82 FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



Cold rain draws most severely on the bodily heat of ex- 

 posed swine, because of the light hair covering and next 

 in degree probably upon that of opened wooled sheep, since 

 the fleece to some extent retains for a time a portion of the 

 water within it. The influence upon cattle is still less, be- 

 cause of the fine character of the hair covering and the 

 thicker hide, and on those breeds with a long covering of 

 hair and also a dense furring underneath, as in the Gallo- 

 way, it is still less. In horses and mules it is least probably 

 among domestic quadrupeds in the country, owing to the 

 greater natural activity of the horse and mule. 



Cold wind acts powerfully in removing bodily heat. 

 Sheep, for instance, may maintain a fine condition of thrift 

 in one instance where protected from cold winds in winter, 

 and in another instance completely fail to do so when much 

 exposed to cold winds, and the same is true of other domes- 

 tic animals. This difference will occur even though the 

 temperatures judged by the thermometer should be practi- 

 cally the same. The drain on bodily heat from the action 

 of snow and sleet is most readily seen in the quickness with 

 which young lambs and pigs succumb when exposed to it, 

 and in the sudden and large reduction in milk yields of ani- 

 mals so exposed. The influence of the extent of the drain 

 upon bodily heat when these influences act in conjunction, 

 is probably greatest in blizzards, such as occur occasionally 

 on western ranges, when even strong animals so exposed not 

 infrequently perish. 



Tie different classes of animals as such, differ consid- 

 eraoiy in the degree of. their resisting power to the influences 

 of low temperatures, owing more to the differences of the 

 coat than to any other single influence. To temperatures 

 low and without wind, sheep have probably the greatest 

 resisting power and swine the least. Some breeds of cattle 

 as such have greater resisting power than others, as for in- 

 stance, the West Highland compared with the Jersey or 

 Guernsey. The same is practically true of breeds of sheep, 

 owing to a difference in the density of the wool and to its 



