EHXPERIMENTS ON FATTENING SHEEP. 99 
much prefer to pay two or three dollars a ton more for sweet 
bran, fresh from the mill, than to buy it in the summer, when 
the price is low, and run the chance of its becoming stale 
before we need to feed it. Ensilage that is in the slightest 
degree mouldy should never be offered them. Of all farm 
animals we think lambs are the most fastidious about their 
feed, and success in feeding largely depends upon the manner 
in which their feed is given them. All successful feeders are 
well aware that strict regularity in the hours of feeding is 
as essential in the feeding of lambs as it is in the management 
of any other kind of live stock. 
After experimenting with nearly every variety of feed offered 
in the markets we have come to the simple ration of one-third 
corn, one-third peas or pea meal, and one-third wheat bran, by 
weight. If it is desired to put on fat faster, or if our stock of 
peas runs short, the corn is increased and the peas reduced. 
We do not like to reduce the bran, for we rely upon that to 
furnish the material for growing the bone of the animal. If 
we left bran entirély out of the ration, in a few weeks we 
should see many of the lambs hobbling about the pens scarcely 
able to get to their feeding troughs. Possibly if they had all 
the clover hay they would eat the bran might be dispensed 
with, but as we rarely have clover to feed them the bran is an 
absolute necessity with us. , 
In England, we are told, no farmer attempts to winter sheep 
without a supply of roots. In this country, owing to the 
peculiarities of the climate, it is difficult to raise roots cheaply. 
We have, however, a great advantage over our English cousins 
in being able to raise corn ensilage much cheaper than they 
can raise roots, which will not only take their place, but will 
also do away with the necessity of feeding large quantities of 
hay. We find that our lambs will eat the hay’of the coarse 
wild grasses nearly if not quite as well as timothy hay. This 
enables the feeder to sell his better grades of hay, and at the 
same time make a profitable use of his straw, as well as his 
inferior and unsalable grades of hay. 
We never feed the grain ration by itself when the lambs are 
in the barn to stay. It is all mixed with the corn ensilage 
before feeding. Sufficient feed for one day is prepared at 
a time, and is fed from baskets into troughs, which are so 
