Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-08-03
Amateur Farming.

A literary gentleman who was seized
with the inspiration that he was cut out
for farmer. writes as follows:
proper condition for marketing, and |
took charge of that department, and |
have picked peas and beans until | am
somewhat tired of them. Then | met
with very serious loss. lost my good
old horse. Thank heaven | never had a
dear gazelle, and | wouldn't take one as
gift, | have had enough Of trouble
with such animals as my menagerie has
held. Since first these orbs, as Burke
would say, first saw the joy Of this farm
| have lost a horse, a cow, two pigs, the
Lord only knows how many hens and
chickensand a rabbit But as Mr.. Man
tilini said about the ha penny, the rab
bit he demed!" | never missed the
rabbit, Then the hens and chickens
were not so serious a loss, Before most
of them died had the pleasure of ex
perimenting on them in the interest OF
science, and though it might have been
bad for those particular hens it was OF
value to the others. You would be sur
prised at the list of things | have that l
can swear will be sure death to hens! |
haven't got hold of anything yet that
will cure any hen disease, except one
kind, and | don't know the name OF that
disease. But ! know the symptoms, and
when | see them it takes one dose to
kill or cure. If | have judged the dis
ease right it cures; it | have made a
mistake it kills, and so can soon learn
whether | am correct or not. | often
think of the doctor who said no matter
what was the matter with his patients,
he threw them into fits, and then, he was
HI on fits! If | could get my hens to
have this one disease | could cure them
all, but just as learn to cure one all
ment they up and get another, This
morning | found hen with new dis
ease she sat up I'll night to invent. |
was puzzled what to do till remember
ed that the only drug of any kind in the
house was Jamaica ginger. Of course |
gave it to her, and by George! it cured
her But just now l gave it to a big tur-
key and it killed him. So you see what
is good for hens is bad for turkeys, and
that is valuable lesson to learn.
NV COW has been sick and given me
lots of worry. IF she would only take
her medicine down freely one wouldn't
regret it too much if she died; but she
is down on medicine. | tried to get
dose of salts down her, but after she
smelt the water it was in she looked at
me, as if meekly saying, " Not for Joe"
She wouldn't take it; but is all right
now.
My horses death was blow to u.s.
We all loved the old fellow, and he was
as gentle with the children as if he I'M
derstood he ought to be. | have ac
tually seen him go out of his way rath-
err than meet my little girl when she had
a switch in her hand; he wouldn't hurt
her for anything
My man came in one morning saying
the horse was sick, and / went after
doctor. He (the horse) had congestion
of the lungs, and from noon till mid
night, we devoted ourselves to him, rub
bling him, putting hot bandges on his
legs, pouring whisky down his throat
etc, but at midnight he died-sort o.
choaked to death The only satisfaction
| had was in believing that he was so
drunk he didn't know he was dying.
| have different kind of horse now.
They say only good horse ever dies;
this one will live forever He is a splen-
did framed horse, as is plain to be seen;
in fact, there is nothing but frame to
him They told me he is afraid of moth
ing; he isn't, not even of the whip
You hit him, he lifts his tail as if say
ing "Tally one" and pays no more no
tice to it.
So much for the unimportant things
| If life