Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-09-06
Agrienltnral.
A talk about Steers.

At meeting of the Westminster, Vt,
Farmers Club, Mr. Horace Goodhue gave
the following method of breaking steers ::
If steer is very wild, place \ snap in his
nose and lead him carefully two or three
miles before yoking Then yoke the steers
in a we'll fenced barnyard and drive them
one hour around next the fence. The fence
prevents them from turning to the right,
while the driver keeps them from leaving
the fence. Be gentle with them Repeat
this lesson daily until the steers become
somewhat tractable, advance a step at the
word of command and understand the ut
terance "haw," when they may be driven
across the middle Of the yard, and readily
learned to gee Keep them car fully
abreast. After this give them a few les
sons by driving in the highway. Then
place them to light cart Never overload
pair of steers, and when they become
oxen they will draw great load, thereby
making ample compensation for their slow
ness when compared with horses. Do not
put steers to work in line with oxen, they
will be made slow travellers thereby. The
slow speed rate of travel which is so Justly
charged upon oxen is the result of their
training, and might be easily guarded
against.
Some of the farmers thought that oxen
well trained, Of perfect docility, working
without driver in the plough-feld as well
as with one, costing nothing for harness
except wooden yoke and iron chains, last
ing for years, paying by their growth for
their food, not worn out, or liable to acci-
dent, or becoming dead loss to their own
er like a horse, but ready to be turned for
beef at any time would perform as much
work as a pair Of horses at less expense,
and for all work except for road travel the
cheapest team the farmer can use.
Mr.. n Pierce said, be very careful an
gentle in training steers so that they may
feel that you are their friend. Allow no
fractions or profane men to use your oxen,
it may cause an irrcparable damage to the
poor dumb beasts
Mr. n. Fisher, with others, has given
some of the points by which promising
steer could be selected and the characters
tics of different branches with their adap-
tation to our locality. 1t appears that the
Devons are unequalIed for being easily
matched, good workers, quick of step, full
of pluck. They easily fatten, and DO not re.
for the Durhams
The nearer the section of the frame of an
OK is to parallelogram, viewing front,
rear, upon the side, or from above, the great
er amount of flesh it will have to given
bulk. Hence the back should be staaight
from the top of the shoulders to the tail the
tail falling at rigkt angles to the back, the
buttocks well filled out, the briskct exten
ding to line dropped from the middle ol
the neck, the belly being straight in length,
round, ,sidewise, and we'll filled at the fanks
the ribs round and starting horizontally al
right angles to the back, the loin bones,
long, broad fiat and we'll filled.
A round bone in lean OK is not so prom.
ising for feeding well and taking flesh as
the reverse. No flesh or Jumps of fat should
be about the head The neck should be
small from the back of the head to the mid
die of the neck. The bone of a good OK
should be fne-grained and small The head
should be small, the face being long from
the eyes to the end Of the nose the skull
broad across the eyes, while the skin Of the
whole body should feel loose, thick and float
ing on fat The parts should all be of good
proportion.
Mr.. Goodhue gave an estimate Of the in
crease of steers in value, year by year, in
the following:
Match your steers when yearlings, as you
can better then than when calves foretell
the future ox--and you will get matched
pair of good promise at the cost of $25, and
ordinarily they will gain in value $50 per
year, if well cared for.
Value at two years of age, $75 at three
years Of age, 1925 at four years of age,
$l75; at five years cf age, pastured after
spring work and rendered fit for market
beet, 1925. Thus if the labor of the oxen
upon the farm pays for their keeping and
interest, as it richly will, for all farmers
who must have oxen to carry on their lands,
then here is an income of $50 per year, and
perhaps more, as the work of the farm may
warrant the keeping, and turning of oxen
oiennally or even yearly.-Er.