1084 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXXI, No. 11 
Table I. — Descriptive data relating to the experimental subjects 
Animal 
I_ Grade Shorthorn. 
A 
Aberdeen Angus 
B 
Scrub 
D 
Grade Hereford 
F. 
G. 
H 
_do_ 
Hereford.. 
Shorthorn. 
J. 
.do. 
K. 
do. 
Breed 
Number 
of experi¬ 
ments in 
which 
used 
Age at 
begin¬ 
ning of 
experi¬ 
ment 
Average 
live 
weight 
174 
Months 
36 
Kg. 
408 
179 
48 
528 
186 
60 
572 
200 
23 
408 
207 
35 
510 
200 
25 
303 
207 
37 
380 
210 
21 
331 
211 
33 
449 
209 
21 
300 
211 
28 
379 
212 
20 
345 
216 
22 
383 
217 
33 
512 
217 
37 
649 
220 
24 
501 
NEW METHOD OF CORRECTING THE HEAT PRODUCTION TO A 
STANDARD DAY OF 12 HOURS STANDING AND 12 HOURS 
LYING 
The question of the influence of position on the metabolism of 
cattle has been studied and discussed in many publications by Armsby 
and Fries (3, 4, 5, 6), who devised and used a method of correcting 
the heat production to a standard day, as to standing and lying, 
based on the rate of heat elimination as directly measured in these 
different positions. A recent critical study of this problem by Fries 
and Kriss (10) has revealed this method to be seriously in error, first, 
because of the inaccurate division of the heat between the intervals 
of standing and lying, due to several factors, but principally to the 
large capacity of the apparatus to store heat while the animal is 
lying and to radiate this heat during the subsequent period of stand¬ 
ing, and, second, because this method, in effect, involves the assump¬ 
tion that the energy required for maintenance and for feed utilization 
contribute either at uniform or at characteristic rates to the total 
heat production of standing and of lying, and are equally affected by 
lapse of time spent in these positions. 
This study has led not only to the discovery and estimation of the 
instrumental errors, but also to a change of conception of the causes 
for increased heat production while standing as compared with lying, 
and to the formulation of a new and simple method of correcting the 
daily heat production, as measured, to a standard day as to standing 
and lying. 
That an animal should produce more heat while standing than while 
lying, other conditions remaining equal, is readily understandable on 
the basis of greater muscular activity in the standing position. This 
excess of heat, which represents a part of the maintenance require¬ 
ment of net energy, was found with a fasting dry cow weighing 
400 kg. to be 26.3 Cals, per hour. 
With this figure as a basis we correct the heat production, as 
measured, to represent a standard day of 12 hours standing and 12 
hours lying, thus establishing a basis for determining the difference 
