Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-12-08
Care for the Horse Stock.
From National Live Stock Journal

hhd otoiho buut ueuet III Lllt NlUbcI.
and the prudent farmer and merciful
man, who Is merciful TO his beast,
will see to 1t that his horses, young
and old, are not only having an in
creased ration, but protecting shelter.
In proper hands, the spring colts
have been thoroughly weaned from
their dams, trained to lead mot bro
ben") taught TO eat oats, corn, hay,
and, IL it can be spared, sweet or
sour milk. They have had provided
for their use warm but well-venti-
lated shed or stable, opening into a
good-sized lot, or, what is better,
pasture, having In IL water and
green grass or rye. Keeping them
tied at night is not even necessary or
desirable, and, with generous supplies
of bright, early-cut hay, as free as
possible from dust, reasonable ra-
tion of bright, plump oats--that will
be better for having half their weight
Of crushed shelled corn mixed with
them during the extremely cold
weather-with a lump of rock.salt
accessible in their feed boxes, good
water convenient, and liberty to romp
and play at will, they will grow
in size, beauty of form, and greater
value each hour, and also give that
satisfaction TO their owner which is
more precious than money. The
mothers OF these colts are. in all
likelihood, poor in flesh and spirit, or,
70 use q phrase understood by every
farmer, 'suckled down." especially if
they have made half team at the
reaper, mower, plow, harrow, and
drill, as Is probably the case, and
they need to be built up with some
thing more invigorating than, being
tied in stall, 20 pull hay down from
coop above their heads, and gnaw
fiinty corn from cobs that will not
yield It up except 10 violence. They,
too, like the colts, need liberty, good
feed in variety, and, IL possible, some.
thing green, at least occasionally.
All kinds of horse stock are very
fond of bright, sweet corn-fodder IL
is somewhat laxative, serves as an
excellent change from hay, and Is of
great value when, from any cause. the
hay has been poorly cured, or dam
aged by rains or frost. Every farm
er knows how horses Of all ages en-
JOY running in TeccDtly-husked
cornGeld, and how well they t0five
there during the early part of winter.
The animals that are worked are not
nearly so liable to be neglected but
even these are treated On too many
farms in a way that, at the least, can
not be called less than cruel. One
phase of the barbarity they are sub
jected to Is the diet Of dry, hard corn
two or three times per day, day in
and day out, month in and month
out, until their ievered, disordered
bodies make their lives burden !;
another is, keeping them standing in
stall not cleaned out until the ma
nnre Is so banked up under their
hind feet that their fore quarters
stand from twelve To eighteen inches
the lowest, throwing their entire di-
gestive and assimilative organizations
into such an unnatural position that
the proper performance OF their func-
tions Is impossible still another is
in keeping them tied In gloomy, hay
or straw-coveFed stables, that not
only leak in time of n storm, but for
days afterwards, when, out of doors,
the weather may be dry and pleasant.
It Is small wonder that, under this
treatment, with its combinations and
variations, well known in the West
ern States, the horses cough, have
rheumatism, the scratches, grease
heel and are hide-bound, long hair
Ell, wormy, and weak about the time
for beginning spring work or that
at nine or ten years they are appro-
priately denominated "old plugs"
Against all this abuse, so cruel, and
so Improbable, the journal enters
It's protest, and pleads for more ra-
tional, decent treatment of mans
most noble servants. Give them a
chance for their lives give them
chance to be sturdy, vigorous, and
useful at twenty-five years, instead Of
being broken down, or ''stove up,n
at ten give them chance 1t va
riety Of wholesome food at the
grass, the dry, clean shelter, the sun
shine, and the brook In fact, any
thing that may make them less mis-
erable and more comfortable; IL for
no other reason, or higher motive, 10
q because Il pays. IN Che long run, Il
Is always sure - do that.
II farmers would understand that