X34 Economy in Wintering Stock. [March, 



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LlEBiG asserts tliat, "Our clotliing is merely an equivalent for a 

 certain amount of food." In other words, if we keep ourselves com- 

 fortable and warm, we can not eat so much, because the amount of 

 heat to be supplied by the food is diminished. These facts are as 

 applicable to animals, as to man, and they teach the farmer the ne- 

 cessity of providing shelter for his stock. It has been proven by 

 experiments, that animals in the winter, exposed to the cold, beating 

 storms do not thrive as well, nor keep in as good condition, as those 

 housed, although they consume from fifty to one hundred per cent, 

 the more food. The length and severity of our winters are such, that 

 the feeding and care of stock have strong and peculiar claims on the 

 farmer. 



We should expect, on a well regulated farm, that the stock would 

 all have good, warm, comfortable, and well ventilated stables ; and 

 that its owner would not suffer a hoof on his premises to pass a night 

 without a good roof for shelter and warmth, and good, clean, dry 

 litter for bedding. The less amount of food that will be required^ 

 the greater economy with which it may be fed, the freedom of stock 

 from disease, the amount of manure saved, render it a matter of 

 economy to thus care for our animals. We are told by some farm- 

 ers, that they are not able to supply shelter for all their stock. If 

 you are not able, sell what you can not provide for. It has been 

 conclusively shown, by experiments, that two animals well sheltered 

 and fed will yield more profit than four poorly kept. 



There are other advantages in shelter. Continual exposure to 

 storms, though the degree of cold be not great, is very injurious to 

 the health of stock. The continual satui-ation of the skin with wa- 

 ter prevents the natural exhalations, and tends to produce disease. 

 Now we think there is neither kindness nor economy in such treat- 

 ment of domestic animals. 



There is at the present time an extraordinary disease among our 

 cattle in the West. During the winter months, the animal is seized 

 with an infection of the nose, creating an itching so intense as to 

 make it plunge its nostrils among thorns, or beat its head against 

 trees, endangering life itself by ill treatment offered its ears, eyes 

 and head. Now any man that has been at at all accustomed to an- 

 imals, and whose education has enabled him to observe the analogy 

 between their diseases generally and those of men, must perceive, 

 that, as impurity of blood produced by poor diet and exposure sub- 

 jects man to various cutaneous afiections, so in like manner similar 



