The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-01-14

nerfect team of horses on the farm and :
one that remains in perfect conditlon
through all the year. At times the
teams look well and in good hesh; at
other times the same teams are very
poor and seem dispiTited and worn out
with work.
Present farming methods on almost
all farms are such that the work for
farm horses is very much divided, be-
ing very heavy at one season and very
light at other seasons. The horse is
muscular animal and upon the strength
of his muscles depends his efficiency.
For muscles to be hard and strong they
must be given regular daily exercise
If they are allowed to remain idle too
long they become soft and weak. If
they are worked too hard, beyond the
point of fatigue, they become weak
and worn out through exhaustion.
AS a rule on the farm during the
spring and summer months the horses
are worked very hard for from II
to IA hours day, and often longer
than this More than ten hours work
day is too much for the good of
team or the man who drives it. 1t is
not good economy to work SO hard
one day that you are tired out and
| weak for the beginning of the next
days work. But this is what is done
on more than half of our farms during
the early summer busy season.
If the farmer would go out later in
the morning and come in earlier in
the evening, both he and his team
would be in better physical condition
to do good work all the year. With
fewer hours for each days work of
the team, the team would remain in
better flesh and be more spirited, and
the farmer would be in better mental
and physical condition. No man can
| think and plan we'll when he is tired
out
Much work for horses on the farm
now done in the summer and other
during late fall and winter when the
weather is cold and the team can bet
ter stand hard work OF course there
are times in the winter and very early
spring when the roads are so bad that
hauling and outside team work can
not be done to advantage, yet there
are many times when the roads are
good and the ground in the fields firm
enough to hold up a team and wagon.
all through November and even up to
almost the last of December, before
the ground becomes frozen. If even
half of the corn ground can be plowed
in very late fall or early winter it |
would be much easier work on the /
team while the weather is cold, and it |
would not necessitate the rushing of !
the team in spring. The writer last |
year ploWed two thirds of his corn |
doing the last days blowing the 18th !
of December, during which day light |
snoWfiakes were flying. Both the team |
and driver enjoyed this days plow- !
ing, and it is needless to say that we
did not suffer with the heat, nor were
we uncomfortable from the cold One |
of our neighbors, one of the best corn
growers in this section, plowed for
corn the same day.
Take advantage of every day in the
winter when the roads are frozen or at
all passable to do all the hauling that
needs to be done on the farm Harness
and work the team every day, or as
nearly every day as possible, even
though for only an hour or two at a
time. This will keep the horses in
good working trim ard strong, and Sc
many odd jobs of teaming can be done
that very little extra work will be in
the way of field work when spring
opens up. All of the winters manure
can be hauled out, at least during the
winter.
Much harm is done to farm horses in
the matter of feeding and watering. :
The horse should be watered frequent
ly, and always before meals if posi-
BILE. When the weather is warm wat
ering between morning and noon and
between noon and night will prevent
the animal from suffering from undue
thirst and will be much better in every
way for it. When a horse goes to the
trough at noon or night and drinks as
though it was nearly dead Of thirst it
is a sure indication that it has gone -.
too long without water and that too
much will be drunk for it's good. If
the barn supply is too far away from
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