The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-09-19
AGRICULTURAL.
SUCCESSFUL HORSE BREEDING.


many good race-horses from the same
number of mares as John NJ. Clay,
ESQ, and We doubt II ever one of his
colts is hungry until he is muzzled for
a sweat trial. His colts always look
we'll, and most of them, when they
come to the ordeal, perform well also.
The treatment which grows a colt into
n good race horse will be likely to
produce the good worker, while starry
alton will assuredly spoil the best ever
tOaled. BY starvation we do not mean
that lack Of food shall be so great the
animal will die from want of nutri-
ton. but by letting the colt take his
chances in the yard with the cattle,
or, perhaps, allowing him the run of
the stalk field, with no shelter save
the lee Of a straw stack. liz even he
should grow to a size sufficient, the
stamina will be wanting, and the few
dollars saved In the rearing is. the
poorest kind of economy. Now that
the people are commencing to pay
more attention to farming In the
West than has been the case hereto
fore, they are likewise finding out
that the horse has an important part to
perform. Twenty yearsiagO the prairies
were almost invariably broken UP by
oxen, and the after culture was con
fined to a scratching of two or three
inches at the top of the soil. Then
wheat was the great staple, and the
price ruled so low that little care was
taken of the crop after 1t was grown
and threshed. Pens were made OF
rails, lined with straw, the grain
thrown into them, slightly covered,
and left to stand In the field until it
suited the convenience of the owner
to convey ID to market. There are
very few farmers now that have not
good granaries with comfortable
stabling and other out. build
ings, aud we are glad to state that
majority of the farmers in this section
take good care of their young horses
Those breeders who live In Kentucky
or Tennessee, and who are not famil
iarly acquainted with the climate of
the Northwest, have an erroneous
opinion of the effects of the cold.
While it is true that the Winters are
longer and colder, there is an advan-
tage In there being less rainfall and
mud. Neither could a colt be raised
as well here as there If the animal
was forced to run out, but with proper
buildings and proper care we are salts
fed that as good horses can be grown
in the Northwest as anywhere else.
OXEN VS.. HORSES.
A writer in the New York Post
says:
There is much said in favor of oxen
they are cheaply kept when not at
work and their increase of size pays
In part for their food; they make a
steady team for hard work, and they
are easily managed, requiring only the
simplest sort Of gearing for the road
or for the field. They are such com
Portable creatures to have about that
men who have been accustomed to
them all their lives are very prone to
give them more than their due, and to
scout the idea of replacing them with
horses.
OF course, in pioneer life, and in all
cases where the cost of their keeping
is not an objection to being largely
stocked with cattle, oxen are invalua-
BILE. They get an immense amount of
work done at very liberal cOst-if one
has enough of them not to overwork
them at any time, so that all of the
teams may keep up a thrifty growth,
and turn into beef at q profitable rate.
On feeding farm they are great re-
source for times Of heavy and press
ing work. But when we have said
this, we have said all, and there is a
dark side to the picture. The habitual
use Of oxen il exceedingly democrat
izing to the farmer and his hands.
The OK gives the tue to the whole
establishment, and sets its tinle-and
mighty slow time it is. That in this
steam ago any man who cares more
than to put in his days work
should be satisfied to creep his slow
way along at the side of four oxen,
eight miles from home and back, l. an
evidence of the depressing influence
of an OK team on the human ener-
gies. For all road work, yes, for all
steady work, horses or mules (prefer-
ably the latter are the only teams
that an active man ought to be con-
tent with, whether he drive one pair
or two.
For all road teaming, the large
Pennsylvania wagon drawn-with its
load of three tons-by four stout
horses OF mules, is far more eeOnom-
icll than onr lighter wagons, which
carry hardly more than one ton with
two horses. The horses do full work,
of course, although larger part of it
Is applied to the hauling OF the wa .on
than in the other case, while the man
giving his time to the management of
one ton instead of three) is accom-
plishing only one-third of what he
might do. We think our correspon,
dent would do wisely were he to
adopt the more effective four horse
team, keeping his oxen in rapidly
growing condition. ready for any
extra work on the farm.
FEED THE MICH COWS.
Cows will begin to fail in theil
quantity of milk very soon unless they
are fed Pastures may look very
good all the month of August, bu
the strength commences to go out O.
the grass after August l; and, Of
course, when grass begins to lose Its
strength, the cows may give almost
the same quantity of milk, but there
is a great deficiency in the butter-pro.
ducing qualities. All farmers who
had foresight enough to SOW patel
of corn should commence feeding
some of it once day by the LIST o
September, say an armful to eacl
cow After a week or so, give then
all they will cat, twice a day; anC
with what piekings of grass they car
get, you will find your butter aecOun
good. Give your cows and othe
stock salt at least once a week, ant
all the good water they want at al
times. Have shed for your milcl
COWS to go under in the heat of tn
day. 1t convenient, feed your COW
their green corn In rack, instead o
scattering it on the ground, where
great deal will be wasted by thei
treading it under foot.
AGRICULTURAL. TrENtS