Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-10-23
DRAFT HORSES.
Some Points in rheir M.nassment-Ho

SOm0 FOt0I8 IN I001H A8mS8OunOmt-aOW
tho street-C.r CenPenIes Treat Them.
The horses most desired by street-car
companies are of q bloclxy, chunky kind.
weighing from 1850 to 1850 pounds. In
color, gray and roam are preferred, ex-
perience having shown that white and
black animals are weak and very soon
used up. The horses reared in hilly and
stony localities are preferred before
those from Iowa, Illinois and other
prairie States, and Ohio. Pennsylvania,
Michigan, New York and New England
furnish the best stock for this use; the
reason being that the feet are harder
and sounder, and of better shape, SO
that the horses will last at least four or
five years, and some of them twice as
long in service, while the fat, soft-foot-
ed horses of the West give out in few
weeks. The average price paid is $50
per head, and the system OF purchase is
ten days trial with the option of re-
jecting the animal with or without given
reasons.
The feeding. as might easily be
thought. is most carefully managed.
The food consists of cut hay, slightly
moisrened, with mixed ground feed
(corn and oats) added, given in small
quantities at short intervals A small
quantity of loose hay is thrown to the
horses when they are brought in from
work; then, when the regular feeding
hour arrives (Which is never soon after
or just before trip, six to eight quarts
of the ground feed. with five pounds of
cut hay, are given. The horses are al
ways fed by the same feeder, when pos
sible, and the feeder gives close atten-
ton to each particular horse to know
how much food is eaten and how much
is left, so that the quantity given can
be guaged exactly. After every feed
the managers are thoroughly cleaned
out. and for this purpose cast-iron hol-
low bowls, or enameled kettles of SUI
ficient size, are used, in which no food
left over can gather in corners and get
sour. These round troughs must ha
rust-p-oof, and are cleaned out with
wet sponge by the stablemen twice a
day. The result is that food is eaten
clearly and none is wasted by reason Of
offensive troughs. Moreover, since
these feed troughs were introduced into
tie Chicago stables, collie and other
forms of Indigestion have practically
disappeared.
The water is even more particular
than the feeding. In some of the New
York stables it has been found neces-
sary to filter the water given to the
horses. The. filter used consists of a
barrel filled with coarsely-ground char
coal with small brush and gravel to
keep it in place, and with some sulphur
added. The sulphur came into use from
the fact which became known to one of
the large stock owners that in the
neigh borhood of Richfield Springs the
farmers had found the sulphur water
exceedingly beneficial to their horses;
and experience has proved that the
filtered and sulphured water has been
drunk by the city road horses with
much advantage, and is preferred by
the animals to any other. Under the
microscope it is found perfectly free
from. all impurity. A gentleman from
Chicago stated that while using the city
water the horses were often sick, and
twenty dollars a month was usually
spent for medicine and much time was
lost besides. The water from a clear
spring was brought to the barn at cost
of one thousand dollars, and after its
use the trouble stopped. no medicines
were needed and no time was lost
through sickness
The general management is so con-
Quoted as to avoid danger of disease or
exhaustion by the hard work, and to
preserve the animals in comfortable
condition. The horses are thoroughly
groomed twice day. The same driver
is always kept with the team when
possible, and it has been found that
team will keep in good condition, do
better work, and last longer in service.
when there is no change of drivers.
In the summer a days work is fifteen
miles, and this is always done at one
spell, after which the horses have a
long, unbroken rest This is found
better than short, frequent journeys and
short rests. The horses always rest be-
fore feeding, and in the hot weather
have frequent small drinks of water, at
which time the mouth and nostrils are
sponged and cooled. Under this sys-
tenn, which, generally, includes nutri-
tious feeding, the cleansing of the
troughs, the use of pure water, thor
ough grooming twice day, use of the
same driver and feeder. single spells of
hard work and continuous rest after
it, horses we'll selected have lasted
profitably through twelve years OF such
exacting labor as that necessary to ope-
rate city street railroads, while the
least term is four and a half to five
years.-Henry Stewart, in Country Gen.
tleman.