Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-01-15
For the VERMONT Farm
Farm Notes.
WEAVING colts.

noticed an article on this subject in a
late number of the FARMER, taken from the
North British Agricultnirst, which advance
es very sensible ideas in the main, as it is
no doubt true that there is great loss, many
times, for want Of little proper care and
attention at this critical period.
If the growth of colt is once stopped it
is often long time before it can be made
to advance again, and frequently the ad-
rance is backwards till the colt is lost.
Instead however of feeding oats as recon-
mended by our British "cousIn" l would
substitute milk, if possible, as more natural
food for young colt.
A good many years ago my father had
colt which was taken from the mare rather
young, and kept losing flesh all through the
fore part of the winter, till at length it could
scarcely get up saOne, aad be thought it
must die, but it occurred to him to give it
little new milk and in the course of very
few days its eyes began to look better and
soon it showed other signs of Improvement
and came out in the spring in pretty good
shape.
Since then we have raised quite a humber
of colts aud upon taking them from the mare
we commence giving them milk twice day,
parhaps two or three quarts at time, and
if we can spare it, usually continue it at
least once day through the winter, aud we
find that colts fed in this way with good care
otherwise will keep on growing all the time,
hardly noticing their weaving except for a
DAY or two at first
We generally use sweet skinned milk,
pouring in sufficient hot water to make it as
warm as new milk.
To teach it to drink the colt should be
confined in n small pen where one can readi-
ly approach it, and in twelve or twenty-four
hours it will usually become so thirsty that
it will be glad to drink, but if wild and
stubborn it may be necessary to catch it
and put its head into the milk, and as soon
as it once gets taste of it, there will bo no
more trouble.
Ice Houses.
The use of ice during the summer months
seems to be on the increase among all class.
es in the community. 1t is convenience
to all, and to the daryman it is almost in
dispensabe unless he chances to have peTy
cold spring or well water.
To the laborer in the hay field no drink
is more welcome, apd although much has
been said of its uuhealthiulness, | believe
that taken in moderate quantities (and one
does not desire so much of it as Of other
drink it is far preferable to the large
amounts of SDeeteRed drinks, milk and wa
ter, &C., which are often taken into the
stomach by hay.makers, to say nothing Of
beer, hard cider or anything worse. Many
have been deferred from putting up ice for
summer use because they supposed it neces-
sary to erect an elaborate building, with
double walls, tight fitting doors, and costing
perhaps fifty or a hundred dollars. To such
1 would say that very likely you have in
some out-building or shed place which you
could fit up for five dollars that would an
swer just as good a purpose. A neighbol
of mine took part Of an open shed with a
southern exposure at that) and put into il
several loads Of ice, leaving space around
the outside to be filed with sawdust. AL
the boarding that was done was to tack W
few boards to keep the sawdust in place
The spaces at the sides were then filled, and
the ice covered over the top pretty deeply
and the work was done. There was nothing
whatever to prevent the free access of th'
outside air to the ice room and if l mistake
not the sun shone directly on the sawdus
over the ice some part ofthe day.
Now for the result An abundance o
ice was used by two good sized families al
summer, each of them having dairy, ant
in the middle of September enough was tax
en- out to cool water on two warm days fol
the crowd at the Mad River Valley Fair
and good lot was left when cold weathe
came.
OF course place for storing ice shOul(