The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-10-02
The Influence Of Winter Upon the
Health Of Live Stock.

In winter the atmosphere is colder,
purer, richer in oxygen, and more in
vigorating, than at any other season of
the year. The weather, too, is usually
less changeable, and the prevailing
wind is from the northwest, therefore
dry and cold. As consequence, pro-
cesses of decomposition and putrefac-
ton are reduced or interrupted, and
the development and propagation of all
those simple and minute forms of Or
ganic life which constitute the causes
and the contagious principle of some of
the most dangerous and fatal diseases,
either cease entirely or become reduced
to minimum. AS far as atmospheric
influences are concerned, the winter
season of the year, therefore, must be
considered as one of the healthest. If,
Notwithstanding, more sporadic cases
of disease are occurring in the winter
than at any other time, spring excepted,
the causes must be found in other con-
ditions, only indirectly connected with
or dependent upon the winter. For
instance, great many animals, allowed
to live out doors at any other season of
the year, are kept confined in a stable,
at least part of the time, and in many
cases are compelled to inhale impure
air, to lie down in filth and dirt,. and to
subsist on more OF less unsuitable and
not seldom insufficient food. Such in
tluences, of course, produce changes in
the animal organism, and predispose
the same to various diseases, which
usually make their appearance in the
spring, when other important changes,
as to food, keeping, weather and tenn
perature, are taking place. If those
influences mentioned act suddenly, or
if the same become very potent, disease
may make its appearance at once, as
an immediate consequence. If, how
ever, the food is suitable, and sufficient
in quantity and quality-if the keeping
in general is good, the stables clean
and well-ventilated, etc.-but very few
disorders occur during the winter, and
epizootic and contagious diseases espe-
cially cease almost entirely to spread
from one farm or place to another, be-
cause the low and more or less even
temperature of winter interferes with
the propagation and development of
those minute forms Of organic life which
constitute the germs (or cause) of those
diseases. Last winter, after the severe
cold and snow in the latter part of De-
cember and fore part of January, swine
plague-one of those diseases produced
by such minute forms of organic life
continued to spread only within such
herds which had become invaded before
the cold spell set in; but stopped
spreading from one place to another,
except by direct infection with NOR
bid products, carried from place to
place by man or beast, or by diseased
hog.
To all those animals which are poor
and emaciated at the approach of win
ter, which receive food Inadequate in
quantity or quality, or which have not
robust or strong constitution, and are
not sufficiently sheltered and protected
against frost, wind and snow, the win
ter, especially if severe, may become
very injurious, because in the winter
much more material (fooO is required
for the production of animal heat and
if want of shelter and protection, or a
poor condition as to flesh, increases the
constant loss of heat, the material
needed to keep up the production will
also be just that much increased.
Hence, if in such case the food given
is not ample, both in quality and guam
tity, very little, or under some circum-
stances no, material whatever will be
left available for repair and reproduce
ton of tissue, and the animal will grad
ually starve to death. Such, unfortu-
nately, is frequent occurrence, espe-
cially in the West, where food for live
stock is usually abundant and cheap,
because the want of protection, neglect
to make the necessary preparations in
the summer to procure the food needed
in the winter, and poor care in general,
constitute the principal causes. If an
animal does not receive as much mate
rial in the shape of food as is necessary
to generate the indispensable amount
OF animal heat, and is, at the same
time, too lean or emaciated to make up
the deficiency by drawing upon its own
tissues for material, death will result
in short time-the animal will freeze
to death. Every intelligent farmer
knows that an ANIMAL cow, for in
stance-with it's stomach well filled
with food can stand the same degree OF
cold with impunity, which causes great
suffering, and even death, to another
animal of the same kind if its stomach
is empty. Further, every farmer knows,
or ought to know, that an animal
which is in good condition as to flesh
at the approach of winter will require
much less food till spring than another