6o 



attempting to give shelter, and the effect on a considerable 

 portion of the cattle was not good. In the earlier part of the 

 feeding period in our barn, the cattle uniformly made steady 

 progress, but after a certain point individual cattle began to get 

 into an unthrifty condition. These were removed from the barn 

 as soon as it was ascertained that they were not doing well, 

 and in most all cases they made an immediate improvement in 

 outdoor lots. It was my habit to estimate that ten per cent, 

 of the cattle would have to be removed from the barn during the 

 feeding period, but in our last season, 1896-7, we removed 

 twenty per cent of all the cattle in the barn. The cattle were 

 fed with great care, the corn being ground as fine as possible an3 

 mixed with oil cake or cottonseed meal and bran." 



From all of this evidence it may be safely concluded that 

 cattle already carrying some fat and on full feed of grain and 

 hay do not require any protection from the cold prevailing in 

 this latitude in winter. In other words, there is apparently 

 sufficient heat generated in the body in the mastication, diges- 

 tion, assimilation, fermentation, etc., of this large quantity of 

 food to maintain the normal temperature of the body. In fact 

 it is not unreasonable to suppose that under such circumstances 

 a reasonable amount of cold is a benefit to such animals rather 

 than a detriment. This is supposing that the coats of the cattle 

 are kept dry. It is probable that the radiation of heat by an 

 animal with a wet skin is in excess of the heat produced inciden- 

 tally or as a natural result of the mechanical and chemical pro- 

 cesses occurring in the body. In that case a portion of the food 

 would have to be burned especially to supply the heat required 

 to keep the animal warm. 



Apparently then the only shelter required for cattle of this 

 class is that which will protect them from rain and snow and 

 break the northwest winds and furnish a dry place in which the 

 animal may lie down. It is of more importance that the fatten- 

 ing animal lie down regularly and during a large portion of the 

 time than that it be protected from the cold. An abundance of 

 sunshine and fresh air, a comfortable place in which to lie, and 

 freedom from all external disturbances, furnish ideal conditions 

 for rapid and economical gains. 



