The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-01-13
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
BANKING BARNs.-A correspondent
writes to the Ohio Farmer: While it ID
not good plan to make the stable too
warm in winter, it is most excellent
arrangement to have the ventilation un-
der the control of the owner. i believe
in tight barns, and banking up such as
are built upon corner blocks or stones, 80
as to prevent free sweep of wind beneath
the floor. 1t will be found with an ami
NAL as with person, that current oil
air striking the body from an open place
in floor, Will chill quicker than if COM
ing from the side. Indeed, il is contrary
to the natural laws to have current OF
air strike the animal body from that d.
rection, rs the movement of the atmos-
phere is In horizontal pos'tion-if the
term may be applied to the atmosphere
and though it may be considered but a
small matter, little attention given it
will convince any one that it is of no
small importance. "a N
|. When building barn, II the means
will allow, make good stone foundation
and lay tight floor If double, all the
better-and then attend to the ventila-
ton as the condition of the.weather de-
mands; but do not have the points from
which the air in to be admitted either in
the rear or close beside the animal, but
such distance away that the current of
air will lose its perceptible force by the
time it reaches the animal.
There are certain principles in all
laws that govern the health and con-
dition Of the animal world that cannot
be violated without damaging effects A
person may be moving about in out
door pursuits all day, and not take cold,
while an hour spent in house where
small currents of air strike the person, a
severe cold will be contracted. Now the
difference comes, not from difference in
the temperature, but in the difference of
manner in which the wind comes upon
the body. So when studying to protect
ourselves from bodily injuries, we may
apply the lesson to the protection OF
domestic animals to q certain degree,
with us certain good results.
There are two cheap methods of inclOs-
ing the part of barn beneath the stills,
that will prove sufficient protection to
the animals in winter; one is to bank
up, and the other is to set studding
between the sills and bed pieces, which
NAV be laid down, and then clapbOard
up the sides, or board up plain and bat
ten the cracks. This last plan is, in
my opinion, better than banking, as it
does not create the liability to rot the
sills that the former possesses, unless a
good deal of care is exercised in banking.
PROTECTING SHEEP FROM STORMS
A great many farmers are guilty of neg
Getting their sheep in the autumn who
take good care of them during the other
seasons of the year. They do not realize
the injury which sheep receive from ex-
posture to the cold storms of November
and the scanty food which they too
often receive during that month. As
the sheep have considerable wool, the
owner is likely to think it not only
natural but also sufficient protection.
And as sheep are opposed to be hardy
animals, it is thought they can take care
of themselves in the summer pastures
until snow comes. Consequently they
receive no attention until very late in
the season and are exposed to all the cold
rains of autumn.
BY this neglect great many sheep are
permanently injured. They do not die
at once, but they cough, grow poor, and
either fall an easy prey to some disease,
or die apparently without cause, but
really as the result of exposure in the
autumn. While it does not produce
instant death, it diminishes the vital
force and breaks down the constitution.
Especially is this the case when there is
any tendency to disease of any kind. And
many sheep which do not perish as the
result of such neglect keep thin and poor
all winter. Lambs are not strong and
vigorous, because the sheep were en-
feebled by exposure.
The wool of unthrifty sheep, it is well
known, is uneven, of poor quality and
deficient in quantity, 60 that exposure
not only causes the direct loss of many
sheep, but makes many others less profit
able, causes a small clip Of wool, and
that of poor quality, makes lambs poor,
and gives a miserable appearance to the
whole flock The idea that the wool is
sufficient protection against the storms
of our Northern November is entirely
disproved by the experience of sheep
owners.
While some breeds will endure neglect
better than others, there are none gener-
ally kept in this country which are not
seriously injured by it. In dry atmos-
phere the wool would doubtless be suf-
ficient protection, but our heavy rains,
added to the cold, makes too severe de-
mands upon the vitality of the animals
which are constantly exposed. The
wool holds quite quantity of water,
and when it passes off by evaporation 1t
carries off great deal of the animal
heat. Colds, coughs and lung COM
plants are among the maladies induced
by exposure to cold storms. And this
exposure maintains constant course of
losses and disappointments. In some
cases it cuts off all hope of profit, and
hardly allows a man to keep his flock en-
tire. And as all such losses can be read
lily avoided, there is not the slightest
need of having them occur.
For many years my practice has been
to get the sheep into the lot near to the
barn early in October, shut them up
every night, and during cold rains keep
them sheltered from the storms. have
kept the Shutdown, Cotswold, and
grades in each breed, and since adopting
The plan of sheltering from the diseases
which exposure causes or aggravates, /
believe in taking good care of sheep, both
Is matter Of kindness to the animals
md of profit to myself.