FAKMERS' INSTITUTES. 385 



extension of the stomach, and you destroy circulation. The system of feeding 

 a young calf a pail full of milk in tlie morning and another at night is very 

 injurious, because it overloads the stomach, and such overloading hinders diges- 

 tion and stops the wheels of development. 



The fall of the first year is the trying time with the calf. It should be pro- 

 vided with a warm shelter, but while warmth is important it should not be 

 secured at the expense of pure air. The animal must have oxygen ; without it 

 you get no growth, nor can you get strength without pure oxygen. Proper food 

 is a matter of great importance with reference to health. The young animal 

 needs food that the old does not. Only the wear of tissue in the mature animal 

 is to be supplied by food, while the growth of the young as well as the wear of 

 the tissue must be provided for. In order to maintain growtli there should be 

 warmth with good food and air. Roots are an important food to give growth 

 to the animal, as they contain the alkalies and sugar, and these the young ani- 

 mals must have in order to grow. Common salt is an absolute necessity. No 

 matter how wild an animal is, he will have salt. Nature has. provided for the 

 necessities of the animal by putting these alkaline bases in the earth's products. 

 A change of diet is as important for the health and growth of the domestic ani- 

 mal as it is for man. 



The story of the farmer who asked the hired man if he liked codfish, and 

 received the reply that he did, furnished codfish for every meal. At first the 

 man ate heartily ; but after a time the farmer noticed that he did not eat much, 

 and said to him: "John, I thought you liked codfish?" John replied, "I do 

 like it ; but it seems to me it is getting a little monotonous." It is just so with 

 the domestic animals ; they need frequent changes in food to thrive well. Give 

 them plenty of fodder, and a great variety of it. 



Next to food, and of equal importance, is water. Whatever is held in the 

 stomach, in solution, is absorbed into the system ; hence it is important that water 

 should be jjure. The cow that gets only poor water, will furnish poor milk, and 

 little of it. Milk is manufactured from what you give the cow. 



Next in importance to feed and water is shelter. Shelter is of slight impor- 

 tance on the southwestern prairies, but it is of vast importance here. The 

 theory that stock wintered out of doors has better appetite is abominable. The 

 animal that is sheltered by the lee side of a mullein stalk cannot thrive. It is 

 not the elaborateness of the shelter, but the perfectness of it that is desirable. 



Care should be taken in the detection of disease. The old sayings, "An ounce 

 of prevention is worth a pound of cure," "A stitch in time saves nine," etc., 

 are more than true with reference to this subject. An ounce of i^revention is 

 worth many pounds of cure, and a stitch in time saves at least nineteen, are bet- 

 ter maxims as applied to this subject. The detection of disease requires study 

 of the animal and of its habits, and takes time. You can't tell by the driving 

 of a horse or by the appetite of an animal. A horse may drive promptly and 

 well up to the bit until he drops dead ; and an animal may eat well until he 

 breathes his last. The surest Avay to detect disease is in the temperature of the 

 animal. The temperature never varies more than four or five degrees above or 

 four or five des^rees below the normal condition when the animal is in health. 

 Temperature varies from 97^° to 99° in its normal condition, and a variation 

 from that indicates disease. The pulse is an indication. In the horse the 

 pulse in its normal condition is from 40 to 45 or from 45 to 50. The pulse of 

 the sheep is about like that of man. That of the hog varies according to the 



