Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-06-25
FARM HORSES.
The Requisites for the General Purpose
Farm Horse.

The Requisites for the General Purpose
Farm Horse.
Strength is not the sole requisite in
farm horses. AS rule, the horse that
plows must also draw the wagon upon
the road. The average farmer cannot
afford to keep road horses and draft
horses also in his stables. The two
must be combined in such way that
the ride for business or pleasure shall
not be made irksome because of dull
ness in the motive power, or the pillow
be stranded in the furrow because of
lack of strength to move it. 1t is well
worth noting that ability to do good
service in drawing loads, or in doing
general field work, is not wholly de-
pendent on size of body. Courage, and
resolute way of taking hold of work
will often make an eleven-hundred-
than an easily discouraged one having
a bulk of several hundred pounds
heavier
Again, farm horse should be a
quick walker One may as well use
oxen as some of these sluggish teams
that seem to drag their feet over the
ground rather than lift them, while
every motion is made with the utmost
deliberation. Man and teams are less
worried by active movements than by a
mere creeping gait. To prove this let
Il man walk mile brislsly, and at an
other time saunter over the same road,
and note the difference in feeling at the
end. The farm horse should be kind
and fearless. He must be such that
the oldest and youngest the boys, the
girls and the mother, as well as the
father may all drive and pet him. A
farm horse ought really to he one of
the family, since he enters Sc largely
into the everyday work, and should
ing so many pleasures as to
make his ownership comfort
to every member of the family.
Farm horses should have good lung
power and good feet and legs. 1t is folly
to think that unsound feet are not a
serious disadvantage since their work is
largely on soft and yielding footing.
TO do his work quickly and well, and to
last as he should last on the farm, u
horse must be sound in every point
Where mares are used it is especially
important that there is perfect sound
ness, that there be no inherited weak
ness in the progeny
My idea OF the ideal farm horse, where
the driving horse must also be the work
horse, is one of about eleven hundred
pounds weight; quick in motion, but
not very nervous; quick walker, g
free traveller, but not necessarily fast
wide across the breast, to give lung
capacity, and wide across the face be
tween the eyes, showing intelligence
kind anywhere and everywhere, not
afraid of sudden sights and sounds; am
bilious when at work, and sound il
every part.
The Morgans certainly possess many
of these attributes, but there are other
horses standing for service all over the
country that are equally as good per
haps, and should be patronized by farm
ers when they attempt to raise colt!
for the farm, although the service fee
may be higher than is demanded fol
the use of an inferior stallion; remem
bering also that the qualities desired il
the progeny should be founded to a
great an extent as possible in the dan
as well as in the sire. To raise bette
farm horses is a long step toward bet
ter farming, and better farming mean
easier work, more profit, and more o
the comforts and civilizing influence
of life. Webb Donnell, in American
Agriculturist