The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-11
HOUSEKEEPING
IN The COUNTRY
May Be Good Thing for Farm
ers-Views of Rural
Clipper.
by j. NJ. hell.


IL may seom somewhat out of place
10 speak of robbing u horse of hts
heafy coat of winter hair, ana per-
maps there arc thousands of our Yir-
sihla farmers who would not allow this
10 DC doae under any circumstance a
whatever.
There are some advantages derived
from clipping that are hard to suppiy
uhder the slower method of allow Ing a
} hors to shed his heavy coat In the way
nature meant him to do 1t. In the first
piace, Just as COON as the warm days
Oh iate winter or carly spring an
nouhccH themselves In old Virginia.
ny considerable rise OF temperature,
inc heavy blanket of hair, II may be
allowed to use the term. that enyelopes
.he ordinary work horse becomes n
burden 10 him. and unless he ~ in
perfectly healthy condition he really
suffers from supcriiuity of hair.
Let us consider for a moment the
condition OF a team that Is blowing
during the first warm days they are
enVelpped, as II were. In Il c!ose, sweaty
covering OF hair that has served it's
purpose of protecting them during the
severe winter wentncr. After tho tea nj
mas oeen al work an hour or so they
arc al least damp. If not wet, with per-
spiration. they do not 1ry out during
the midday meal and the rest that fol-
that they do not get perfectly dry
until quite a while after they have
had their evening meal.
Many farmers stabl,s are more or
less open and afford rather too much
ventilation. Put a perspirina hose
In one OF those stables, halter him, and
he has to keep perfectly still. drying
out by degrees. Consequently 1t IL 9
o'clock at night before he Is thorough.
Is dry. So much for the unclipped
horse.
So far as mules are concerned. they
are generally turned loose In the stable
tor barn) every night in the year.
They wallow and roll to their hearts
content, and, therefore, do not hav. to
stand battered in u stall.
The farmer generally Is very pnrticu-
lar about the cost of things. This is not
only natural, but proper. Well, the ac-
Eual cost OF clipping horse in the
city is 81, but II farmer has sew
cral head that he wants TO relieve Of
q burdensomc coat OF hair he Gun pur-
chase clipping outfit for from 81 10
IS. And, with the exc option of the en-
pnse OF renewing knives. this outfit
%ill last him long time, and It might
be possible that his nelghbor. apprc-
riating the fact that his teams are not
only improved In conditions. but In APP
pearanc.. would have their own teams
CitPDeu oy tue felBnhorS machine.
When horse Is clipped you should
pu; q blanket on him when not al
work. The farmer can buy blankets
that Will answer all purposes aud that
will last a long time for $3.50 .ach.
Put the blanket on at night and when
ever the horse is not actually n work
ard there will be little danger OF
coida.
The writer rem anibers seeing clip
ped horse that had his winter coat oil
hair taken off some time before the
bIuchirds ANNOUNCED the coming OF
spring, This animal was tlr@ed out
with uncl!ppsd horses q, all times when
hc was not at work. lie would run
around and cavort with the others. and
at night he hud G blanket put on him.
although during the daytime. cold
days At that, he sportAd around clipped
10 the skin. this fellow was about the
best conditioned ani.nul IN thu team
OF four.
Although ] do not mean to advise
or preach on the subject Of clipping
farmers work teams, yet know thai
II a farmer once tries it he Will keep
UP thu plan.