The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-09-02


There is considerable talk about
the horse going out of style on the
farm during the next few years, and
the substitution of other motive power;
preferably the gasoline engine or the
electric motor.
Until about twenty-five years ago
the only motive power on the farm
was the OK and the horse. Since
then, and especially during the last
decade, other motive powers have
been perfected and utilized, especially
in those sections devoted to live stock
growing and dairying; but the horse
is the most general and the best mo-
tive power on the farm. He has been
in the past, and I believe will be for
long time to come, man best friend
and assistant in farm life and practice.
The horse can be utilized where no
other power can be safely and eco
comically relied upon. There is
constant demand for good horses in
this section of the country at the pres
ent time, and it seems as though il
would pay some of our brother farm
ers to raise colt or two each year of
the general purpose variety.
Nothing ever pleased me more than
to hold the lines attached to good
three-horse team, each animal weigh
ing in the neighborhood of twelve hum
dred pounds. Ispent many long hours
when small boy driving some horses
that were old and lazy and one or two
"things" that were balky. Later on it
seemed fine when we got some good
horses to work with. 1t really does
not pay a farmer to keep poor, lazy,
old or broken down horse. But good
horse that has outlived its usefulness
and become favorite in the family
should be put on the retired list in its
old age and be given the best there is.
Allow it to roam the pastures at its
own sweet will during pleasant wealth
er, and provide comfortable stall for
its shelter whenever needed. Never
allow such horse to be sold, loaned
for use or given away. If you cannot
afford to keep it on the farm, then hire
some neighbor to shoot and bury it
in one Of the back fields, without any
of the children knowing about the
time or details.
A poor, lazy, balky horse costs more
than it is worth, and it eventually
deteriorates the morals ofthe owner or
driver thereof, even though he be an
"active member" of his church and in
"good standing" If we farmers wish
to keep our boys on the farm and in
terest them in farming, good horses
will accomplish more to make the
daily routine attractive than anything
else in the way of farm equipment.
Ask your boys if that isn't true.
Other powers are valuable on the
farm, and the windmill will in all
probability never go out of style for
pumping water. We have two of
them, one being an immense power
mill with sixteen-foot steel wheel.
This mill is sixty feet from the ground
and twenty-seven and one-half feet
above the ridge of the barn. 1t will
develop eight horsepower in good
wind, and has been used for cutting
fodder, grinding feed, shelling corn,
elevating both ground and unground
feed into bins, etc. We have also
two. horse tread power for running
the cream separator, churn and butter
worker in our farm creamery. In
fact, we have had experience with all
kinds of farm motive power, and
think the gasoline engine the best for
many purposes. But the horse will
still remain the farmers best friend
and motive power for many long
wears to come.-WeW Yo1k Tribune.