The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1896-02-19
WINTER SHELTER OF LIVE STOCK.

1t should be apparent to every
thinking man that food serves as fuel
in the animal body, just as much as
wood or coal serves rs fuel beneath
the boiler of the engine. Each is an
agent creating force, writes q profes.
sor at Purdue University, Lafayette,
Ind. If the boiler is surrounded by
a thick layer of ice, it will require
much more fuel to create certain
number of pounds of steam, than it
will if it is situated in a temperate at
mosphere. By the same logic, if an
animal is turned out into the intense
cold of winter, it will require more
food to keep up animal warmth and
energy, than it would if the body
were kept in a warm stable.
Any person who has carefully stud.
led the care of live stock realizes the
truth of this. Consequently, the best
stockmen give their animals suitable
protection from winter cold. 1t is,
however, to be greatly regretted that
many owners of live stock turn their
animals out in all sorts of weather. /
have seen mich cows on bleak hill
sides when the thermometer registered
below zero, and the air was especially
cutting. A ride of $50 miles across
country, on bleak winters day, will
show hundreds of cattle in cornfields
or pastures when they ought to be in
the stable 1t is to be regretted that
so few persons realize the real loss in
Cured by such exposure.
One winter purchased for the In.
diana Experiment Station six milch
COWS for experimental work. They
were divided into two lots of three
each. On lot was given the shelter OF
the stable, while the other was kept out
of doors during the day, in all kinds
of weather, although sheltered in the
stable at night. For seven weeks this
treatment was maintained. At the
end OF this period it was found that
the sheltered lot had given 161 pound:
more of milk than the unsheltered
had eaten less grain food to produce
this milk, and had gained in weight
over 200 pounds, while the unshel
tered ones had lost in weight. AS the
sheltered cows had shown a financial
gain of about $l2 in the aggregate,
over the others, in increased flow oI
milk, cost of keep and increase in
weight, it certainly paid to shelter
! them.
Other experiments. especially with
pigs, have shown the wisdom of Civ.
ing reasonable shelter during the win.
ter. In every case that comes to my
memory, pork was produced at q les:
cost per pound where the pigs were
sheltered than where unsheltered.
The question of shelter, however,
should not be taken to an extreme. 1t
is essential for good health that stables
have proper ventilation and sanitary
conveniences. A stable filled with
cattle soon becomes contaminated with
impure ir unless proper ventilation
is provided. This should be secured SO
us to produce no direct draft upon
the animal body. Plenty of sweet,
pure air is most important. The
writer has been in stables where the
air was warm in winter, but it was
also foul to an injurious extent. Hat
the air been a little cooler and sweetei
it would have been all the better fol
the cattle.
A winter temperature OF fifty de
grees in the stable may be safely
recommended. 1t is not desirable t
so above or much below this.
Owners of live stock can give fairly
good protection to their stock at small
expense by the use OF straw, old boards
or leaves, for warding of the colo
winds and rain. It is to be hoped ou
stockmen will gradually see the folly
OF turning their stock out into thu
fields in winter, excepting for hrie
airing, AMI will improve in thei
methods OF winter keeping. 1t Ger
tainly will pay to give proper atten
tion to this subject, if it will pay t,
keep the stock at all. New York In
dependent.