244 DAIRY CATTLE AND MILK PRODUCTION 



able if they are so placed that there is no drainage from barn- 

 yards or about dwellings, and if the animals are not allowed 

 to wade into the water. Ponds which are filled with contami- 

 nated drainage water or in which stock of any kind are allowed 

 to wade and to pollute with their own excrement, are entirely 

 unsuitable as a source of water supply. Not only should the 

 use of such water be avoided for sanitary reasons, but the 

 amount of water consumed under these conditions is liable to 

 be below the real requirement of the body. 



In climates where the temperature remains below freezing 

 for long periods in the winter season, it is profitable to use 

 some means of warming the water. It is cheaper to warm 

 water with a tank heater constructed for the purpose by burn- 

 ing coal or wood than it is to supply the same amount of heat 

 by allowing the animal to burn high-priced feed in its body. 

 Counting the fuel value of a pound of corn, according to 

 Armsby, at 1308 calories, one pound of corn would contain 

 sufficient heat, if it be possible for the body to utilize all it 

 contains, to warm 75 pounds of water from freezing to body 

 temperature. A cow producing about 25 pounds of milk per 

 day would require one pound of corn per day to warm the 

 water she consumes, if it be given her at freezing tempera- 

 ture. Larger producers would require a correspondingly 

 larger amount. However, there are even more important 

 reasons for supplying warm water to heavy-producing cows 

 than that of economy in feed. As already stated, the heavy- 

 milking cow will not consume a sufficient quantity of cold 

 water to make possible the maximum production of milk. 

 When a cow takes 30 to 40 pounds of ice water into her stom- 

 ach, it chills her so thoroughly that the functions of digestion 

 and milk secretion seem to stop almost completely for a while. 



