42 BULLETIN 20, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
class of sheep, but this is a rather heavy ration. The amount of roots 
may also vary with the available supply and the amounts and kinds 
of other feeds in the ration. During pregnancy the ewes of the 
Government flock of Southdowns at Middlebury, Vt., receive 2 pounds 
of turnips per day, and excellent results have been obtained. 
Turnips, swedes, and rutabagas are the best roots for all classes 
of sheep. Sugar beets and mangel-wurzels should not be fed to rams 
or wethers under any conditions, because of their bad effect on the 
kidneys and bladder, and should not be fed to ewes that are far 
advanced in pregnancy, as it is believed that their use may cause 
abortion. 
SILAGE. 
Silage of good quality has been fed to all classes of sheep with 
success. The use of this succulence for sheep has attracted the atten- 
tion of most farmers only during the past few years, but some breeders 
fed it years ago with good results. A great deal has been said of its 
bad effects upon sheep, but these have arisen because a poor quality 
of silage (acid, frozen, or moldy) has been fed. This succulence is 
supplanting roots to a considerable extent because of its cheaper 
cost of production. Three to 4 pounds per day is as much as should 
usually be fed, though there are trials reported where as much as 5 
pounds have been successfully given. 
The Purdue Experiment Station! reports, after three years of experi- 
menting, that silage is an extremely palatable food and a desirable 
form of succulence for breeding ewes and lambs. The pregnant ewes 
receiving silage made larger gains than those receiving a similar 
ration without it. Ewes with fall lambs also made larger gains when 
fed silage. The gain with fall lambs was in favor of the silage-fed 
lot. From 2 to 44 pounds were fed to pregnant ewes. 
Clover silage has proved a very satisfactory feed, but the cost of 
making and the difficulty of keeping were against it. Pea silage has 
also been fed to a limited extent. Ensiled beet leaves have been fed 
in Germany, but they are not very nutritious. Emphasis must be 
placed upon the importance of using silage of good quality, as the use 
of a frozen, acid, or moldy product has often resulted fatally. 
CABBAGE. 
Cabbage is largely used for feeding show sheep. Sheep lke it very 
much, eating it when they refuse all other feed, and it has a good 
effect upon them. From 2 to 3 pounds per day give good results. 
The cost of production is too high for it to be used for commercial 
feeding. Another objection to its use is that its keeping qualities 
are poor. 
1 Agricultural Experiment Station of Indiana, Bulletin 147, La Fayette, 1910. 
