The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-09
JUICY LAMB CHOPS
An Experiment Station Bulletin Dis
cusses Scientific Production.
BEST RESULTS FROM MIXED FEED
Cost Of Feeding Lambs Was
Less Than One Cent
1852 t& q Day.

The experiment station of the universi-
ty Is issuing to-day a bulletin prepared
by Professor Shaw of the division OF AMI.
NAL husbandry, which is the result OF
series of experiments in fattening lambs,
the experiments covering a period of some
months. The first section of the bulletin
is devoted to fattening lambs of different
grades. Professor Shaw says that the
fattening Of lambs Is rapidly growing
industry in the state and likely to as
sumo huge proportions, as it has already
at the various stockyards. The objects of
the experiments were to determine the
profit from feeding range lambs OF Varl-
GUS grades and the relative profits from
feeding range lambs and range wethers.
The food was hay, sorghum. oil cake. bran
and corn. The average gain made per
month was 695 pounds. The average cost
Of feeding one wether during the 1876
days of the experiment was $150, that
Of the lambs s1.1o. The average cost OF
feeding each lamb per day was less than
cent. T.. ..- r:
Two lots of lambs were fed oats in
order to see how this grain would suit
them as feed. The results showed that
the gains made by the lambs which We're
fed oats along with their bran and
corn were much more satisfactory than
where no oats were given. The lambs
which were fed combined ration of
bran, oats, corn and hay increased 36
per cent more than those fed bran,, corn
and hay.
The value of balanced and unbalanced
ration in fattening Of lambs was made
the subject of special experimentation.
The tendency of the farmer is to feed
only a limited number of foods, giving the
preference, of course, to those that are
cheap. This means that the food usually
consists of corn with wheat bran, be-
cause they are usually cheaper than oats,
rye and barley. The sixteen lambs in
this experiment were divided into two lots
corn and bran; the lambs of the other
lot were given corn, bran, oats and bar
ley. The average gain of the lambs in
| the first lot was only 5.3 pounds per
month of thirty days, while the average OF
| the secand lot on more varied ration
was nine pounds per month. The gains
by the lambs In the first lot were htfu
and uneven, while the others were nearly
uniform and even. The cost of making
| 100 pounds of increase in the first lot was
SILT, and of the second lot, $6.92, show
| ing that the cost was less where the
diet was more varied. The conclusions
which are made as a result of this work
are as follows:
First-That the lambs in lot 2, which wer
| given the more mixed diet of grain, witt
roots added, made 10 per cent more increas
than the lambs in lot i, to which were fe
corn and bran without roots.
| Second-That the cost of producing 10
pounds of increase was 3.6 per cent NOR
with the lambs in lot 1 than with those II
lot 2.
Third-That the finished product resulting
from feeding mixed grain and roots was su
perIor to that from feeding corn and bra
without roots.
Fourth-That q diet Of grains, with root
added, Notwithstanding its greater cost, ma
be more economical when fattening lamb
than diet more restricted to the grail
factors composing it, in spite of the create
| relative cheapness Of the latter.
! Fifth-That in this experiment the ratio
composed OF bran, corn, oats and barley, fel
roots and corn fodder, was more satisfactor
than: one composed Of bran, corn and cor
fodder only.