Farmers' gazette, and Cheraw advertiser. (Cheraw, S.C.) 1839-1843, September 30, 1840, Image 1
. F
f ' p 7? >
VOLUME V
A?e I
EDITOR > ND PROPRIETOR.
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& o.?r>of srz^ w
* From the Franklin Funncr.
ON SHOEING IIORSF.S.
Nothing engenders so frightful a chain of
diseases in a horse, all tending to disable
him, as improper treatment of the animal's
feet. Nature had never taken greater pains
to form an exquisite anatomical specimen of
mechanical power than when it formed the
foot of the horse; to this beautiful, delicate*.
^ nnd complicated formation, docs he owe his
power of speed ov<>r most others of tlie
brute creation. In a s ate of nature, the
horse's foot is seldom, if ever, diseased; in
n slate of domesticy i< is moie or less unsound,
in seven cases out of ten. In a state
of nature, tho foot being unencumbered by
a shoe, is not prevented from assuming that
position on the ground which keeps it in a
sound condition, and enables each of its
component parts to discharge their s"vernl
functions. In a state of domesticity, the
animal is obliged to wear a shoe, for the
purpose of protecting its hoof from the
roughness of harsh ro ids; and this shoe is
so conctructed as to inflict considerable in.
jury upon the foot, by ineapicitating its several
component parts from performing their
functions, thereby producing a state of disease.
Contracted hoof,sand*cracks, thrush,
;fC,,.-0 m iK?> flp?nr tpndnn of the
^rctisr, oiiiiiivoj in mo Kvnv -v..
leg, weakness in the pastern and the kneejoints,
and a tendency to genuflexion are
home among the vaiious disturbances pro.
duced by improp rly shoeing a horse, so as
to impede hny to the necessary notions of
the fovt. And yet most of the London furriers
totally ignorant of the anatomy of the
horse's foot and of tho various uses of its
several parts,so apply the shoe as always to
produce the effects we have just endeavored
to describe. Having often before observed
that we nowhere find such bad horsemanship
as in the London parks?we may here
add, that whenever we see an awkward
fellow gallop by, riding upon his curb, and
allowing his snafHe rein to hang loosely upon
the horse's neck, we are sure, on further
examination, to find the poor nnimnl sufTer
ing from bad shoeing, ignerance in riding
seems always the concomitant of ignorance
in treatment of the horse, and he who takes
no trouble to lenrn to do the former with the
# least possible inconvenience to the animal,
- .u? i ...
will pay little or no ai enuon iu mc wm-i.
One of the most important organs of the
foot of a horse is that portion which every
body knows under the designaiion of the
frog. Upon the health of this organ dopeuds
that of the whole foot?and yet
the ignorant farrier seems to have conceived
so violent an antipathy to this frog
he always endeavors to cut as n uch of it
away as he possibly con, without actually
wounding the animal?and ns for the mode
of shoeing generally adopted a great portion
of the frog is often dried up and decayed,
the blacksmith finds no great difficul
y in paring it away to almost nothing.
Tne consequence of this we shall endeavor
to explain, by describing the use of the
frog.
Thisorganis seated at the heel, just benea;b
the hoof, and behind its bars- It
forms u sort of case for the end of the flexor
tendon, which it covers like a bulb. It
likewise secretes an unctuous liquor which
serves to keep the horn of the hoof moist
and to prevent it from cracking. The frog
is also an clastic wedge, which contracts
- -* - ?- .l- l c i e
ana cxpanua wnn me iioor, nnu wnen iihk
wedge receives its duo pressure as the animal
walks, it keeps the bars in their proper
state of expansion and counteracts any tendency
in the hoof to permanent contraction.
Thus, then, its functions are indispensable
to keep the foot sound?for if it were dostrojed,
d?e bottom of the floxor tendon of
the leg would be exposed to disenso?again,
if it did not secrete oil to keep the hoof moist,
the latter would crack?as is often the case,
lost])*, if it were dried up and deprived of
its elastic power, the foot would become
permanently contracted, and the horse
lame, which is a matter of very common
occurrence.
Two things are cviJent from what we
have just stated. 1. The secretion, elasti.
^ city and mechanical action of tho frog, are
absolutely necessary to keep the foot of
the horse in a sound state. 2. If from improperly
placing the shoe, or from any other
cause, the frog should be deprived of the
stimulus necessary to enable it to carry on
its natural action, the foot must full into a
state of disease. With reference to this
latter, from the position of tho foot, and the
resources provided by nature, it can occur
but very seldom that any accidental cause
deprives the frog of its power ol action?
mid as it is an undoubted fact that the shoe,
when improperly put ou (as it is in seven
tRMI
.1 .v n c h
i!sfs^
WBKHHWBWHLiaBBKilMnBWB?B?PW33BB8
I cases out of ten) producer this effect, by
raisi.ig the heel and preventing the frog
from receiving the slightest pressure?and j^
the necessary pressure can alone give the
proper stimulus?it is reasonable to con- ^
elude that most cases of diseased feet in
horses and diseased action is the effect of
I_1 !_
uau snoring. j
If the firrier would observe the borse in wil
a state of nature,?if he would examine the Tf
yet unbroken, and consequently unshodden Ca
colt he would find that the broad, circular ha:
fool presses fully on ihe ground, the frog re- By
ceiving as the nnima! wulks, at each elas- ths
tic rebound caused by the play of the pas- tur
tern, a slight pressure against the ground, oth
which excites it, keeps it in healthy action, mu
and indued preserves the whole foot from by
disease. He would ulso perceive, after a bus
inore minute observation, not only is the by
frog an elastic body, but that the hoofitse f, Cul
though a horny substance, is elastic, and <?ra
that it contracts and expands by the action jnr
of ihe muscles of the sensible foot, of wh ch j
it is only the case or covering, preserving it br(
from injury, but > elding 'o all its impulses, pre
He would then, if he w?>re not a dolt reu- pu
son ?pon what he had observed, and infer for
tiiut lor a horse to be sound upon its feet, it "R
it must walk in that exact position is unnut- I an<
ural, and deprives the horse of a portion of mn
his power. He would also think that na- mc
ture, by placing the animal firmly on his wh
heels, and not on the front edge of its hoof, un<
as most horses stand when improperly ?
shod, did so for some wise purpose, and that Ha
the slight blows given to the fiog as the ani- oth
mal walked, were not without an object,
and therefoie ought to be continued even noi
when the shoes were on,?unless, indeed cot
he had tho presumption, like the be-breech- the
ed und bu. booted louts in London livery far
stubles, to fancy that he knew better than ab<
nature. He would at least conclude that the coi
shoe ought to be made to fit the horse's foot in I
as shoes of Christian folks are made, not the unl
loot pared ard burned down to fit the shoe cat
?and that m fining on the latter, idiosyn- anc
erases (dear reader, excuse the term) must lcr<
be as fully attended to as would be done by die
the fashionable boot-maker in Regent street, tf? 1
when taking recount of bunions and other leri
peculiarities on the feet, of one of his fash. l^e
ionable customers. ma
Unhappily for the poor horses, there are cor
but few observing farri< rs in London, for ?rc
there are too many cockneys who ride in |pr
the park on their curb rein, and know no'hof
the habits or comforts of the poor animal Qf j
they bestride, to allow furriers time for im. joa(
provcment in their craft?and as we have cor
before observed the oraculor sayings of ig- gcr
norant grooms being received in prefer- as
ence to the dicta of men of information, j^o
there is no encouragement held out to those jg
who would otherwise devote their time or urP
their energies to the question. ur |
It is much to be desired that a shoe were hoi
tnventend which should have the faculty vve
of yielding to the different impressions one
which tlie hoof would impart to it through obj
i:s elastic action, which nction, however, is lha
but sligh\ In applying a hard, unyielding hoi
iron shoe to a substance which gently con- is 1
tracts and expands during the action of thr
walking, a degree of inconvenience must al- foi
ways be felt by the animal?but this incon- len
venience is increused when the natural po- the
fho (nnt ia nilopffl. It hppnmfiS. SH'
nun ui inu ivui " ? ? .. 7
then;fore, n mutter of vita I importance to uri
tha well-being of the animal that the shoe so
should be so formed and fast' ned on as to f'v
allow that die action to con inue unimpeded spi
which nature has imparted to the horse's ; an
foot* Per this purpoee we offer the follow- ! Mi
in? directions, hoping that, as we have call- mi
ed the attention of our readers to the sub_ w!
ject, they will give it their earnest attention, co
The horses fool h-ing circular and not
oval, the shoe should be made in that form fic,
?or rather the hoof should be measured, mj
and the; shoe made exactly to correspond. ov
An oval or eliptic foot is generally, nay, m(
we may say always, diseased. It has as- ur(
sumed that shape in consequence of the or
contraction of the bars, brought in solely
by a diseased state of the frog for want cn
of pressure?and in no one instance of oval
formed feet will the frogs be foun I healthy. jjri
The moment the foot is Pfted from the to,
ground, the smell indicates the diseased frog, e;
ihough perhaps cockney equestrians con- pol
sider this the natural perfume of the organ up
when in heal.b.
The shoe should be as light as possible sy
consis'ently with the labor the animal has
to undergo. Before it is put on, the hoof !n
should he pared away towards the SH.
heels, in such a manner that with tlie shoe 'n
the horse should stand with the frog close fit-'
to the ground, ns when in a state of nature? fot
wh"n the shoe is on, it should be filed away sti
towards the h(?ls, being left sufficiently thi
thick to enable the frog in the natural po- of
silion of the animal without a rider or bur- ca
then, just to clear the ground?so that when be
the horse bears its burthen or its rider, the qu
frog of the sboed foot should receive the
same pressure from the ground that it 18
would do if the shoes were taken off and 18
the animal turned loose. When ahorse is 18
shod according to the present system, be- 18
sides the various diseases brought on by the
want of the action of the frog, the animal cr<
walks upon its toes, (the expression cannot W
be misunderstood,) and the proper muscular
action of the foot and leg is perverted. O*
Hence many horses full dead lame without
the furrier being able to assign any cause I Pc
for it, although he v\i!l talk dogmatically
enough on the subject to confound those H'
who know bo better than himself. ac
* 9JZ.
UBS'
E II .1 W .1
v. sootii-cakoijnaT
BB?BtiW-' ? fm? ???
1
From the American Farmer.
Washington County Farming. i
S. Skinner, Esq. May 17th, 1840 J
Dear S.r;?I am truly gratified to find hy !
:cnt publications in the American Farmer, "
n have enlisted in behalf of the agricul. '
|
al interest, n gentleman whose talenrs
be useful, and zeal already manifested, ?
II be an acquisition of material benefit.? 1
ie gentleman to whom I allude, Win
rmichael, Esq., of Queeu Ann's County, v
s set us an example worthy of imitation. ^
a free interchange of opinion*, and by *
geminating our experience in agricul- 1
al pursuit, we may hope to elicit from
lers, similar efTor:s, which ultimately
ist produce beneficial results. Stimu'a cd
- - ? i _-i -1 .i__ :
suefi incentives nun convincca mai mc ?
il mode to attain the desired object, is {
a full and free disclosure of our practi- '
experience, 1 now offer for your consid- i
ition and better judgement the follow- s
r;
[n order that many f.rms sho 11 be t
)ught under the most productive and r
jfitatable system, I have for some years 1
rsued the eight field systeui.?I will take f
example the farm on whicn I reside, I
Oakland,'' containing, clear of woodland I
J lots, eight fields of 23 or 24 acres each, t
king in the eight fields 189 acres.?My *
ide of cultivation has been three fields in f
eat, one field in corn, one field in oats, s
1 three fields in clover. f
One of the clover fields intended for '
iy, (clover and timothy mixed.) the i
ier two clover fields are for pasture. t
My farmyard is a basin, from which I
ae of the water or lye can escape.?1
Timonced making my crop of manure in r
month of August, by throwing in'o my I
m ynr l any old straw or rubish collected r
jut the farm; as soon as cold weather f
nmences.my cattle are confined of nights ?
the yard and turned out duriug the day, r
;il the pastures become tshort, then, the i
tie are confined altogether to the yard, c
J horses are stabled?straw is then sea - ?
ed over the yard, and the manure from r
horse stable, once in each week, is taken I
a horse cart from the stable and scat. L
ed over the farm yard, and immediately a
reafter, a cart of straw strewed over the t
tic i a A/\nt iiMin/1 iitifi) ( l\
,11141** & "l<J pi 19 V.UUI1UUWU UiUM
month ef March, at which period we t
nmencc carrying out the manure for our li
iund, By this plan I carted out in the t
ing of 1839, two hundred and eighty nine s
gon loads of manure, and in the spring v
1840, two hundred audfifty.three wagon d
ds, completely saturated with the lye c
named in the yard, which was before do- t
ibed in a complete basin. The manure
carried out, is immcdirtely ploughed t
w, Sir, permit mo here to remark, that i
/our frequent statement of loads of man- c
, wc are left in the dark as to the kind r
!o;?d, whether it be a one, Iao, or three t
se cart or wagon load,?consequently e
are ignorant of the quantity deposited on ?
;h acre. In order to remove the same l
lection as to my statement, 1 will remark, i
it four planks constitu:es the whole t
dy in which the manure in each wagon (
oaded. The floor of the wagon body is
ce feet six inches wide, anJ the length c
irteen feet long, the sides the same j
ifrih and two feel three inches in height"; t
o # # ?
plank being one inch nnd a half thick 1
tvcd for the purpose. The manure, sat- '
sted with lye, is piled up on the planks, (
as to make a heavy draught for four or i
e horses. The crop of manure for the 1
ring operations, is thus all taken out, 1
d*my farm yard cleatcd off by the lust of ,
irch.?At this period commences the i
iking of the summer crop of mtnurc, f
ion the remaining wheat straw and the !
rn stalks are used as before stated, with
) stable manure spread over, &/\, until i
j cattle leave the yard for the pasture ?
Ids, about the midJle of May. The 1
inure then in the farm yard is covered ,
er with a thick layer of straw, until the i
inth of Angust, by which time the man- '
e is sufficiently decomposed and in good 1
der to bo ploughed under in our fallow
Ids, then preparing for wheat. Of this j
ap of manure we take out every summer j i
out one hundred and sixty or one hun- '
ed and severity wagon loads, making ul* j
jether, (on this farin of one hundred and j
jhly-nine acres of arable land) at leust
ir hundred wagon loads of good mane.
I have this year made a change in my i
stem of farming, and in future my opera- 1
ns will be?two fields in wheat, one field
corn, nnd one field in roots, nnd oats? (
y II 1-2 acres in roots, nnd 11 1*2 acres
oats?three fields for pasture and one 1
Id for hny. Thus having every year
jr fields in grass?one of them to cut?
II pursuing the eight field sys'em. By j i
is plan I shall increase my blooded stock L
cattle, &c. We consider the increase of
ttle particularly essential, as our land is
coming entirely too light for wheat, re'*
tring the presure of the hoof.
'1 he rotation in my new system is,
140, corn, 1844, clover,
141, roots, or roots and oats, 1845, wheat,
142, wheat, 1846, clover,
43, Clover, X04<, CIOYt:r?
From the above I consider an ^average
ap will be of
heat, 1200 bushels,
irn, 1000 11
us, 500 " 1
jots, I have not sufficient experience,
>rk, (as at present) 8 to 10,000 weight,
sef Cattle, 15 to 20 head for sale,
?y, say 25 tons from the one ftelJ of 23 ,
res. Sincerely, and respectfully yours, j
F. Tilgiiman, Rockland.
}AZ
D r E R T
Wednesday, septem
Leaves of Trees, Fodder for Caltle. ?A
remarkable feature in the Agriculture of
France, and in most Warm countftesfis
he use of leaves of trees us food for catile.
Vot only are mulberry, olive, poplar, vine
tnd other leaves gathered in autumn, when
hey begin to change color, and acquire a
sweetness of taste, but spray is cur green
n July, dried in the sun or in the shade of
rees in woods, fagoted, and shocked for
vinter use. During that season they are
;iven to sfvep and cattle like hay; astrinjency
of some leaves, as the oak, is eseemed
medicinal, especially for slieep.
From Stewarts Stablo Economy.
THE HORSE?PRINCIPLES OF FEEDING.
The principles of feeding are facts which
nfluence and ought to regulate the practice
^'feeding. The word feeding refers to
he mangf,r food, given at intervals, not to
he hay or fodder, which is almost conitantly
within the horse's reach.
People who are unacquainted with sta..
>Ie affairs make many blunders in the
nanageinenl of their horses, and particular,
y in feeding tliem. Th?-y reason to much
rorn ?nalogy. The rules which regulate
heir own diet are applied to that of the
lorse. Medical men are remarkable for
his. A skilful surgeon expressed his con.
rictioi that stablemen are full of error and
>rejunuce regarding the diet of horses. He
laid, *1 order my patients to live on plain
ood, :>n that which does not tempt excess;
md I tell them to desist when satisfied. It
s thus I treat my horse," con:iuued he, "I
eve hm plain wholesome food, as much as
le likes, and when he likes."
This is sufficiently absurd; it is a comnon
way ofspeaking only with the ignorant
t might be a very good rule, if there wpre
10 food for the horse bu' grass, and none
or man but bread. Horses may eat more
train, and men more beef than their work
cquires : or the plain, wholesome nourshment,
as it is called, may not suffice for
:?Ttair> kinds of work. It is this, it is the
vork which renders enro and sys'em so
lecessary in the feeding of horses. Men I
lave to work too, but very few have labor I
iearing any resemblance to that of the horse
md those few are compelled to regulate
heir die' by rub s which are not known to
he bulk of mankind. The diver, the
oxer, the runner, the wres lor, must not
ivu like other men. The fermentable naure
of the horse's food, and the peculiar
tructure of his s'omach which forbids
omiting, nnd the abstinence from food and
Irink occasionally required by the work, are
ulipr circumstances which demand partic
liar attontion to the mode of feeding.
Slow work aids digestion, empties the
towels, and sharpens the appetite. Hence
t happens that on Sunday night and Monluy
morning there are more coses of colic
ind founder than during any other port of
he week. Horses that never want an
ippeiiie ought not to have an unlimited
tllowance of hny on Sunday ; they have
? .??
ime to eat a great ae.ti more man umj
n.eJ and the torpid siuteof the stomach and
)owels produced by a day of idleness renJers
an additional quantity very dangerous.
The Iiuiiscstion of Abstinence may in some
:ases arise from an enfeebled conditien of tlie digestive
apparatus. The stomach and bowels may
partake of the general Ijnguor and exhaustion,
md be in some measure unable to perform their
unctions; but of this there is no proof. When a
lorse has fasted all day, he is very apt to have colc
soon after he is fed at night. It happens very
rften. The voracious manner in which the horse
beds has something to do with it. He devours
?is food in great haste, without sufficient masticalon,
and he often eats too much. The sudden
uid forcible distension of the stomach probablyrenders
it unable to perform its duty. The quantity,
the quality, and the hurried ingestion of die
"ood, account for the frequency of colic, after a
ong fast, without supposing the stomach is weak,
i'he appetite seems to indicate that it is not.
The result may Ixj prevented. Give the horse
Food oftcner. When prolonged abstinence is unavoidable,
give him hiss than he would eat. Divide
the allowance into two feeds, with an interval
of at least one hour between each. In this
*1 ? !.? otAmoiili ij r\\r?>Tm
Wily I lie UJIJJCIUC Ult'0 LKTlUiU UIC ClUiKllou *49
loaded. To prevent liurrieJ ingestion, give fixxl
that is not easily eaten Boiled meat, after a long
fast, is unsafe, and grain should be mixed with
chaff.
The CebiUtyor Inanition of Abstinence is denoted
by dulness. The horse is languid, feeble
and offensive. Want of food tames the very wildest;
and sometimes vieious horses are purposely
starved to quietness. The time a horse may fast
before he may lose any portion of his vigor, varies
very much in different individu als. In some few
it may depend upon peculiarity of form. Light bellied
narrow-chested horses cannot afford to fast
so long as those of round and large carcass. But
in general, the power of fasting depends upon habit,
the kiml of food only twice or thrice a-day,he
can fast longer by an hour or two, without exhaustion
then when he is in the habit of eating
four or five times. Asa general rule, liale, however,
to many eceeptions, it my be held that a
horse begins to get week soon alter the usual hour
of eating is past. The degree and rapidity with
which his vigor faiis depends upon his work and
condition. If idle, or nearly so, for a day or two
previous, he may miss two or three meals before
exhanstation is apparent. Langour is probably
felt sooner. If in low condition, he cannot fast
long without weakness. II? has nothing to spare.
If his usual food be all or partly soft, he cannot bear
abstinence so well as when it is all or partly hard.
By slow work, i mean that which is performed
at a walk, not that which hurries the
breathing, or produces copious perspiration.
The moderate exertion of which I speak does
not, as some might suppose, interfi re with the
digestive process. It is attended with some
- rtnf fimonl
waste } there is some expeutmuic ui liuti aiuvuv|
and that seems to excite activity in the digestive
apparatus for the purpose of replacing the
loss. Farm and cart-horses are fed immediately
before commencing their labor, and the
appetite with which they return shows that the
stomach is not full; but.
During Fast Wore, digestion U suspended.
Of this we have not indeed, any positive proof,
but there is good reason for believing it. In
the general commotion excited by violent exertion,
the stomach can hardly be in a favorable
condition for performing its duty. The
blood circulates too rapidly to permit the for
SETT
/ Z E R.
[BFJR 30, J 840
| mation of gastric juice, or its combination with
the food ; and, it may be, the blood and the
nervous influence are so exclusively concentrated
and expanded upon the muscular system,
that none can be spared for carrying on
the digestive process. llut this is mere theory.
It is better to appeal to facts.
The Effects of East Work on a Full Stomach
are well enough known among experienced
horsemen. The horse becomes sick, dull, and
breathless. He is unwilling, or unfit to proceed
at his usual pace ; and if urged onward, he
quickly shows all the symptoms of over-mark,
nig. to which I allude among the accidents, of
work. The effects are not always the same.
Sometimes the horse is simply over-marked,
distressed by work that should not produce any
distress. Some take colic, 6oine are founder,
ed, some broken.winded. The most frequent
result is over marking in combination with
colic. Perhaps the colic, that is, the fermentation
of the food, begins before the horse is distressed
; but whether or not, his distress is al.
ways much aggravated by the colic.
These effects are not entirely produced by
indigestion. The difficulty of breathing may
be ascribed to mere fulness of the stomach.
Pressing upon the diaphragm, and encroaching
upon the Jungs, it prevents a full inspiration ;
and its weight, though not, perhaps exceeding
eight or nine pounds, must have considerable
influence upon a horse that has to run at lull
speed, and upon the who has to go far, though
not so fast.
Some horses commence purging on the road
if fed directly before starting. They seem to
get of the food, entirely or partly?for these,
which are generally light-beilied horses do
nor suffer so much, nor so often, from any of
the t vil connected with a full stomach. The
purgation, however olten continues too long,
and is followed by great exhaus.ion. They
should be kept short of water on working days,
and they should have a large allowance of
beans.
All work, then, which materially hurries
the breathing ought to be performed with an
empty stomach, or at least without a full stomach.
Coaching, horses are usually fed from
one to two .lours before starting, and bay is
wittheld after the corn is eaten. Hunters are
fed early in the morning : and I believe racers
sometimes receive no food on running days till
their work be over. Abstinence, however,
must not be carried so far as to induce exhaustion
before the work commences.
After Fast Work is concluded, it is a little
while ere the stomach is in a condition to
digest the food. Until thirst has been allayed,
and the system calmed, there is seldom any
appetite. If the horse have fasted long, or be
tempted by an article of which he is very fond,
he my be induced to cat. But it is not right
to let him ; a little docs him no good, and a
full feee does him harm. The stomach par- i
taking of the general excitement, is not prepared
to receive the food. Fermen'ation
takes place, and the horse's life is endangered;
I or the food lies in the stomach unchanged, and
produces founder. *
Food, then, is not to bo given after work till
the horse be cool, his breathing tranquil, and his
pulse reduced to its natural standard. By the
time he is dressed and wateicd, ho is generally
raady for feeding.
Salt and Spices aid Digestion.?On a journ. i
ey, or after n severe d iy, horses often refuse their
food. When fatigued, tired off his fond, a hand
fill of salt may he thrown among tho horses' corn.
That will often induce him to eat it, and it will
assist digestion, or ai least rwider fermentation
less likely to occur. Some, however, will not
eat even with this inducement Such may have
a cordial ball, which in general produces an appetite
in ten minutes. I am speaking of cases in
which the horse has become cool, and those in
which tho work has not fevered him. Tho horse
should always be cool before food is off red ; and
if his eye be red, and pulso quick, cordials, sa t,
* * i ii & l_; .1 I
an'J tlic ordinary iooa are an loroiuuun. mc
horse is fevered.
Abstinkxcr unusnally prolonged is connected
with indigestion, and it produces debi ity.
Horses in daily and ordinary woik should seldom
fast more than three or four hours. They
gencially get corn four or five times a day, an J
between the feeding hours they are permitted to
eat hay ; so that, except during work, very few
horses fast more than four hours. But some,
such as hunters and racers, are often required to
fast much longer. Hunters are sometimes out
for more than nine hours, and they go out with
an empty stomach, or very little in it. The
only evil arising from such prolonged abstinence
is exlnnstion, and among fast-working horses
tat cannot bo avoided. The work and absti.
nonce together may produco groat exhaustion
and depression, ana me uorne may rvijuuu pc?uat
days of rest to restore him. ]3ut if he had
been fed in tire middle of this trying work, he
would have been unable to complete it. The
evils arising from prolonged abstinence are iess
dang rous than those arising from fust work on
a full stomach.
The work which must be performed with an
empty stomach should be finished as quickly as
circumstances will p rmit. In order that the
raaer or hunter may have all the vigor he ought
to havo, his work should bo ovei before abstinence
begins to produce debility. How long he
must fust before he is fit to commence his tusk
must depend upon the pice, the distance, and
the horse's condition. Tno stomach, aflcr an
ordinary ineal of grain, is probably empty in
about four hours. For a pace of eight or ten
miles an hour it does not need to be empty; if
the food be so far digested that it will readily
ferment, a little may remain in the stomach
without rendering the horse unfit for exertion
of this kind. Coaching horses, therefore, go to
the road in from one to two hours after feeding
For a hunting-pace, perhaps a digestion of two
hours will secure the food from fermentation ;
and in that time, after a moderate meal, the
weight and bulk of die food which remains in
the stomach will not emcumbor the horse, nor
impede his breathing. For a racing.psoe the
stomach must be empty, and the bowels must not
bo full. I do not know exactly how long racers
are fed beforo commencing their work. The
time appears to vary, spare feeders not being
required to fast so long as those of better appetite.
I rather think that they aro often, or
sometimes kept too long without tood, but I have
little right to venture an opinion on the subject.
It appears that racers sometimes receive no food
011 running day till their work is over. If hay
were withheld for twelve hours, and corn for
three or four before starling, I should think such
restriction would be sufficient. These horses
however, arc always in high condition; they can
alFnrd to fast for a long time before fasting produces
exhaustion, and the distance they run is
so short that the expenditure of nutriment is nut
great. With horses in lower condition, having
less spiro nutriment in them, a fast of twelve
hours produces a sensible diminution of energy
and in this stato he is not fit to perform all that
be cou'd perform after abstinence of only four
or six hours. Iu the course of training, either
-r ^
mm - -~z > ;
A f |
I
?WW?i???
NUMBKR 46 !
for tho course or fi-Id, the groom should leara
hour long tho horse can boar .fastin| without 1<h
sing vigor, and that will te'l fiim how to regulate
the diet on the day of wo k.
When the distance is considerable, or the
work requiring several hours of continuous exer*
tion, the waste of nutriment is greater than
when the di-dance is short, or the work soon ,
over, and tho abetinenco might be regulated
accord ngly. For a long road, the sooner a horse
is fit to begin his task alter feeding, the lese will
he be exhausted at the end of it.
To prevent in aorne degree, the debility of
abstinence when the work iorbids food, K re not
unusual, 1 beliove, to give a little spirits, or wiua.
Between the heats of a race a pint of shevy or
two* glasses of brandy may be given in a tjdsffc
of water. The horse will drink it, and I do not
know of any objoction to such a practice. Tho
energy it inspires is over in about an hour, and if
is developed in loss than ten minutes. From ten
to fifteen minutes before running is, therefor*
tho proper time to give it; the horse may run id
five, but in that case the race will be over before
the stimulant operates.
I have said tha*. the only evil arising from
prolonged abstinence is exhaustion. There isi
however, one more, and though of little consequence,
it deservos notice. When tho stomach ^
is empty, and the bowels containing very little
tho horse is sometimes treubled with flatulence.
The bowels seem to contain a great deal of aift
They are noisy; the horse has slight intermit*
ting colicky pains, w liich do not last above &
minute, are never violent, and cease as the air is
expelled. I have never known this require any
particular treatment; but a little spirits, or half
a dose of the colic mixture, removes it at once.
CuL. CAJiriJEU LETTEX.
/ /I - - J %
\Kjonunue a.)
But although, 1 differ from Mr. Van Btfren
upon ur. important feature of the present
Sub-treusury law, and entirely dissent from
his recommendation to embrace the State
Banks in a general Bankrupt law, I am op*
posed to allowing the Banks the custody of
the public money to be used for privote of
commercial purposes, or to make them m
any way the areries through which the blood
of the body politic must circulate. 1 am
also opposed to a United S;atcs Bunk i nof
do 1 believe thai such an institution is a necessary
ukeruuiivc, us has been asserted of
the sp< cio clause o( the Sub Treasury law.
The absurdity of this assertion is, 1 think*
manifest on the luces of the law itself, which
is now in operation, and whish, for the first
| year, requites only onc.forth of the public
dues to be paid in gold and silver; for, is itwithin
the bounds of human ingenuity i<y
give an intelligible reason why the whole
of the Government dues mny not ns well
be received, as they have hitherto beeff*eith?
er in specie or in lite bills of spceie
paying Banks, convertible on demand
into specie, without the agency of a United
States Bank aS to receive three*fourths in
such currency, without such an agoni? In
strong corrobrution too of the position thaC
1 have often contended for before you. to
wit, that iho exaction of specie exclusively,
was under proper regulations, not necessary
ns a security to the public funds. I will refer
- - .v - v
you to House Documents No 10, of the
last Session, it being a letter from the Sec-^
rotary of the Treasury, containing a state*
rnenl of moneys expended by each Administration
of the Government, from 1789 to
1837, &c. From this document it appear*
that from 1817 to 1836, both inchrsrve, embracing
a period of 20 years, during the
whole of which time the joint resolution of
1816, authorising either specie or the bills of
specie paying Banks to be received in pay*
ment of the public dues, was in full opcrnl.
ion, except so far as it wns limited by the
Treasury Circular of 1834, und daring
which period th<> aggregate receipt* of the
General Government amounted in round
numbers to five hundred and two millions
of dollars, not n single cent is ascertained to
have been lost by the depreciation of Bank
Notes. Let it also b? remembered that for
a part ol this time the United States Bank
wus in no way the fiscul agent of the Gov
ernment?that the fluctuations in trade were
unusually great, and that the legal organization
of the Treasury Department was very
imperfect. But enough ol this. The Sub
- - .f _
Treasury Bill with the specie clause is me
law of the land, and should it operate injur,
iously on the Foreign commerce or internal
trade of the country, or in any way be prejudicial
to its general prosperity, it may at
any time be repealed. A United States
Bunk on the con'rary, if chartered, most remain
in force till at least i s charter has expired,
which will probably be not less than
20 years. Mr. Van Biren would veto a
Bill to charter a United Stutes Bank, Gen.
Harrison, tho' he cannot 1 think, in justice
be regarded as the partisan, perhaps not
even as the advocate of such nr? institution,
would, I have no doubt sign a bill to charier
n Bunk, should Congress pass it?particully
as from the ser.iim? n:s of those, upon
whom, ifel< cled, he must principally rely for
advice and support, it would noi be d fBcult
to induce him to believe that the public interest
in relation to the collection and disbursement
of the revenue, would materially
suffer without one, and that there were unequivocal
manifestations of public opinion
in iis favour. The contingencies upon the
occurence of which he staiod in his fetter fa
the Hon. Sherod Williams, written in 1836, that
fin would siirn a bill La inoornorate a Bank-. Wish
ing, however, gentlemen,"to give you a full
viow of Gen. Harrison's position upon this subject
so far as I am able, i will mention that in
a letter written to the editor of the Inquirer in
ii?!1822,in which he gives an outline of Ins political
opinions; other among things, he says, that
he "believes the charter of the late Bank of the
United States to be unconstitutional, it being
not of those measures necewarry to carry
any of the expressly granted powers into eflfect."
Boili the candidates for the Presidency may
be considered as implicated to tire constitutionality
ol appropriations for internal improtementaby
the General Government. Siucebehas
President, Mr. Van Buren has not only ;
signed the Cumberland Road Bill, winch if pre