22  days  ..  ..  \ 
1151 
The 
sheep  which  received  no  other  food  than 
the  white 
clover,  on  plots  3 and  4,  produced  an  average  increase  of 
156f  lbs.  per  acre  ; whilst  with  the  addition  of  6 cwts.  of  de- 
corticated cotton-cake,  they  gained  344^  lbs.  in  weight,  or 
187^  lbs.  more  than  the  former.  They  thus  paid  well  for  the 
expenditure  of  6 cwts.  of  decorticated  cotton-cake. 
A still  more  favourable  result  was  obtained  on  plot  2.  On 
this  plot,  by  the  use  of  6^  cwts.  of  maize-meal,  the  sheep  gained 
401J  lbs.,  and  thus  produced  245  lbs.  more  live-weight  than  on 
an  average  per  acre  without  cake  or  corn. 
Last  season  maize  made  more  meat  than  decorticated  cotton- 
cake,  and  the  reverse  was  the  case  in  the  corresponding  Rotation 
Experiments  in  the  preceding  season. 
Rotation  No.  4. — Four  acres  ; 1878,  mangolds  ; 1879,  barley  ; 
1880,  seeds  ; 1881,  wheat. 
Swedes,  1882. — In  growing  mangolds  on  the  four  Rotation 
acres  in  1881,  some  difficulty  was  experienced  in  feeding-off  the 
roots  on  the  ground  sufficiently  early  to  get  the  land  in  fine 
tilth  in  time  for  sowing  the  succeeding  barley-crop  ; for  it  is 
well  known  that  mangolds,  unless  perfectly  ripe,  scour  sheep, 
and  therefore  require  to  be  stored  in  covered  heaps  a couple 
of  months,  or  longer,  before  they  can  be  eaten  by  them  on  the 
ground  with  benefit. 
Instead  of  mangolds,  it  was  considered  desirable  to  grow 
Swedish  turnips  in  1882,  as  they  may  be  fed  with  advantage 
earlier  than  mangolds,  and  enable  the  land  to  be  prepared  earlier 
than  last  spring  for  the  barley-crop. 
The  dung  for  the  swedes  was  made  by  eight  bullocks  ; two  of 
which,  in  addition  to  1000  lbs.  of  mangolds  and  1250  lbs.  of 
wheat-straw  chaff,  consumed  1000  lbs.  of  decorticated  cotton- 
cake  ; two  others  1000  lbs.  of  maize-meal  as  an  additional  food ; 
