The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-05-01

from the good wife down to the old
setting hen, could be compelled to
tell the truth they would all confess
Chat they hate the very sight of him,
and with good reason too; and they
all do confess it, every day and eve.
ry hour, as plainly as they dare to
do. Ii they wear Grape and bonnets
when he dies, it will be only to show
that their burden of grief has at last
got on the outside, and is likely to
be soon altogether removed. Now
on such place, the grand sum to-
tai of this most precious and costly
of all possible farm products, the
brain forces of all men, women, chill
dren and animals on it is constantly
and fearfully going to waste. Moth
ing is at ease; nothing can fatten,
thrive, work or enjoy. The central
lite OF the whole establishment is
daily and hourly crucifed by him
whose main business it is to foster
and preserve 1t. Such farmers nev-
er prosper; never can prosper, and
never will prosper. They seem pos
sessed of the devil to start with.
am not now delivering a moral lec-
ture on cruelty to animals, or to our
fellows. wish now simply to call
your attention to the enormous waste,
in dollars and cents, of all courses.
how can a man expect to preserve
this precious perfume, which gives its
life to all animal life and being, when
he breaks and crushes the alabaster
that holds it, at every point he meets
it. Many a fool called a farmer,
would scold hired man a week
for spilllng a peck of oats in the
street, and beat and abuse ten bush
els of oats out of his team, every
time he happens to get mad at them,
and still this two-legged brute has
not sense enough to know that he
has lost anything or destroyed any
thing. But the four-legged one
knows it. No man can afford to
have such a fellow on his farm or
about it as mere matter of econo.
my, not even if he would work for
nothing and board himself, and do
in his coarse, brutal way, two good
days work every day.
The uneas mess and irritation and
distrust he will cause all around him,
will, in fact, waste more than he can
earn. / have heard sensible men
who have large droves of cattle in
central Illinois say that it was fifty
dollars damage to them even to have
a sportsmen go into their pasture to
shoot quails ; it alarmed and irrita-
ted the herd and caused rapid ex-
penditure and waste of their ner-
vous force.
And all this may we'll be for
every living animal, whether human
or brute, generates for his own use
and activities, whether of growth or
of labor, only certain, definite and
limited amount of this cerebral force,
or brain-power and what is expend-
ed in one way, as in fear, anxiety,
pain or alarm, cannot possibly be ex :.
pended in growth, fattening, work or
thought. Hence the need of so watch
fully economizing and caring for it in
all men and animals alike. Only a
given amount can possibly be pro-
duced /; that little costs much, and
should at all points, be economical
and put to its use to all its best
and highest uses, and to no others.
Many a man had better waste ton
of hay, or load of corn, than to do
what he in fact does, without any
suspicion that he is wasting any
thing whatever. For it will take
more than that amount in the end,
to repair the damage. But it is not
these savage ard brutal men alone
who commit this waste of animal
forces, on the farm fer the honor
of our profession, and of human ma
ture, l could hope that this is but a
small class on any of our farms. But
am satisfied that there is a very
large class of very clever, amiable
and intelligent and good-hearted
men who perpetrate continually and
thoughtlessly, in different ways, this
same sort of waste.
In regard to work animals, how
few reflect that if work amin al
performed his task with uneasiness or
even with slight pain all day, from
an ill-adjustment of his harness or
his load, that pain or uneasiness, be
it ever SO slight is so far wasting this
precious nervous force of the ami
NAL, and he has precisely that much
less amount left for all the proper
functions of his own growth and
health, and for all the future uses, of
the farm and he can recover that
loss only by extra rest, and an extra
consumption of the products of the
farm. A fool will let his horse or
mule run all day with an ill.adjusted
harness, or nail in his foot, because
it does not pain or lame him much !;
but wise man will look after it and
take care of it. Nothing will escape
his notice nothing whatever will be
allow to suffer needless uneasiness or
pain where he is. His brute beasts
begin to look kind at him ,whenev er
or wherever they see him oming, for
they have learned to expect some
kindly re-adjustment or manifesto
ton, in their behalf.
In regard to the farm tools, and
machines to which these animals are
harnessed, and are required to haul
or drive, what incessant care l3 need
full? Suppose the plow awkward and
ill-adjusted to the soil, and refuses to
scour and the poor animals are com.
PEELED day after day, to expend
twice the amount of nerve.power
needful to the work simply because
they have got sluggard or fool
for master and owner. What a
frightful loss is here, that goes on
day after day, and year after year,
till all the horses and animals on
the place look like scarecrows f; and
become actually unfit TO do any work
whatever or even to be seen in pub
lie from sheer exhaustion.
/ will not speak Of our harrows
for doubt if there ever was har.
rows in the civilized world that was
fit to hitch any horse to /; and still or
many soils narrowing is even more
important than blowing; and we
must use such things as we car
get and some are much better thar
others; and till we can get some
thing better than the terrible horse
killers which we now have, we must
drive only for short periods daily
and do the best we can may the
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