Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-03-05
4arn' anO honssbolo.
Confidence in Animals.

There are, probably, few persons famil-
lar with farm life who have not observed
marked contrast between the general char
acter aud appearance of the domestic AMI
mails kept on different farms within the cir
Gle Of their acquaintance.
On approaching some farm houses, the
first salutation comes from 4 noisy growing
dog. who seems to take you for a trespass-
er. The next, from his master. who d.
yides his energies between welcoming you.
and scolding the dog for not behaving bet
ter. You visit the barn. and a. You open
the door, 4 frightened cat scuds across
the floor. aud with one look back at you
from her great green eyes, disappears
through some hole In the floor. or out al
broken window.
The horses lay back their ears. squeal.
and kick the sides of their stalls, as much
as to say, 1--WE feel cross, aud can't help
acting it out" The oxen and COWS start
back as you pass before thsm. as If afraid
they should be hit with a fork. and the
young calves and pig. scamper to the far
thest corners of their pens. TO be out of
your way. and even the chickens seem To
be bound you shall have all the room 10
yourself.
Among such animals, you will find the
horse. balky and easily frightened, if
harness or carriage breaks; the oxen run
AT the end of every furrow, either too
much gee or too much hdtc the cows kick
and spill the milk and the hens steal their
nests; and nearly all this trouble is caused
by fractions master, who controls not
his own temper. II gate is carelessly |
left open, and the cows get into the gar
den, the dog and the boys, with plenty OF
clubs and stones, are sent 10 drive them
back. II the oxen are wanted from the
pasture. they must be driven into some
small corner of the yard, before they can
be yoked. If a strap breaks in the har-
ness, runaway, and broken carriage i
the result; all for the want of confidence
between the master and his animals.
On another farm. the dog welcomes you
with dgnified. but cheerful wag of his
tail, and leads you TO the door. or TO the
presence of his master. The cat keeps her
place in the sunny corner, where she has
gone for nap. The horses WINNER as
you enter the barn. aud seem glad to see
you. while the cattle reach over TO see who
has come, or quietly chew their cuds. as
though that was what they were made for.
The calves and young cattle gather around
TO see &hat new discoveries can be made
aud all this, because of the confidence (
between the master and his animals. If /
his horse finds the harness coming Off or
the wagon running too close to his heels. |
he quietly stops to have it fixed. All this /
difference and more can be seen any day. |
by few miles drive in almost any part Of l
our country. We can find farms where all 1
the animals seem 10 b. in constant fear of /
something while at ether places the ami
mails seem TO have perfect unders tand- /
Ing with, and the fullest confidence in |
their supreme bur kind ruler
OF course there is difference In the |
natural dispositions of our animals. We l
should choose those. for breeding espec-
tally, that are naturally quiet and peace
able, and then by kind and reasonable
treatment keep them SO.
We cannot begin too early to handle and
pet the young animals We are raising Ii
Is wonderful how soon they will acquire
feeling of confidence, and learn to come to
US for protection and care. And if we
would retain that confidence, We must
never. on any account, betray it, 1t is al
most impossible to regain perfect conf
dence in any animal that you once cheated
or deceived.
A horse that has run away once is gem
orally more ready to run again. And the
heiier that has been once frightened or
abused, is ever after on the lookout for
danger. Ifyou would have your heifers
make good cows, treat them firmly but
kindly Let chem not learn to associate
milking with pains and kicks. and loud
talking. Milking is to them. an unnatu-
raj performance, and you must have pa
thence while teaching them to submit to
the operation.
Horses and oxen should have such con-
fdence in their drivers, that they will will
hngly and repeatedly make all reasonable
~AANis W w As lucy are UiuutH. A team |
should never be told the second time to
start an unreasonable load. We dom be-
lieve horse would ever become balky, if
1t were never misused by overlooking and
whipping. 1t is our best horses, those
that are full of spirit and spunk, that get
balky, and not the 'lunkheads, A." that don't
know enough to know when they are mis-
used.
What is it but a feeling Of confidence
that makes the patient horse stand for
hours in harness, unhitched, waiting the
return of his master to give him the word
to go, before he will leave his tracks?
And what is it, but this same confidence i'm
his master, that makes a well trained
horse willing to be driven over uncertain
places, across shaking, dilapIdated bridges,
and up to noisy, pokerish looking locomo- (
lives, with their pufing smoke-stacks and '
iwhistless II it were not so 3
We should think it wonderful to
zee the thousands Of jobbing horses that i,
're3left standing.in our. streets every day, e
Without hitchine, awaiting the delivery Of 3