The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-11-15
The Horse Plague.
From Wilkes Spirit of the Times.

e.
First. there does not seem to be any
occasion for panic, or even fof oslarm,
and the report sent far and wide by the
sensation mongers are uncalled for and
nischievous. The march of the COM
plant since its first appearance in Can
ada, and from the western towns in this
State to this city, has been rapid and
its path wide but in character 1t is mild,
and according to all accounts it is easily
subdued by suitable treatment and
nursing care. You will see by the tele-
graphic accounts from the West that
the railroad horses are affected, the
stage horses are affected, the citizens
business and road horses are affected.
In fine, all the horses are affected which
is very alarming; but then comes the
statement that one horse is dead, which
is bad for the owner, but rather consol-
ing to everybody else, because it proves
that the complaint is not dangerous. To
call this a pestilence is nonsense. 1t
lacks the great, element of a pestilence-
mortal character. 1t appears to us to
be Just like one of those epidemica
yisitations of influenza in England
which sometimes follow long courseof
dry, harsh winds which have come
across the great Tartarean Steppes
from the northern border of China.
Then nearly all the people are coughing,
sneezing, and running at the eyes and
nose. Yet no serious effects follow, and
we earnestly hops and confidently be-
ieve that this will be the case with our
horses.
But great care is absolutely demand
ed. Those that are well should not be
exposed to wet, cold or fatigue. We
think their food should be liberal, and
we know it should be good, anda gentle
stimulant, such as is afforded by a ta>
blespoonful of good condition powder
in a mash, every other night while this
complaint is about, cannot be bad. We
shall venture on it. Good ventilation
and protection from cold draughts are
needed now more than ever. For those
who have the incipient symptoms of the
complaint, such as cough, running at
nostrels and watery discharges from
the eyes, absolute rest and soft food
are required. Their hay should be wet
ted; their manger feed should be moth
ing but mashes; and if they will drink
good oatmeal Cruel so much the better.
When the throat is affected. which is
nearly always the case, if the cough is
bad, hniment well rubbed in outside
has been found very useful. When the
horse is so sick that you believe medi-
cine to be necessary, you had better go
at once to the Office of good veterina-
nv surgeon, remain there until he comes,
and then describe the symptoms, if he
is unable to visit the patient in in per-
son. We trust this complaint will pass
away like cloud and speedily disap-
pear. tsf a e
Natural and Artificial Manuring.
The american Rural Home publishes
a communication from F. p. Root, one
of the best farmers Of the country, on
the subject of manures, in which he
makes the following statement, show
ing the superiority Of raising and plOw-
ing in heavy crops of manure over q
system of negligence called manuring
in natural way: Two adjoining fields;
divided by a rail fence, have been long
under cultivation, and clover was often
plowed in as q manure for q succeeding
wheat crop. The fence was taken
away, and the whole, as one field,
summer fallowed and sown with
wheat. The strip where the fence had
stood, and where the grass, had so long
grown and decayed on the surface, did
not produce nearly the crop which
grew on the other side where the
clover had been plowed under a.
There were strong reasons for this
difference. The grass which grew and
decayed on the surface afforded little
else than vegetable mould. This could
not enrich the soil several inches
down, and did not possess in itself the
| fertilizing9 character of clover. The
clover was plOwed in, and was ulti-
mately mixed and diffused all through
the soil, where the roots of growing
! plants were to penetrate. The Vege-
table mould remained only on the sur.
face, and could only operate as a
mulch. .f.- r.t:.-i -ia.,5 la a.
We have heard such facts as this
cited in proof of the folly OF the
practice of spreading yard manure on
the surface, and never plowing in.
The truth is, this mode Of manuring
would be Of little use if ii were practi-
| cable on cultivated fields. But for
| tunately, the very act of cultivating
| works In the manure, and it cannot,
as q matter of course, remain at the
surface, which the plOw is throwing
under. 1t is an excellent practice to
| allow spread manure to remain on the
surface for time, especially through
| autumn and winter, until the water OF
rains and melting SHOWS difuse the
soluble parts intimately with the earth.
| When this is done, then Is the time to
plow under this enriched tOp-stratum,
and it win be worth double the same
manure in Jumps, unmixed with the
soil. o.
Top-dressing without plowing under
the manure is an exception, because
| fibrous character of the roots serve to
carry down the manure in solution,
which could not penetrate the COM
pact layers of bare. soil. But turning
under the manure is often of great
benefit even on grass-m0re especially
on thin upland. Surface manuring on
such land, although beneficial to q
certain degree, will not give 1t the
power to grow>heayy- grass and with
! stand severe droughts. Men are apt to
run to extremes, and having discover
ed the successful results of surface
applications in certain cases, they may
carry the practice too far, and omit the
deep, thorough blowing, and by re-
peated narrowing, which can alone
\ | e,nnlxy q rich and mellow he'd of earth