Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-01-18

sequence OF unnatural reduction, limits
the nutrition Of the hoof. Such foot
becomes thin, weak, and shelly and
the smith, to hide his ignorance, recon-
mends bar shoes, leather soles, and stop
ping, o run 1T grass, and 30 forth. Some
times he asserts the animal has naturally
a shelly foot: and the owner has ne al.
Tentative but to believe him.
In addition, the shoes are provided
with clips-portions turned up on each
sides as well as front, and these the far,
rier hammers tightly into the hoof, thus
COMPRISING it very tightly. A heavy
hammer is also used, and the creature
winces, and becomes troublesome to
shoe, for which he, not uncommonly,
is severely beaten.
All these eliminate in injury to the
legs. First, we have the want OF pro-
lection to the bones of the foot within
the hoof; they suffer and become inham-
ed, and at the parts where pressure is
greatest, lose substance by absorption
The animal becomes stilty, and is said to
be grogey she goes like cat on hot
plate, and well he may The evils are,
however, still perpetrated by Mr.. Far
rier, and not knowing how to remedy
them, probably tries all the absurd pat
ent shoes which cunning men have de-
vised as "good draw" and the owner
finds himself obliged at last to sell his
faverite, disease having extended from
the foot upward, the whole limb to the
knee being involved, and the animals
condition disgracefully sacrificed by an
amount of torture which the perpetrator
alone should be made to suffer for one
week in order to bring him to his senses
Tor DRESSING. AT q meeting of the
Farmers Club, Mr.. A. Pratt, of Platts-
burg New York, said Twenty years
ago the opinion was that manure should
be plowed under. Oftentimes q damp
or cloudy time would be chosen for
these operations in the belief that there
would be less loss by evaporation than
there would be in clear weather But
there has been great and gratifying
change in theory and practice since that
time. 1t has long seemed to us that the
process of nature amply justified sur
face manure. A weighty reason in favor
of emptying barn yards on our ground
after it has been plowed is tina. it not
only makes good yield of corn and puts
the soil in fine condition for subsequent
crops, but proves destructive to foul
SEED. What does not terminate and
get killed by the preliminary working
of the surface preparatory to planting
is sure to be annihilated by the after
cultivation of the crop if thorough cul-
ture is given. But when plowed under
deep such seed will lie dormant till turn
ed up the succeeding year to grow and
ripen in the years crop. We have put
on course manure, straw, long corn
stock butts, dry cobs, chip dirt, anything
on the premises that we wanted to get
out of the way, and what had not
manurial properties Immediately avail
able as plant food we found to serve
advantageously rs mulch in dry wealth
er, and ultimately to increase the fertil-
ity Of the soil. Prof. Nash said I go
for putting the manure on or but little
under the surface not deep under
ground, for there it either lies dormant
long time and does no good, or If it
decomposes it goes into compounds
which are poisonous to plants ; whereas
if left on or little below the surface,
where it feels the influence of the sun,
air, and rains, it is speedily decomposed,
and its elements pass into such COM
pounds as are genial to plants, restoring
their growth at once. But do not leave
manure above the surface. If so left in
great Jumps, hardly touching the soil,
it dries up its value is but partially at
tached into the soil, while most of it is
wasted on the desert air. On meadow
land, therefore. would spread it MS
evenly as possible, and then roll down
into actual contract with the surface soil.
If applied on plowed land 1 would cover
it but shallow, not more than four inches
at most, and then harrow till 1t should
be fairly mixed in and composted with
the soil.