Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1872-11-16
WiIkas ON EniZootic.

TFrom Wilkes Spirit of the Timesl
There is no reason to believe that any
part of this continent will wholly escape
the rayages of this disease. 1t came on so
.uddrnly, spread 50 rapidly, and extended
50 tar and wide, apparently upon the in
visible wings of the wind, that the fears
of some. the stories spread by dealers in
panics and sensations, and even the philo-
sophical reflections Of able men, who look
far ahead in their forecasts, have tended
to eXaggerate the danger to BE- appre-
hended from il. There is, In all Irob-
ability, not word of truth or grain OF
sense in many Of lhe wild stories eagerly
caught up on the street corners and circu-
lated by the sensation mongers. Some
BODY has to d some of them that men have
contracted the disease from the sick
horses. Another has earned that the dogs
in Jersey City have got the disorder. A
third has been assured By an o'd fool re-
Gently landed from England that il is
changing into glauders. Now, these
stories are not only foolish and false, but
calcu at to do much mischief. Tho'e
who spread them are very much like the
spies and panic mOngers found In cities
long under siege. Tie dose for the latter
is commonly of the blue-pill order, ad-
ministered from the suzzle of musket.
Nor is there any reason that we can see
for apprehersion that the horse as a
species has become enfeeb'el in cOnstitu-
| tion, or that new natural conditions have
arisen, under which he may altogether
/ lass away.
But il the danger of this disease has
been exaggerated, the suffering and incon-
veiience thereby caused have not been.
They are simply enormous, and he who
does not now appreciate the mighty beue-
| fits we derive from our sagacious, patient,
strong and noble friend, the horse, Is more
stolid than an ass, and probably as vicious
as wolf II is likely that we have seen
the worst of the disease here. In Buffalo
aud the other towns first invaded the
horses are slowly recovering. They are
better in Boston, where the disease did not
appear until after ii was rife here. Upon
the whole, they appear to be better here,
although many of the street railroad
horses are unable to work. They will mOsi
likely be the last to recov5r, for the reason,
as we think, that their heavy work, thei
siabllng in crowds, and their almost con
slant wet, soft diet, all tend to exhaus
their powers, and by enieebling their con
stitutions and depressing their genera
health render them easy victims to such {
complaint as now prevails. We never havi
believed and never shall believe ina
chopped hay and cornmcal, saturated will
water, is proper for a working horse as
general diet. We firmly believe that th
food Of a working horse who cannot b
pastured should be good sound oats AM
sweet hay for at least five days week.
Look at the South, where the common
! run Of working horses are fed on corn
. What Is found there Why, the big
, head, terrible and almost incurable com
i plant. We also think that wet cor
/ meal is the very worst way of feeding cor
! to a horse that was ever practiced. An
the chopped wet hay is not half as goo
3 as fine, bright timothy fom the NOV
. We like to hear the horse grinding up hi
A good timothy hay like grst mil, aftt
i he had finished his oats. A Hice mas
. once in a while is good, and very ditie
n ent thing from almost constant soft die
n Yet, with all the disadvantages und'
n which the horses of the railway companit
= suffer, very few deaths have occurred col
= sideIing the number attacked. IL must
u recolected that many horses die in th
a city every week, whether there is any eI
N demic or not, and most of those who su
I, cumb to the existing epidemic are el
n feebled by hard work and poor condition
/ or by some other disease.