The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-12-09
Written for the Farmer.
ALTERNATING ANIMALS.

Written for the Farmer.
ALTERNATING ANIMALS.
Without resorting to imagination
like Irwin and Franklin-we have
plenty examples in nature of animals
wintering without food. Flies, bugs
and reptiles of all sorts and sizes pass
the winter dormant or frozen, and we
have all seen those found in frozen
firewood revived by the fire heat. The
toads found IN solid rocks have been
buried beyond the influence of the
seasons, and they awaken from a sim
gle winter that has endured for ages.
If the toad were revived after one
days chill, all it's sensations and con-
ditions would be the same. I have
thawed out snakes by fire heat in the
early autumn and in the late spring,
with nothing to indicate the lapse of
4 winter. The same innocence of
passing time is evident in thawing
out frozen fish and frogs. But time
tells upon all alternating acarm blood
ed animals, as they retire fat and re-
turn lean. I have never seen any Of
these frozen which revived; but this
fall, at Sam Andrews, the threshers
told of finding gopher coiled up to
hibernate in a stack and frozen hard
as stick. and that it soon revived
when taken into the house. This cor
roberates the Germans claim-that
warm blooded life may he frozen and
revived, like cold blooded life, and
may pass an indefinate period without
food or waste. the frost and seclusion
preserving all the tissues intact.
Tame bears or coons kept and warm
past their time for alternating, con-
tinue active, like other quadrupeds,
all the year; hence, some claim that
this rule works both ways, so that
other animals, than 1.-The Seven Sleep
ers,'' can he trained to hibernate
through the winter. This belief
prompted those extensive experiments
by which the German savan expects
to stow away farmers stock in the
fall, and insure it's restoration in the
spring at q premium rate, as property
is insured agsinst fire, or shipwreck.
After admitting the facts which
make this theory plausable, observa-
tions exposes the difficulties of the
task. The fact that snakes frozen
suddenly or in the open air, can never
he revived, indicates some of those
difficulties. Then the process and
position of the bear sucking it's paw
while it reposes, predicts some .trou-
BILE in adapting farm stock to those:
conditions, us we shall see. In pre-
pairing to hibernate, the bear eats it's
full of spruce, or other gum. which.
being indigestable, circulate slowly
In round pellets. In pressing for it's
long rest the animal rolls up like a fur
muff, the nose under the tail, bringing
the two ends of the alimentary canal
in contact, so that the balls of gum
pass continuously around and keen it's
functions operative. while the store
of fat. laid up in summer, is gradual.
absorbed. The consumption of this
fat sustain the feeble action of the
heart and lungs which constitute the
hiberneting conditions; but all the Or
gans cease to act when the animal be.
comes dormant or frozen. There is.
therefore, neither wear nor waste, and
no sustenance required till after the
animal is lesurrected.
= There, =. skeptio has been reading
my unfinished letter, rs he accuses
me of trying to confirm silly delusions.
lnever argue, but meet an 1ntidel on
his own terms, and answer fool &C.
cording to his folly. He says he made
money by raising beef and pork; that