AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 419 



bushels of grain, now required to keep up the animal heat in 

 horses thus exposed to the piercing winds. Our chemical know- 

 ledge plainly teaches us that a fire must be kept up within the 

 system, to shield it froni cold, and the food eaten is the fuel which 

 must sustain that fire. With more of external shelter, more 

 outward warmth, there would be less of heat, producing fuel re- 

 quired within. But we do not need theoretical teaching on this 

 point. We who have traveled fifteen to thirty miles daily, during 

 the past month, to get from our country homes to our business 

 here, well know that we lay in an extra supply of " steak and 

 buckwheat'' before starting in the morning, that our lunch hour 

 is apparently long in coming, and that we can do our part when 

 we get home to the late dinner on the supper table. Mr. Judd 

 gave as a further illustration on this subject, the experience of a 

 farmer of his acquaintance who kept several hundred sheep 

 which he had formerly fed at open stacks, but now he allows them 

 a close shed which they can run in and out of at pleasure. The 

 owner is sure he now saves at least one-third of the food 

 formerly required, and his sheep come out in the spring in better 

 order. He is entirely freed from the former necessity of doctor- 

 ing the sheep for running noses, so common under the old system 

 of feeding. The same principle api^lies to the care of all 

 animals — warm shelter saves food and promotes health. 



The Secretary spoke of the ShaAvlgoat and the Spanish sheep. 

 He said that — 



Dr. Ambler has rendered a great and memorable benefit to the 

 United States by his perseverance in bringing among us the ad- 

 mirable Shawl goat, whose hair, almost as fine as silk, makes the 

 best garment in the world, and almost first in beauty. 



The worthy gentlemen ought to be immediately employed by 

 the government to go to Persia and bring liome as many as possi- 

 ble to stock the chains of worthless mountains of our country. 

 W^e want more than Spain had in 15r)5, that is, 30,000,000 of 

 sheep. We want three times as many Merinos, and no less 

 Shawl goats. 



In 1555, Spain had thirty millions of sheep, the two kinds, 

 one Stationary, (Estante,) the other Merino, (Trasbumante.) 

 The gold and silver of South America came in, and the sheep 

 went out, for in 1755, Spain had not one-half of that number. 

 By diminishing her number of sheep one half, she has lost, at 

 only $2 a liead every five years, thirty millions of dollars worth 

 of bodies,and at least as much more of fleeces; and all that valua- 



