The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-10-25
4fE .aja.F dI'f1Io
The Farm Work Horse.

I saw In a recent number OF the
Tribune Farmer an article from DR..
Smead, telling some man that his
mare, which weighs $50 pounds, is too
small for farm work. Had this article
been read by me only few yeafb
ago 1t would have met with my ap-
pr0val, but now my views are some-
what different on this subject. For
merly l thought that horse for all
work must be from sixteen to sixteen
and one-half hands high, well made
and we'll muscled and of good weight.
SO when went to buy horse or muls
he had to come to this standard or he
was at once turned down as entirely
too small My neighbors often told me
that my horses and mules were too
large for farm work, but needed them
not. A few years since / bought a
thoroughbred mare, sixteen hands high,
but very slim, and she never became
heavy bodied, although l fed her well
and raised several colts from her, all Of
which are small boned and of light
body. However l found by working
this mare by the side of heavy horses
and mules that she did her work just
as we'll as the largest and best of them.
and, moreover, holds up at the same
work onA less feed than any of the
large heavy ones. Her colts have all
been good workers, though rarely
weighing over 900 pounds, and doing
the same work as the heavier ones on
less feed, and always stepping quickly
and being hard to tire out. Later on
bought a small horse, scant fifteen
hands high, and weighing from 675 to
750 pounds. I have now used him
six years. Almost all Of this time he
has been worked by the side Of large
mule, and l find that he does more
work than this mule does, and does 1t
on less feed and is harder to tire. The
doctor may say that the mule will kill
him yet; the first mule that worked
him by is dead and I have worked him
two years by another, and still he holds
up well.
Some time since I bought small
mule, only fourteen hands high.
have worked him with sixteen hand
mule and with horse that is sixteen
and a half hands high and Of good
weight, and still he does his work as
we'll as either of them, and on less feed.
After trying these various animals for
about ten years 1 am thoroughly con-
vinced that a small horse, II he is OF
good breeding, will do the same work
as much larger horse and last just as
long and thrive on much less feed.
1 think, however the doctor has been
accustomed to use some Of the large
breeds of horses, as the PercherOns or
Normans; If so, If he will get thor
oughbred, or even a standardized of
less than half the weight of his large
one he will see that what I have given
as experience is quite true.
We sometimes get what we call
Northern horses here that are Nor
mans, Percherons, Clydesdales, etc,
and we find them far inferior to ours,
even in the heaviest farm work. While
I was hard to convince about the mat
ter my neighbors seemed to have
known this from the beginning, and the
most popular horse here today Is one
of some good blood that is from four
teen to fifteen hands. high. However,
I did not help to bring about this type
Of the work horse. I only followed the
change as 1 follow any new fashion.
instead of keeping up with it.
We find that any good, horse horse
Of small frame and light build does
as much of any farm work rs does his
burly brother of twice his weight
John Keith, Warrington. Ky, in Trib-
une Farmer.