The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1878-07-12
OATS VS.. INDIAN CORN.

"Thc sun (wor]d) do move" Old fogy-
ism moves to the background and progress
sive agriculture advances TO the front. The
movement is slow, but it is movement,
and as the tide rises the old ship will clear
the strand which has ground her bottom for
ages. -. 4. y. ! " :.J.s
1t is curious to hear, .intehigent satniers,.
learned men, ackrowledgip poy the
first time, what comnon Qbservatios.shaNld
have taught them moss lown ages ago, but
it is better late thaps dyer,
Mr.. A. b Allen, Of New York, gen.
tlemau Of culture and experience in agricul-
tural products, stock, etc, hastens to ex-
press his appreciation of the opening of the
subject by b. +. j. in the Country Gentle
man, of the comparative value Of Oats and
Indian Corn, as horse food. 1t is crafty
ing to know Mr.. Allen is equal to the emer-
gency, and that his experience confirms the
established usage of thousands of good far
Corn is not only too heating, especially
for horses under eight years old, but it does
not make the fine hard bones, and tough
cords, sinews and muscles, that oats do
When Western corn-fed horses are brought
to the East they cannot be put to hard
trucking Immediately, but have to be used
at first with much care, and broken gradu-
ally to it. 1t generally takes from six
months to year of cat and hay feeding,
with moderate work, to give them sufficiently
hard flesh and tough muscle to endure the
strain of city carts and heavy two horse
trucks"
1t seems that the true value of oats will
be recognized, after awhile, in spite of In
dian corn, and men will gee back to the
forgotten old truth, that oats arc the natu-
rat food Of the horse.
What Mr.. Allen says Of horses carried
from the West to the East, occurs with the
same horses brought here to the South, cx-
cept that very few Of our farmers have yet
learned how to feed and toughen the West
ern horses before put to heavy draft
When their horses seemed delicate, too
much heated, aud unable to stand heavy
work, they attributed it all to the change
oil climate, not for n moment considering
the necessity Of change of food. *
The advantage of oat feeding is now,
however, beginning to be generally recog-
nizcd, and we may confidently expect n
S1S3t plIIoNCuleuI Ill iuThllun anu OlllCT
stock. The horses and mules of the coun-
try will be better kept, will last longer, and
be healthier. thus greatly diminishing the
amount annually paid out for farm stock
and making another era in the progress of
farm economy.
The sooner all our farmers recognize aud
adopt such valuable discoveries and improve
mcnts, the sooner will thew emerge from
the poverty and straights of "hard times, "
and begin to make their farms self sustain
ing They cannot afford, 'cithcr-t Through
ignorance, prejudice or halt, to ignore
such valuable truths, while the family sup
port imperatively demands the utmost econ
omy and exertion. With so much said and
written daily and hourly OH all these slb>
jccts, with books and newspapers so cheap,
how can any man excuse himself ?s II is
folly leaves him without even the poor cx-
cusc of ignorance. L. G. Bin ,SaUan-
nah Ne,cs.