246 
On the Feeding of Stuck. 
ripe. Further experience, therefore, told rather in favour of the 
black-faced sheep, which liad started with no advantage, gained 
more in winter than they lost in spring, sold as well, and left 
within 3 lbs. as much wool as the other breed. Each lot made 
50s. a head out of the wool ; the average weight, reckoning the 
percentage of meat in 100 lbs. of live weight at 54 lbs., would 
be nearly 79 lbs. at the end of the experiment, or a little over 
10 stone at the time of sale, after a fortnight's run at grass, on 
which the sheep did not thrive. The season was not so favour- 
able for sale as some, but still the debtor and creditor account 
shows a gain of 3/. I85., or nearly 3s. 6rf. per head; but the 
turnips were only charged at the " time's price " of 3rf. per 
week. If they had been charged at Ad. per head, the profit 
would have been reduced by 1/. 18s. &d. 
A careful examination in this season of the result of feeding 
hoggets, classed according to their size and forwardness, led me 
to adopt a practice (which I have since continued) of selling my 
cull lambs for the market price, and holding the best. We have 
seen that — 
Loss. Gain. 
£. s. d. £. s. d. 
22 iiicked wethers showed a gain of . . . . .... 3 IG 0 
The next best 40, with 2 deaths, showed a 
loss of 0 7 0 
The next best 40 a gain of 3 C 8 
The next best 25 „ 0 0 0 
The next best 22 a loss of 4 8? 
Moreover, four more deaths occurred, which cannot be exactly 
assigned to the several lots ; but undoubtedly they fell chiefly, 
if not exclusively, on the two weakest classes. 
It will be seen that in 1854 the butcher reported the dead 
weights of the 22 experimental sheep ; he was doubtless im- 
partial between the two breeds experimented on. His report 
is, I believe, trustworthy in other respects, though he probably 
did not weigh until just before cutting up the carcase. 
The ewe-hoggets were always weighed at 11 A.M. ; by this 
time they were full of food, which will account for the proportion 
of meat, at 15 months of age, not exceeding 54 per cent. 
The question remains, what proportion did the meat bear to 
the total live weight when fatting commenced, say in January? 
I regret that I have no data for a correct reply, and cannot say 
whether 48 or 50 per cent, would most nearly represent the true 
ratio ; yet upon this point must depend the total gain of meat 
during the process of fatting. 
With these explanatory observations it is hoped that the fol- 
lowing tables will be intelligible. 
