The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-04-08

Total number of complaints -. - 46S
Total number of cases investigated. .1172
received the appointment of agent from
TINS society February 10, 1875. have served
this society as agent five years and 2 months
and have tried to do my duty. I have tried to
deal justly with all. It is hard place to
place an agent in to do all the work assigned
him without some member or friend of the
society finding fault with him. 1t requires
good part of my time in looking up cases that
there is no bottom in. I have estimated that
the number OF miles that 1 have driven out
slde OF the city without any expense to this
society on complaints made about 457 this
year. In the course of every week there are
persons who visit my office with the com
plant that there is much cruelty in the town
OF their residence which they much desire to
see suppressed. Quite often the way to do
this seems to them clear. 1t is to have the
agent of the society visit them, and prosecute
vlolators OF the law. In such cases have
complied with the request as far as practicable.
But there are other cases where it is said that
no one is willing to take the censure and the
risk attending upon the enforcement of the
law but they want me to go ahead and prose-
cute. AS my aim has always been to prevent
all occasion for punishment, rather than to in
tmldate by the strong arm of the law, to
educate rather than to degrade, consider
TINS portion OF our work peculiarly inn
portant
Czergynlen.
1t has been a source of wonderment to me
that so few of the clergymen of our city and
State have preached upon our subject 1t is
certainly suggestive theme. If from every
pulpit in Maine one sermon could be preached
each year presenting our duty to animals,
and the results upon human character from
kind treatment of them, it would have an
effect which clergymen do not realize, or SIRE
ly they would avail themselves of the oppor-
tunity.
Chambers.
Iii generally believed even among the best
horsemen in the country that CHAMBERS is
quite prevalent among horses MANY a yalu-
able animal has been killed by direction of the
owner because he considered his horse affected
with this dreadful disease. The fact is cases
OF CHAMBERS are few and far between Last
summer complaint was made that certain
horse at the west end of Congress street was
glandered. Immediately found the horse and
took charge of him He was examined by
hve horsemen, four of them stable keepers
and they all pronounced him glandered. I
had him examined by Dr. Ripley. He stated
upon examination that it closely resembled
the discharge in cases of CHAMBERS but he did
not think it was.
I then called upon. DR.. Geo. H. Bailey of
Deering to examine this horse. DR..
Bailey, assisted by Harrison Richardson. The
well-known horse farrier, operated without
any expense to the society upon the above
named horse. In the horses mouth the wolf
teeth were found to be covered by the gum,
causing the horse to Jump and run. The grind
ers had been worn rough and uneven so that
the horse in eating was continually grinding
away upon the inner lining of the mouth
keeping it constantly raw. Two of his molar
teeth that were decayed were removed and
these teeth caused ulcers to form which con-
tlnued to increase in size until they burst
punches below the eyes and upon the face of
the horse are nearly always the result of
troublesome teeth. After the operation the
horse did as we'll as any horse. He could eat
with ease and comfort: The doctors method
and Richardson's operations were CLOSELY
watched by large number of citizens, and
would recommend that the thanks of this So
ciety be extended to them.
Corn and its Effect.
may be too positive, but l have carefully
watched the effect of corn upon the system Of
horses, and am convinced that corn has en-
gendered heat and disease in the blood until
they are keenly susceptible to the sudden
changes OF our climate. Compare the number
OF foundered horses today with those of fifty
years ago.
Take into consideration the countless cases
OF colds, fevers and like diseases among horses
and the incalculable number of foundered.
broken down beasts just when they ought to be
the strongest, and must we not conclude there
is some widespread and prominent cause? 1t is
not all from over.driving, for we have many
owners suppose the kindest care, shortly turn
out to be broken down beasts from some un-
known and mysterious cause.
Harnesses.
Want of proper care in gearing is often the
means of cruelty to horses Sore shoulders are
too common and may be avoided if the driver
will use proper care. The face of the collar
should always be kept clean. 1t should fit the
shoulders, be neither too big nor too little,
have plain smooth surface so as to give equal
pressure against the shoulders. The names
should have the same attention. They are too
often too straight or have too much curve. A
good horse is worth the owners attention and
care and if he employs others to use him he
should see that justice is done to him.
Killing Horses.
1t has been my desire not only to lessen the
suffering of animals while living, but to Sc
cure for them deathl as nearly painless as
possible. We have all heard of instances
where horse has been struck five or ten
blows so clumsily inflicted with an axe that
the animal suffered severely from ten to twenty
minutes. One blow properly struck is suffi-
Gent. have had made at my own expense a
hoodwink to cover the eyes of horses that are
killed under my direction.
But not content with this l am prepared to
take life by chloroform without suffering, and
venture to give the benefit of my experience.
am constantly called upon to DESTROY
horses, dogs and cats, and have little difficulty
in doing it.
For horses use larges sponge thorougb.
ly saturated with chloroform, which is placed
In the7bottom of nose-bag (Which have had
made at my own expense after the style used
in Boston and New York; large enough to be
drawn over the horses head, leaving his ewes
out. In less than one minute the horse be-
comes unconscious and in eight or ten minutes
is dead without suffering.
My hood-winks and chloroform nose-bags are
always ready for use. and can be had free of
cost on application. All animals killed by me-
at the request of the owners is done without
expense to the owLer, except that he procures
the chloroform
In closing my report think that this society
should call the attention of the proper author.
tiles to West Commercial street, Its condition
from Clark street to the P. & o. r. r. freight
depot Is one OF the worst pieces of road for
heavy teaming in the city of Portland
Why Sustain the Society
Some who are invited to Join our society
answer: What need have / of it? have no
animals; l abuse no animals; L am their
friend. Others scoffingly object Let us first
abolish abuses of men. To those | would saw:
Cruelty to animals leads to cruelty to men;
Protection to animals is an advantage to man:
and truly it is union against human abuses
Tor It's aim is to promote morality, humanity
and love of men, and through its mercy to ami
mails to shame those who show no regard even
4 h<ufR lind u