Smyrna times., 1878-08-21
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Watering Horses in Hot Weather.

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Many can we'll remember when it was
utterly wrong to give mouthful OF cold
water to one burning with fever, and we
now know how thankful the fever stricken |
human being is that he lives in our time.
We have got over a great deal of nonsense
about cold water for human beings but
the poor horses have yet to suffer for human
wrong heartedness in the treatment of
them. Horses must not have water when
warm, was once as orthodox a maxim as
that water must not be given to human
being when warm with fever, and hun.
dreds of horses have dropped drown dead
rather than the driver violate the creed as
handed down to him by the fathers of this
aquine faith. 1t is some years now since
the agricultural department of the Weekly
Press essayed to show the absurdity of the
old notions, and we can well remember
how shocked many of the agricultural
papers of that time were at the bare sug-
gestion, only one of them, the Prairie
Farmer, of Chicago, so far as we know,
putting in good word for plenty of water
for the poor dumb beasts.
Iti extremely gratifying now to note how
the old notion is at last giving away.
During the late terrible trying time horses
were generally allowed to have all the
water they needed, and never, under
similarly hot ordeal, has the loss of horses
been so light.
1t is often objected that water makes the
horses perspire, as if perspiration is an
evil, when the fact is perspiration is ma
ture's method of carrying off surplus heat.
Water is good conductor, and with the
water from the body heat also escapes.
The horse that does not perspire much in
warm day, is in bad condition, and one
that does perspire and has no supply of
water to replace that lost by perspiring, is
in Just as bad way.
Men and horses are very much alike in
this respect, and those who have had to
work in the harvest fields, or travel over
rugged roads under boiling sun, know
how harmless are the hot rays when one is
perspiring freely, and with plenty of cold
water to take the place Of that which is
lost. While the pale citizen, afraid to per-
spire and afraid of water to drink, drops
dead in the shaded street, the countryman
lays down his scyths, wrings out his shirt,
takes good draught from the bucket hid
under the shock, and goes on with his
work as merrily as q cricket, and laughs
the sun to scorn. 1t would surprise some
who think cold water poison in hot wealth
er, to know how much water laborers work
ing in the hot sun drink. The writer of
this knows from personal observation of
men in the harvest field drinking bucket
full day apiece. 1t is the universal testi-
mony of these men that the more they per-
spire, with plenty of water to supply per-
spiration, the healthier they are. "They
never sweat" is a standing joke among
from some peculiar condition of the system
cold water, when warm, would work injury.
There are PARALLEL cases, where we wonder
why men who are almost daily drunk, and
every way Alool pdISOI AEO AOnSOA lhah bhO
temperate man. But the general rule OF
healthfulness is where there is perspiration
there must be drink.
This is not question of water drinking
as distinct from the use of alcoholic drinks
1t is simply one of common sense that the
animal system shall be supplied with water
which it needs in order to carry off its sur
plus heat.
As to giving water when hot, it is yer!
doubtful whether the temperature of th'
body is ever over ninety-six degrees, anC
this heat it retains whether the sun raise
the temperature to ITO degrees, or the ther
mometer is thirty degrees below zero. Tn
sensation of heat is on the external surface
and not in the interior where the waite
goes. 1t would be not at all surprising il
when the exact nature of sun stroke is ur
derstood, it should not be found to be il
the inability to perspire properly, eithe
from failure in the pores to do their duty
or in the deficiency of liquid in the syster
to supply the CentreviHe Record.