The Bossier banner., 1891-11-19
FARMER AND PLANTER.
FARM HORSES.
A Ear mer Offers Some Suggestions on an
Important Topic.

We would think it folly in man to
Duild and equip carefully magnificent
factory of some kind and then careless
lv purchase an engine with which to
drive its machinery, entirely unit Tor
itu purpose and made for use elsewhere.
1t is equally foolish in us to attempt to
drive our farm machinery, etc, with
horse unfit for our use; and again 1t Is not
an infrequent thing to hear OF farmer
breeding his mare to little nervous
trotter, and expecting to get satlstac-
tory farm horse. How absurd! What
would you think of man breeding his
mare to draft stallion and expect to
get n 2:2O trotter? One is almost as
probable as the other We are not prac-
teal along this line-we need to be edu-
Gated in this matter.
Now the questions that should en-
gage our minds on this important sub
ject are:
What is the breed for our work?
What horse will do the most work
with the greatest ease to himself and
manager; is most docile and reliable; IS
most easily broken to all harness; IS
most hardy and least subject to dis
ease?
And besides this we like to see in
horse good color, style of action. After
studying carefully the larger breeds OF
horses and experimenting some, am
satisfied these requisites are more
clearly concentrated in the Clydes-
dale than any other breed. This breed
of horses is in size about the same
as the other draft breeds, which is
rather larger than required by most
farmers. They are, however, short
coupled and compact in their
form, hence are easily kept, eat but
little more, and in many instances not
as much, as our common little plugs.
They aIe made of bone and muscle
mot beef. as IS the case with most of
our large native horses), always able to
carry themselves in good style-hence
for me their size is by no means an OBJ
lection.
l think it impossible to get horse
that will be more satisfactory to those
farmers who do not require very
large horse than the horse produced
from our native mares by full-blood-
ed Clydesdale stallion.
The full-blood Clydesdale horse is
large, with broad and powerful bone
and most excellent muscle; the head
is well set on the neck, and the neck
is massive, with great development
of muscle on top; they are well
shaped and have splendid style
and action; very kind and gentle; easi-
11v II,
don't know anything but to work; the
creator made them for this purpose. 1t
is not an infrequent occurrence to see
colt, for the first time beside reliable
horse, go to market with a load; of
course they are awkward at first, but
so far as their pulling and disposition
to do the right thing is concerned, as
rule, they have nothing to learn.
1t is one of natures laws that like
begets like; then if you wish horse of
great strength and wonderful endur-
ance, don't breed to these little gimlet-
tail would-be trotters, but breed your
mare to good draft horse, if you have
to send her forty miles.
No neigh bOrhood should be without
Clydesdale or some draft stallion. A
good one can be bought for 81, 200 to
$1,000, sometimes even cheaper than
this. At a glance this seems pretty
heavy price; but let's see: A STALLION four
years old will foal easily thirty-five
mares at $50, and certainly no sensible
man would object to this fee; this, you
see, will be so per cent. profit on his in
vestment. After the season is over, he
will plow in oats enough to feed
himself twelve months, and enough
extra to pay rents, etc. Next year
he will be still more valuable, mavbe.
will make seventy-ive per cent net on
| the investment. What is there about
tfSe farm that pays such a per cent. as
this? Hence | say every neighborhood
| should have access to a stallion.
| Tens of thousands of dollars are sent
from my neighborhood every spring to
Missouri and Kentucky for horses-they
are high-priced and generally ''culls. !"
II we raised our own stock, and would
keep this money circulating among us,
1t would in itself almost make our cir
cumstances easy. We will never be a
prosperous people until we quit this
way of doing business Farmer. in
Southern Cultivator