Sharp County record., 1879-08-07
FARM TOPICS.
Care of Horses in the Summer.

Care OF Horses IN the summer.
Under ordinary circumstances farm
horses sufies greatly from neglect dur
ing the warm weather. After a DAYS
hard work in the field a horse needs q
good nights rest, as well rs sufficient
feed, and this can not be procured with
out good management. The horse IS
the most useful OF our brute assistants;
without his help the world Is work would
stop, and We would be put to sore shifts
to procure food. By reason Of neglect
and bad management his life Of useful
ness is considerably shortened, and, IN
place Of 30 years Of possible usefulness,
it is rare to find a sound, active horse Of
more than half that age. Food is prO-
7ided sufficiently, and in the majOritY-Ot
cases generously; but so TAR IS regards
sanitary care there is q sad lack. Sta
blas are too often foul, Ll-ventilated. and
badly arranged the horse Itself is rare
" cleaned. and the skin is eft to natur-
al accidents Of sumner showers for an
occasional washing. The bedding and
litter is nearly always uncLeau, and the
skin Of the animal is usually so saJUrat-
cd with eXcremerts thai the OdOr IS in
5utferable TO any sensitive person. The
mere handling Of q horse IN its harness
is sufficient to 0dOrize he person and
the clothes to q most disagreeaOLe eE-
tent, and the farmers house Is frequent
II ioUled with the pungent scents OF the
stable thus introduced. Cleanliness is
Indispensable to health, and health is in
dispedsab.e for comfort and long and
useful life. In q pecUnIarT point Of view
this matter looks serious when we con-
slider that the value Of OUT horses is not
tar from $500, 100000, and Of this large
portion Is yearly sacrificed for want
% proper "care- This wahU Of care is
most conspicuous IN regard to the con-
stractiOn and management OF stables.
Generally they are close and ilCOuve-
njent But it will be easier to point out
what they should be than TO say what
they are, for the requisites Of 4 good
stable are but few. 1t should be dry
and well drained. The floor should
slope g little to the rear and it should be
covered with narrow strips having hai
an inch space between them, through
which the liquids could escape. The
ceiling should be high. niEe feet ut the
least, and should be Of matched boards
to exclude dust from above. The light
should come from near the top, at least
above the level Of the horses head, and
should be abundant; if the window is
on q sunny side, it should be shaded by
q blind or shutter. There should be an
ample means Of ventilation by opening
at the bottom and the top, covered with
wire gauze to exclude flies. The doors
should be double, so that the upper half
may he left open at night, OF thev may
be made of strips with half-inch spaces
between them, protected with gauze or
netting. The interior should be kept
whitewashed and perfectly clean and
free from vernin. All these requisites
need only attention, and cost no more
than the ordinary iIl-adapted arrange
ment5. The bedding should be fine;
cut straw will be found economical,
even counting the cost Of the labor to
prepare it. Saw-dust IS the best Of all
bedding, and pine saw-dust is better
than hard wood on account Of its resin
GUS odor and its repeLIent effect against
vernin.
Physical cleanliness, however, is the
great matter to be observed. There is
no reason why a horse-stabe should be
80 powerfully OdOriferOus. Nothing is
easier than to keep it clean and sweet
A gutter should be provided to carry off
the drainage, and q tank or pit filed
with ab5orbent5 should be made to re.
ceivs it. Once q day a few paiLfuIs Of
water should be dashed on to the floor
to wash it off. Then shO7elfuI Of
plaster should be scattered about before
fresh litter is spread. This will add at
least 800 to the value Of the manure
from a pair Of horses in year, for the
urine is worth more than the solid eX-
crement, and would thus all be saved,
even that portion which escapes into
the air or is carried into the house and
elsewhere by those who attend the sta
Oles. The result Of this care will be to
keep the stable free from those odors
which attract flies in vast numbers and
which have very injuriOusly irritative
effect upon the eyes and lungs Of the
occupants. The flies which infest sta
bles are not the common E5use~tie5, as
is generally supposed, but s-7age Bit
ing fly, called from its annoying attacks
Calcjtrnn8, or " the causer of kicking. -
This is its specific name, its
generic name being st9m0rys