Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-04-11
Stock Raising.

There is really something of barbaTism
in our treatment of cows, pigs and horses.
That the Goth or Hun should-in the
| maddle ages, before the laws of nutrition
and digestion were understood, before it
was known how the food was converted
into chyle and the chyle into blood, flesh
| and bone-have fed his COW nubbins and
| his pig and horse whole ears of corn, we
can comprehend. But that this relic of
barbarism should cling to us in this day of
enlightenment, in this day when it is
known how important the preservation of
| the molarS and incisors is to the prolOnga-
ton of animal life; in this day, when we
have mills and little giants to do the grind
| ing work, is past comprehension
If we visited the Digger Indians and
found them in a hospitable mood, we
would naturally expast to be RECALLED with
bouutiful repact of roots and grasshop-
pers and of acorns, if good mast year,
and the trees not too far off, for that be-
| nighted people know not the virtues of
johnny and le-dumplings. So
| the horse returning from his work tired
and hungry finds in his trough ten ears of
corn, which he eats as the Digger Indian
does his roots and grasshoppers, because
he knows no better and has nothing else
| to eat. Just here let me ask, by the way
of parathesis, why is it that the groOms
and stockmen invariably give ten ears of
corn to horse without reference to size,
| age or condition, and without regard to the
| size of the ears of corn? In their opinion,
ten is the magic number, the unknown
| quantity and the q1lu1ltln1 SuficH for
dray horse or Indian pony. The Arab,
semi-barbarian that he his, understands
better how to treat that noble animal-the
horse. He feeds him from his own table,
and on the journey divides with him his
| scanty allowance of bread. He invariably
treats him kindlyand humanelyas afavored
servitor and almost equal. The horse teeth
are not ground away in masticating his
| food, and the stomach is not overloaded
with unprepared food. The Arab does
this, not so much through the head as
| through the heart, for he loves his horse
almost as much as he does his Children.
| This noble animal responds to this love
with generous devotion. AT the door of
| the Arabs tent, the horse is chez hi. There
| is no halter or chain for his proud neck
! he is more securely bound with the ten
| der ties of affection. The sprawling child
rem confidently pull his fetlocks, and he
carefully plants his feet as he walks among
| them. No ten ears of corn or ungrOund
| barley for him! The children divide
with him their daintiest bits. Mounted
Oftentimes without saddle or bride and
guided with motion of the hand and
| that sympathy which exists between
horse and rider, he vies with the ostrich
| in speed and is fleeter than the wind. On
| the war path, "his neck clothed in thun-
der, he snuffs the battle from afar, and
says to his enemy ha! hal" Ages
of kind and judicious treatment
have added to his longevity and
he has been known to reach, if not his
three score years and ten, at least his half
century. Generations of kindly culture
and nature have made him what he is,
that type of beauty, the high melted
charger full of nervous vitality and gene
rous enthusiasm, in short, the proud pro-
gcnitOr of the English courser!
do not propose to establish culinary
department for the stables as | think it
probable the Insurance companies would
object to that arrangement, and besides be-
ing true American, l stop to count the
cost. Some humane people do give their
cows hay tea and say that they take to it
kindly. | have no doubt they relish it as
much as two old maids do their tea and
gossip. l have never tried il as my cook
strangely object to being pressed into the
service of the stables-saying with unac-
countable perversity that she considers
herself employed to cook for human be-
ings and not for pigs, COWS and horses;
and to hint very unreasonably, l
thought, that if required to do
extra work she must have extra pay.
Testing apart, do not think it will pay
to hire and board a cook Of the stables, al
though your COWS may take tea as willing
ly as Madam Ting-Sing of Pekin, or your
horses eat his oatmeal cake with the
relish of hungry Scotchman. 1 do Oc-
casionally, when l find the cook in a good
humor, give my favorite horse a hasty
pudding composed of cornmeal oatmeal
and a tablespoon full of salt sCalded with
a gallon or two of hot water!
AS to the pig, need not say much las the
idea, after two or three centuries of strug-
gle, is beginning to dawn in the agricul-
tural mind that the pig must have its slop!
And there is reason TO hope that after one
or two generations more-not of pigs but
Of men-he will get his rights. Your
cows, of course, unless you are an antede- |
luvian and wasteful spendthrift, you feed |
cut oats, cut hay and corn meal ,moistened |
with water.
Perhaps some Paul Pry will inquire of |
me now, Pray, Mr.. Rambler, do you not |
feed your cows nubbins and your horses |
ears of corn ~ To my shame, must &C. !
E1toa0ted9e the corn. / did, indeed, float |
over the nubbins, but 1 grounded upon the |
ears of corn, and still hang there waiting |
for high flood of resolutions to float me |
OVER 1ney say tnaC neil Is paved with |
good resolutions. l doubt this somewhat. |
should rather fancy that they use ashes.
tos or some other incombustible material
for their flag stones! To be sure, good res
olutions do not always accomplish much;
but, at any rate, they are the starting
point, as we must resolve before we act.
In farming, several generations of discus
sion and good resolutions are required to
make one decided step in advance. If we
discard the nubbins, it is to be hoped that