216 ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE 0«. Doc. 



in the stable on the heat given off by the animal body, and if our 

 stable space is too large or we change the air too frequently we will 

 have too low a temperature for cow-comfort. Up to this time our 

 scientific men have not fully solved this problem of ventilation for 

 us. Let me quote a paragraph from that excellent work by Prof. 

 King, Physics of Agriculture. (Page 354), entitled ''The Degree of 

 Impurity of Air Permissible:" 



"We are yet without sufficient exact data to permit this problem 

 to be concisely stated for stables iised for domestic animals. In the 

 absence of exact data we have arbitrarily assumed that if the air is 

 changed in the stable at such a rate that it at all times contains no 

 more than 3.3 per cent, of air once breathed, fairly good ventilation 

 would be provided." 



Authorities also differ greatly as to the amount of air breathed in 

 a given time; but in this matter, as in many others, we must use our 

 best judgment. The book and the rule we need; yes we must 

 have them, but without a good measure of good, solid "horse-sense" 

 our undertaking will surely be a failure. Parenthetically, I might 

 say here, that it is well sometimes to state before our audience that 

 we really do not know it all; it inclines to let us down a little 

 more gently. Still I believe it unwise to incorporate too many co- 

 nundrums in a talk. 



One more requisite, and that is an abundance of pure water. Did 

 you notice in that pasture, even while not eating any dry food at all, 

 the cows would go to the brook four, five or more times a day? 

 \yhen the cow is eating dry feed, as she does in the wunter, she will 

 certaicly desire water as often, if not oftener. I do not insist that 

 such frequent drinking is an absolute necessity, but as the cow thus 

 preferred, when at liberty, I concluded that it was for her benefit 

 and so arranged devices that allowed the cow to drink whenever 

 she so desired, and if that tabulated record tells me correctly, all the 

 expenses connected with it were more than paid the first year, not 

 considering the labor saved. 



It should be remembered that the functions of digestion, assimila- 

 tion and elimination can not do their work properly unless the supply 

 of water is ample. The cow puts about 87 per cent, of water into 

 the milk and if the water is scarce she just makes less milk, but if 

 it is plenty^ though she makes more milk she, unlike some dairymen, 

 does not water the milk. All this tells us plainly that a large quan- 

 tity of water is demanded by the cow daily and I find that a medium 

 sized cow in full flow of milk on partly dry feed drinks from 12 to 14 

 gallons daily. This water should be pure for the sake of the cow's 

 health and because she uses it to make milk that we drink, we 

 should make an effort to have the water at about the same tempera- 



