Apr. i, 1921 
Observations on the Body Temperature of Dry Cows 
3 
LOCATION 
The cows were located during the experiment in the institute bam, 
which is a closed wooden building provided with a coal stove so that the 
temperature of the room could be kept fairly uniform. 
time; and rations 
The investigation covers a period of some 16 weeks from December 1, 
1919, to March 22, 1920. The cows were kept on a maintenance ration, 
except that from December 20, 1919, to January 24, 1920, cow 886 re¬ 
ceived a supermaintenance ration, and from January 10 to February 7, 
1920, cow 885 received a supermaintenance ration, about 1.5 times the 
maintenance ration in both cases. 
FEEDING AND WATERING 
The cows were fed twice during every 24 hours, at 6 a. m. and at 
5 p. m., unless the time was changed for experimental purposes, in 
which case it has been specified. They were watered only once a day, 
at about 8 a. m., the amount of water drunk and the temperature of 
the water being recorded. 
BARN TEMPERATURE 
A continuous record of the temperature of the bam was obtained by 
means of the Columbia recording thermometer. But besides this the 
temperature of the barn, as indicated by a mercurial thermometer, was 
recorded simultaneously with every observation on the body tempera¬ 
ture of the animal. 
METHOD OF MAKING BODY-TEMPERATURE OBSERVATIONS 
The observations on the body temperature were made by means of 
carefully standardized clinical thermometers. During the greater part 
of the experiment one and the same thermometer was used, while for 
simultaneous readings of the rectal and vaginal temperatures a second 
one was used. To avoid any possible error as to the relative value 
of the rectal and vaginal temperatures that might be due to the use 
of two different thermometers, the latter were for a few days inter¬ 
changed—that is, the thermometer used one day for measuring the 
rectal temperature was used the following day for the vaginal, and vice 
versa. This was further checked by using one and the same thermometer 
for both the rectal and vaginal temperature readings, taken one imme¬ 
diately after the other. 
All observations except those on the thermal gradient were made at 
a depth of 7 inches. The thermometers, which were originally 5 inches 
long, were accordingly lengthened by means of a piece of rubber tubing 
slipped l / 2 inch or so over the upper end of the thermometer and the 
