ARID AGRICULTURE. 



345 



dirty, or of a poisonous nature. Most farmers 

 imagine that water that is not fit for human use 

 is still good enough for their stock. 



STABIiES 



AND 



SHELTER 



With our dry air and little precipitation, 

 animals do not need the close housing which is 

 given in the East. Dry air does not carry with 

 it penetrating cold As a rule, animals do better 

 in the arid regions if kept outdoors. It is im- 

 portant to protect them against winds, which can 

 be done with shelter belts or wind-breaks. It is 

 not necessary to build warm, close stables for 

 horses or cows. General shelter sheds or fences, 

 however, are important Avhere stock is being fed. 



DO NOT 



EXPERIMENT 



The farmer should attempt to do nothing 

 for sick animals if he does not know what the 

 trouble is or what the effect of his attempt will 

 probably be. In cases of complicated disease, 

 and especially Avhere it proves to be contagious 

 or infectious, going from one animal to another, 

 he should call a qualified veterinarian. It is 

 easy, however, for him to become acquainted 

 with the more common and simple troubles and 

 successfully treat them on the ranch. The cen- 

 tral idea is to see that healthy animals receive 

 the best care and attention, and when ani- 

 mals are sick the first thing is always to get them 

 comfortable and make their surroundings such 

 that nature may do her best. Then, if you can 



