Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-25
Eeedina Lambs on Peas.


fed on peas Professor G.. E. Morton
of the Colorado Agricultural college
during the winter of 1905 and 1906
| fed 100 lambs upon twelve and half
acres of Canadian field peas at La
rambie, Wyo., at an altitude of 1000
feet where conditions are very sim
| liar to those existing in the San Luis
| valley.
| Another 100 lambs of the same breed
| ing, age and weight We're fed alfalfa
| hay and corn. The lambs were fed %
days and were weighed every week,
one lot weighing on an average 90
| pounds at the start and the other 5S
pounds.
The pea-fed lambs cleaned the field,
with the exception of some shelled peas
on the ground. which few head Of
hogs were turned in upon later. There
| were not enough peas left so that any
| thing could be credited to the lambs.
| The twelve and half acres furnished
good feed for the SO days, so that each
acre fed eight lambs. These lambs
made 20 pounds gain each on the aver
age during the 9S days.
The lambs fed corn and alfalfa
gained 81 pounds each. or over one
half more than did the pea.-fed lambs.
They received 213 pounds Of alfalfa
and 81 pounds of corn per head during
the feeding period, or about pounds
of hay and nearly 1 pound Of corn
per head. each day.
In order to compare the relative
cost of the two methods of feeding.
1t is necessary to figure the amount
of feed required to produce 100 pounds
of gain. With the peafed lambs it
took five-eighths Of an acre of peas
in the field to produce 100 pounds
gain and at IS per acre this gain cost
1915 per 100 pounds. With the lot
fed alfalfa and corn, 6s2 pounds of
prime first-cutting alfalfa hay and 292
pounds Of corn We're required to pro-
duce 100 pounds gain so that. figuring
the hay at $3.50 per ton and the corn
at Is cents per 100 pounds, the gains
made by this lot cost 1912 per 100
pounds
The above figures indicate that the
cost of the feed needed to produce 100
pounds gain is about the same with
peas in the field as with alfalfa and
corn Less labor is needed for lambs
upon peas in the field than for lambs
in corrals, but this lessened labor is
offset by the fact that pea-fed lambs
do not get as fat as lambs fed corn
and alfalfa, and therefore command
lessened price upon the market If
brought into competition with the lat
ter class.
Both lots of lambs in the above ex-
pertinent were shipped to Omaha and
sold upon the market. The peafed
lambs sold for $500 and those fed
corn and alfalfa brought $40. Buy
ers upon the ground variously esti-
mated the alfalfa lambs as worth from
Is to % cents per cwt more than the
pea-fed lambs. When killed and hung
upon the hooks the pea-fed lambs
showed less firmness of flesh and less
fat over the loin and ribs and around
the tail and kidneys.
This does not mean that because
pea feeding does not secure quite the
finish given by alfalfa and corn that
pea feeding is not profitable. What it
does mean is, that in order to secure
the largest profit the pea feeders must
feed to bring lambs in the market
before alfalfa-fed lambs appear. And
it is probable that careful conserva-
tive pea feeders may compete success
fully upon the same market with the
alfalfa and corn men, because of low,
charges in the pea feeding system.
For, after ALL profits are due more to
the head work of the operator than
they are to the particular system which
he employs.