Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1905-06-20
The Horse is Still Ahead.

There is considerable talk about the
horse going out of style on the farm dur
ing the next few years, and the subStitu-
tion 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
during the last decade, other
motive powers have been perfected and
utilized, especially in those sections
devoted to live stock growing and dairy
ing: but the horse is the most general
and the best motive power on the farm.
lie has been in the past, and L believe
will be for long time to come, mans
best friend and assistant in farm lie
and practice. The horse can be utilized
where no other power can be safely and
economically relied upon. There is a
constant demand for good horses in this
section of the country at the present
time, and it seems as though 1t would
paw some of our brother farmers to raise
a colt or two each year of the general
purpose variety.
Nothing ever pleased me more than to
hold the lines attached to a good three
horse team, each animal weighing in the
neighborhood of twelve hundred pounds.
| spent many long hours when a 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 farmer
to keep a poor, lazy, old or broken down
horse. But good horse that has out
lived it's usefulness and become a
favorite i'm 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 it's own sweet will
during pleasant weather, and provide a
comfortable stall for its shelter when
ever needed. Never allow such horse
to be sold, loaned for use or given away.
Ii 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 de
teriorates the morals of the owner OF
driver thereof, even though he be al
''active member" of his church and II
.'good standing" II We farmers wisl
to keep our boys on the farm and interest
them in farming, good horses will accom-
plish more to make the daily routine at
tractive than anything else In the way OF
farm equipment. Ask your boys If thai
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 i'm
mense power mill with l6-foot stee
wheel. This mill is go feet from th'
ground and % l-2 feet above the ridge o
the barn. 1t will develop eight horse
power in good wind, and has beel
used for cutting fodder, grinding feed
shelling corn, elevating both grount
and unground feed into bins, etc. w
have also used two-hOrse tread powe
for running the cream separator, churl
and butter worker in our farm creamery
| In fact, we have had experience with al
kinds of farm motive power, and thin
the gasoline engine the best for man
purposes. But the horse will still re
main the farmers best friend an
motive power for many years to come
J. III. Brown in Tribune Farmer.