I)n. LEGEAR'S STOCK BOOK. 97 



CHAPTER VIII. 

 THE SKIN. 



The skin of the domesticated animals performs several very im- 

 portant functions. Besides covering and protecting the body, it 

 removes daily about one-sixty-seventh of the weight of the body. 

 Kxperiments go to show that of eight parts of food taken into the 

 healthy body, about three parts leave it by the bowels and kid- 

 neys, three by the lungs, and two by the skin. It is an important 

 breathing apparatus, excreting carbonic acid and absorbing oxy- 

 gen. On account of its constant and large secretion of fluid, the 

 ,<km is an important factor in regulating animal temperature. 

 So important are the purifying functions of the skin that if an 

 animal be covered by a complete coat' of varnish, which complete- 

 Iv prevents sweating, the animal will die in a remarkably short 

 time from suffocation and poisoning of the system. 



The sweat glands are very numerous, there being in the skin 

 of a horse from 2000 to 3000 on every square inch. The activity 

 of these glands is regulated by the sweat centres located in the 

 brain. The amount of natural perspiration depends mainly upon 

 the drvness and temperature of the air. Unnatural sweating is 

 brought on by exercise, the taking of food, drinking warm 

 drinks, and by certain medicines that stimulate the nerve centres. 



NON - SWEATING. 



It will be seen by reading the above remarks on the skin how 

 important it is for horses to sweat. It is quite a common occur- 

 rence among horses in this country, especially large horses that 

 are shipped in here from the North, to have the sweat checked on 



