The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-05-06
AGRICULTURE.


COMMON SENSE IN DRIvING.-Most
mon, over-drive. They attempt toe
much; and IN so doing, distract OF
hamper tho horse. Now and then you
find horse with such vicious gait
that his speed is got from him by the
most artificial processes, but such hor-
ses arc fortunately rare, and hence the
style of management required cannot
become general. The true way is to
let the horse drive himself the driver
doing little but directing him, and
giving him that confidence which q
horse alone gets in himself when he
feels that guide and friend is back of
him. The most vicious and neXcusa-
bic style Of driving is that which SO
many drivers adopt, viz: wrapping the
lines around either hand, and pulling
the horse backward with all their
might and main, SO that the horse, in
point Of fact, pulls the weight back Of
him with his mouth, and not with his
breast and shoulders. This they do
under the impression that such dead
pull is needed in order to "stcady" the
gard as radically and supcrlatively
wrong, 1t would tax the ingenuity of
hundred fools TO invent worse ono.
The fact Is, with rare exceptions, there
should never be any pull put upon tho
horse at all. A steady pressure is al
1owable, probably advisable; but any,
thing beyond this has no justification
In nature or reason; for nature sug-
gests the utmost possible freedom of
action OF head, body and limbs, in Or
der that the animal may attain the
highest rate Of speed; and reason GER
tainlv forbius the suDp0sition that by
the bits, and not the breast collar, the
horse is to draw the weight attached to
1t, In speeding our horses we very
seldom grasp the lines with both hands
when the road is straight and free
from distractions. The lines are rarely
steadily taut, but held in easy pliancy
and used chiefly to shit the bit in the
animals mouth, and by this motion
communicate courage and confidence
to him. We find by this mcthsd our
horses break less and 20 much faster
than when driven by men who put the
old-fashioned steady pull upon them.
CRUSHED GRAIN FOR HoRsEs.-Oats
are justly advocated as the grain above
all others adapted to horSes-and it is
true, that for young horses, and those
used on the road, there is probably
nothing equal to oats, but they ought
to bo crushed or bruised and not
ground. In fact, think all grains are
better fed in this way, and it seems
strange that there are no good Ameri-
can oat crushcrs. They seem to nc
ample atiairs--as have seen them in
English stables. n wheel of perhaps
eighteen inches in diameter, made
strong, and having perfectly flat peri
phcry, of steel, | presume, like steel
tire, having a face about three inches
wide, is turned so rs to bear evenly
against a smaller one Of say eight inch
cs or less In diameter, having a similar
face. These two wheels are gcarcd to
turn together, and the oats are slowly
fed In by Il hopper. Good oats, when
crushed, are nearly round, and as big
as silver thrcc-ccnt piece, and the
husks are quite inconspicuous; poor
ones show more husk than grain, and
retain more nearly the form of the un-
crushed oat. Nlrley may be crushed
equally well with oats, although hard
cr; and corn, when too green 10 grind,
might we'll be thus treated. If grain
be swallowed whole IL is not easily di-
gested, but if crushed, or broken even.
1t Is likely to be. "COarsc meat" that
is, the corn-meal usually sold for feed
Ing III many Eastern towns, simply be-
cause it can be chcaply produced, is
better than whole corn, because 1t is
broken and some portion OF 1t tocra-
bly, fine, but all the tlinty part Is in
large solid pieces, which do not adhere
to cut hay, do not soak quickly, and arc
slow of digestion. When now corn is
crushed, although it is not commin-
ted into meal, its integrity is destroyed
and Is easily uigcsted, because it rcadi-
~ absorbs water or the juices of tho
stomach.
AVoID giving tired horse very cold
water, as 1t often produces collie. In
large establishments exhaust steam Ia
passed throuuh the horse troughs:
others allow the water to stand for
some time III buckets. On the rond
horses should be watered once in ten
miles ut least. The stomach of q horse
Is so small in comparison to his BODY
that large draughLs injuriously distcnd
1t; consequently, sh,all quantities at
regular intervals Is the best rule.
Tho LarEcst DinmonI In tI,o ,v>.,,