UNIVERSITY 



OF 



OF ANIMALS 83 



greater adherence at the outer ends of the Wool fibres, be- 

 cause of the abundance of the yolk, or soil in the wool in 

 conjunction with external influences such as dust. This 

 more than anything else has given Merino sheep a foremost 

 place in hardihood among the pure breeds of sheep, now 

 found in America. 



While natural hardihood in animals is, under some 

 conditions, an exceedingly valuable characteristic, under 

 other conditions it is considerably less valuable relatively. 

 Range conditions, where climate is austere, illustrate the 

 former, and arable farms, where domestic animals may be 

 protected from all undue exposure, the latter. How far 

 natural hardihood is to be sought must be left to the judg- 

 ment to determine. If the highest possible hardihood were 

 possible of attainment without sacrificing producing power, 

 then it should be sought, but observation and experience 

 have shown that such is "not the case. If on the other hand 

 the highest possible production can be secured from breeding 

 animals without inducing undue delicacy, then this should 

 be sought. But, similarly, it has been shown that such is 

 not the case. It may, therefore, be wise to sacrifice some- 

 thing of hardihood for more production and vice versa. 

 The breeder of domestic animals on the farm should guard 

 carefully against seeking production to the extent of im- 

 pairing constitutional vigor, as when dairy cows are too 

 constantly housed in winter, brood sows are bred too young 

 and too continuously, and males are used in service too 

 young and excessively. 



The influence of food on the temperature of the body is 

 marked, hence this fact should not be lost sight of when 

 regulating the temperature of buildings. Foods carbonace- 

 ous in character produce more heat than those that are 

 nitrogenous. The amount of flesh carried at the time exerts 

 an influence. The temperature of a stable, therefore, that 

 would be quite suitable for a dairy cow in a somewhat low 

 condition of flesh, because producing heavily would not be 

 the same as for a steer laden with fat. So marked is the 



