The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-03
SECRETARY RUSK'S BOOK
Available Contribution to- Literature
Regarding the Horse and
His Ailments.
Many Experienced Veterinarians
Take q Hand in the
Good Work.
Uncle Jerry Promises to Follow 1t Up
with Another Volume Telling
About Breeding.

Especial Correspondence OF The INDEPENDENT. ]
WASHINGTON. Feb. 24.-Of all he has done
since he became secretary OF agriculture,
Uncle jerry Rusk takes more pride in his
new horse book than anything else. 1t is
one OF the best public documents the GOV
eminent has published in years. and ludg-
ing by the demand for il a very wide circu-
lation is promised for it. 1t is entitled, "a
Special Report Oh the Diseases of the
Horse" and appears under the auspices of
of tho bureau of animal industry. Inc
book consists of 556 pages. including thirty
four pages of plates, among which are
some of the finest colored pictures of the
anatomy of the horse ever produced in TINS
country. The text is by eight of the fore
most veterinarians IN the United States,
including DIR. Kitchener, professor in the
New York College of Veterinary Surgeons;
Prof. Law, of Cornell university; Prof..
Liautard, of the New York Veterinary col
lece; DR.. HuideEooper, editor of the Phila-
delphia Journal of Comparative Medicine
and DR.. William Dickson, of the Minnesota
Farmers institute. The first edition OF
this horse book is 1900 and already there
are applications for 10000 copies on file at
the agricultural department. The few
books received by lucky members OF con-
oress have been eagerly seized upon, and as
HIGH az S3 was offered last week for single
COPIES, The house passed a joint resolu-
ton authorizing an edition of 100000. SO
that in a few weeks the demand can be
partially met. 1t is expected that the next
congress will authorize another EDITION OF
100. 600 next December. by which time there
will doubtless be an increased demand, tar
greater than can be supplied.
The range of topics presented III Uncle
Je-ry's book is wide, and the farmer or
horse fancier who cannot find what he
wants in it has a ARE kind of trouble to
deal with. Dr.. Kitchener opens with a
practical article on methods of giving
horses medicines and follows this with a
chapter on diseases of the digestive organs,
which embraces several pages OF ADVICE on
food and feeding. The old notion that a
horse must not be watered when hot be,
cause the first swallow produces CONC n
founders him is exploded by DR.. Kitchener,
who says it is perfectly safe to give a hot
horse from six to ten swallows Of water,
after which if he goes to the stable let him
have a pound or two of hay. Th%edanger is
in giving an extensive quantity when the
animal is hot. Few horses will drink at
all after they have had a few swallows and
begin to eat hay. A good point is given on
the matter Of feeding. DR.. Michener says
hay ia more easily digested by the horse
than oats; therefore oats should be fed after
hay. otherwise the digested hay pushes the
undigested oats out u tn anl ma! derlVes
little nutriment from them. Timothy 10
put first of all folders, and the rule IS land
down thai all grain should be ground and
all hay cut into short bits to facilitate mas
tication, insure better digestion and econo-
mize in keep. ..
DR.. Harbaugh, of Richmond. Va, shows
how a horse should be treated to keep him
from catching cold and to get the best con-
ditions of strong lungs and heart power:
DIR. Laws treatise on the diseases of
stations and the difficulty of horse breed
ing is another valuable chapter.
Prof. Liautard, of the New York Veter-
mary college. contributes a chapter on
lameness. He first makes clear the an
atomy and functions of all parts OF the
horses legs, and then describes the bone
and muscle diseases and accidents liable to
occur, following this with advice as to
treatment, both surgical and medicinal.
DIR. Dickson has contributed an article on
shoeing that Senator Blackburn says Is
worth a million dollars. 1t carefully ex-
amines the foot, shows just why a horse is
shod and how far it is necessary to go to
protect the hoof, and lays down a few sim,
pile rules that can be easily learned and
practiced. DIR. Dickson closes this chapter
with a suggestion that it is nearly as i'm
portant that blacksmiths should be sclen-
tifc in their training as veterinarians. and
urges that in a matter OF such vast lmpor'
tance to the national wealth too little atten-
tion is paid by the state to the care of the
most useful of all domestic animals. The
novel hope il expressed that chemistry VIII
devise some preparation that may be sa1ei5
applied to the hoof in a way to harden II
into a substance resembling horn, and al
Low Tho ,oar,ap IN ueuH off tina iron Shoes
and drive his beast barefooted. In this way
the lightness. strength and elasticity OF the
horses foot would be regained even as they
were once enjoyed in the wild state.
Uncle Jerry is not fully content to rest
on his laurels and stop with this book on the
diseases Of horses. He has mapped GU
another volume on breeding and hopes to b'
able to publish it in the course of a year
Senator Stanford, in speaking the other da,
OF horse breeding. said: There are 5000,
600 horses in the United States according tt
the recent census. Imagine what a valu
we could create if we improved each one o
this vast number of animals 20 that the in
dividual WAS worth $50 more than he Is
This is surely possible. am president of
street railroad in San Francisco where W
have had hundreds of horses. The averag
life OF our animals was three years. Bu
one old horse stood that hard life min
years. His service was so exceptional
looked up his record. | hired detectives t
trace him from one sale to another back
the man and the farm that lnised him.
found his sire WIS a pedigreed horse; h
dam was of good blood, thong
not standard. That explained ii
superior usefulness of that hors
to my mind. He had better bones in sui
stance, form and length, better muscle
better nerves, better heart, lungs and d
gestive organs, and he WAS worth Sl00 mo
on those accounts than any other horse v
had. Now ! say that whether We raj!
horses for the pillow or the track, blood wi
tell and IL worth money. Electione'
earned 5000 Geo for me because he WAS
good horse. The old street car horse earnt
three times as much AS his fellows for u
company because he WAS a good hors
Each in his place proved agreatttuth and
is time We all knew it. j think the secretary
book is splendid in its scope, sim plici
and compactness. | hope he will succe'
as we'll with that on breeding. 1t is qui
as much needed as the other. Both mea
the addition of millions to the aggrega
wealth of the country, which of course,
turn, means untold increase of comfol
Intelligence, rest and progress to man.
AIDING AGRICULTURE.
Some of the Provisions of the Bill Recol