300 REPORT OF THE CHEMIST OF THE 
SHEEP - FEEDING EXPERIMENT. 
For Fat anp For Lean Marat. 
The question of feeding for fat and for lean meat, which has 
been made prominent in this country by the recent experiments 
of Professors Sanborn, of Missouri, and Henry, of Wisconsin, is 
of such practical importance that a few experiments in this line 
have been carried out at this Station during the past year. 
For the purpose of our trial sheep were selected and the experi- 
ment was begun with four pens, two sheep to each pen. Two 
pens contained mature sheep for fattening, and lambs of good 
srowth were plaved in the other pens. The lots were made as 
uniform as possible, both as regards weight and general appear- . 
ance. 
The object in selecting both lambs and mature sheep was to 
find whether the mature animals would produce the same growth 
of lean meat, with a nitrogenous food, as young and growing 
animals, or whether this lean meat must be built up largely during 
the period of growth. After about six weeks feeding the sheep 
receiving a nitrogenous food sickened and died from the effect of 
too concentrated grain feed, thus destroying the part of our experi- 
ment with mature sheep, but the lambs continued to do well, 
although not fed. heavily with grain. The trial with the mature 
sheep will be repeated during the winter of 1888-9 in connection 
with others of a similar nature, substituting linseed meal for 
cottonseed meal. 
The feeding was carried out by Mr. Churchill according to my 
directions, his assistance making the trial possible. 
PLAN OF THE FEEDING. 
At the beginning of the experiment, January 4, the weight of 
the lambs in each pen was as follows: 
Ss bs. 
Diam 13). 34h bis ih date GA RBEE cereals ste be ie See 72 75 
AINA Te | Gh kPa od wns bs ua ouducriaims cal dee ane (ce Ws lc eee a 71 70 
At the close of the trial, May 15, their weights were as below: 
Pen 6, Pen 7, 
Ibs. Ibs. 
} W510) ola Me Anne Pe dill Nene RRO AIS A, RRC Ue. ue hs tla 85 91 
