Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-11-10


ESs of their own choice,
would take water at
one temperature in preference to that or
another. The trial was made by TAX
ing two pals of water. one at the tenn
perature of 80 degrees F., and the other
at 70 degrees F., and placing before
the cow, first the water whose tenn
perature was that which she had been
taking during the period just closed.
After allowing her to swallow TWO Ut
three times this pail was replaced by
the other and after she had tasted II
the two were placed side by side pc
fore her. The results were these:
Cows Heifer, whether she had been
on warm water or on cold, inVarlapiy
chose the iced water in preference 10
the warm, and so strong were her
preferences that she tried to get water
from the barnyard on one day when
the snow was melting. 1t must be
noted, however, that this cow gave
most milk and solids on the water
whose temperature she disliked. The
other cows always preferred the water
at 20 degrees to that at 80 degrees, but
IL they were just going off cold water
period they would usually drink in
differently from either pail until thirst
was partly Stacked, after which they
would always refuse the iced water.
The cows going off water at 20 degrees
would always refuse the water at 81
degrees. The cows preferences FOR
water at the ordinary temperature OF
water in the well, as compared with
that for water at 80 degrees and 20
degrees, were also tested with the re-
suit that, except Gov. Heifer, the water
at 70 degrees was chosen by all the
COWS at the close of the second period.
On the Goth of March, as the cows
were taken off the experiment and
when the temperature of the air was
487 degrees f., the cows were offered
cir choice between water at 80 de-
grees and AZ degrees and between 20
degrees and 95 degrees. On this trial
Rose drank indifferently of water at
95 and 70 degrees, Dollie showed
Slight preference for water at 70 de-
grees over that at 80 degrees, and Jes-
sic refused the So degrees and took
43 degrees in preference to 70 de-
grees. These three cows had been
taking water at 80 degrees. Emma,
Queen, and Gov. Heifer, which had
been taking water at 70 degrees during
the last period disliked the water at
So degrees. When water at 43 degrees
and 20 degrees were set before Emma
she drank first from the coolest but
returned to the warmest Queen took
water at both 40 and 80 degrees, show
ing a preference for that at 43 degrees,
but when water at 70 degrees was Of
fered her she took that at 80 degrees
instead. Gov. Heifer manifested
slight preference for water at 43 de-
grees instead of that at 32 degrees
Using the cows preferences as basis
for judgment they appear to indicate
that, in the majority of cases during
cold weather, cows would prefer water
at 20 degrees to that at 80 or 43 degrees.
but some like it best at 80 degrees
When the weather becomes warmer
and reaches 4S to so degrees F., their
preferences for water at 70 degrees
are less strong, and at such times only
exceptional cows, IL any, would choose
water at 95 degrees +. The fact that
two of the cows which had been taking
cold water during the last period chose
warm water instead, and that the three
cows which had been taking warm
water either preferred cold to warm,
or showed but slight preference for it,
suggests that even should it be finally
settled that it pays to warm water for
cows in winter, it may also be desira-
BILE to have cold water where the cows
can have it for change.
There Is another set of facts which
may be presented as indicating both
| a preference on the part OF the cows
for water at 20 degrees +. over that at
80 degrees and possible advantage
to be derived from change of tenn
| peratures. They are these: If we de-
tcI me the average amount Of water
daily by each COW during the
! first live days of each period and COM
pare these with tine averages of the last
that while the cows were on cold
water they took on the average nearly
five pounds more water each, daily,
during the first five days than they
did during the last five days; while
when on warm water the average for
both sets of days is sensibly the same,
suggesting that these cows tired sooner
Of the water at 80 degrees than oi that
1t 20 degrees f.