Farmers' gazette, and Cheraw advertiser. (Cheraw, S.C.) 1839-1843, January 12, 1842, Image 1
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VOLUME VII CHER AW. SOUTH-CAROLINA, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1842 NUMBER ? *
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t ? 1 ? . vv * '** J? '* ? / /
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By M. MAC IiEAHT.
Tcmvs:?Punlished weekly it three dollars a
jeer; with an addition, when not paid within
three months, of twenty per cent per annum.
Two new subscribers may take the pnpor at
fire dollar* in advance; ami ten at twenty.
Four subscribers, not receiving their paper*
in town, may pay a year's subscription with ten
dollars. In advance.
A yoar's subscription always due in advance.
Papers not discontinued to solvent subscribers
in arrears.
Advertisement* not exceeding Ifilino* inserted
r one dollar the first time, nud fifty cents each
nheoquent tune. F<?? insertions at intervals of
two w?*'ks 75 cents after the first, and a dollar
if the intervale are longer. Payment due in
advance for advertisements. When the number
f insertions is not marked on the copy, the <
advertisement will be inserted, and charged til
rdered out.
0"The postage must be paid on lnttera to the
oditoron the hn?in??s* of the office.
Si?i
RKKKBI^O AND TRRATMKNT OK HOKSKS. |
To the Editor* of the Cultivator:?
Yntir correspondent W. B. From North
C nrolinn. express n wish /<> m some
extended remark-* on the best manner of
treating work and travel ling horsesand j
you a*k some of your correspondents to i
reply to his tinquiry. To do so fully i
? "u _ k,wJ, ...? '
WVHIIII rn|i|lir <1 ifuui\ ?m paiii|/ui^i UI n
considerable size. But the subject is
w highly important to all who own horses j
/ and particularly to those, of whom there
re inanv who know little or nothing of
their proper treatment: I will, therefore, j
oiler * few remarks in the hope that some ;
of your correspondents who are bell, r ;
qualified than I am, may he tempted by j
my efforts to enlarge upon it. My ohser- \
vation* will consist chiefly of directions '
condensed froin works published in .
England, under the supervision of the ;
Society for the Diffusion of Knowledge.
The first is entitled 44 The Horse" and
ishyfar the best treatise I have ever'
read in regard both to the theory and j
practice of the veterinary art; no farmer j
should he without it. The second was
only published last year, and is called ,
** Outlines of Flemish Husbandry." It
?A?itaina mi uv fcort' Hurtful /liraolinno 'iQ ,
v?'ii?nii?n Minn T ?%# v u^i'iui uHvvii'Min j
to the management of farm, horses, the j
correctsnes* of which, a* well as of those '
in the Horse Book, none could fail to
perceive, if I had room to present the r a
aous fwr them, togetuer with the directions
of themselves.
To begin with the stable. This should
be an constructed that its temperature
during spring, summer, and fall, should he
very nearly the *aine as that of the open
air; and in winter, not more than 10 defrees
above that of the external atinos.
pltere. The size recommended as host,
is (in the. propo/tmn for six horses) 40 feet
long. 13 or 14 wide, and 15 feet high, if
a loft is made to it. in which case there
should he n plastrred ceiling, to prevent
the hay from being scented by the exhalations
of the stalls and floor. The whole
stable, especially the stalls, should he kept
a? clean as practicable, by frequently
changing the heds and strewing plaster of
40 Paris on those spots, where the urine falls.
This not onlv prevents its offensive odor,
by combining with it ammonia, hut thereby
forms one of the most powerful of all
the new manures y?*t discovered. The
floor of the stalls should he sloped harelv
enough to drain off the urine not abstracted
by the litter and plaster of Paris, since
a level position for tne horses' feet is the
m<?*t natural, and consequently best for
the muscles and sinews of their legs and
ankles.
Light is quite as essential to the soundnessofyour
horses'eves, as pure air is j
to the health ot his hod v. Rut it should '
b" let in through glazed window*, and
open grating*, which serve also as ventilators,
under the cave* of the roof. No
opening* should he inade,either under the
manger*, or opposite., or just ahove the!
horse* heads, a* partial streams of air of- ,
ten produce colds, with all their had con- !
sequence.'* in horses; especially it'they
lire put up in such stable* immediately
after being much heated, and before they
are rubbed dry. A glaring light, however,
should always be avoided, since horses
caa neither r?*t, nor sleep, nor fatten so
well in such light, as in that which is moderate.
Under the head of11 grooming," it is recommended4to
treat farm horses differentIvJ
from those kept for the saddle and
carnage. The farm horse which is
worker) hard all day, and turned out at
night, requires little more than to have
the dust brushed off from his limbs, since ;
the dandruff or scurf which is removed by ,
the curry-comb, is a provision of nature to j
defend him from the wind and the cold.
Rut if generally stabled, then currying, |
brushing, and ruhhing are necessary. I
The** operations are indispensable to j
Middle and carriage horse*; and should a|. 1
ways be performed in the open air when |
the weather permits. They open the ;
pores of the skin, and in circulating the
blood, in augmenting free, healthy, insen.
aible perspiration, nerve instead of exor.
rise, when that cannot he taken. More-|
over, it regularly and carefully performed,
with a plenty of good food in which two
or three tahle.spoons full of brown sugar
i* occasionally mixed, they will secure
that fine, glossy, dappled coat, to attain
which, the health, and not unfrequently j
the life, of the hor*?* is aacrified, by keep-!
ing him covered up with blankets. Care
should be taken iu using both the curry,
comb aod brush, especially when new,
not toapplv them roughly, particularly to
horsesthat have tender skins, .and fine,
thin hair. For nil *urh the curry-comb is i
hardly necessary, if they are well rubbed,
and dressed with a soft brush and hair- ,
cloth.
Horses which are constantly stablod, ,
should be moderately exercised for two ^
hours a day, when the weather permits, if
voir would keep thern perfectly healthy.
This, however, should depend somewhat
on their age, as a young horse requires '
more exercise than an old one, But for
5 neither should it he violent, when given '
for health; nor should the horse ever he i
put up until he is cool. The whip or spur 1
should never be used for any fault but i
dullness or obstinacy, although it is very <
common to do it both for starting and s
stumbling, both of which are certainly ,
? ? ? ? U.. .. I ka pnhu 4 Uo r 1/4.1 p
nKJC m? men i?v lit uini irsivui ?n'< i?v ,
punishes himself, in the end, much more
than he does his horse. In fact, harsh, ;
cruel treatment to horse? succeeds as^bad- |
ly as it does with children; and all who
are so brutal and inhuman as to he guilty
of it, deserve well to become its victims:
neither whip nor spur would l?e had remedies
for thtir detestable tempers and habits.
It is common, immediately after hard
wo king or travelling in hot weather, to
wash horses all over, or swim them in
water much cooler than their skins or the
atmosphere. This practice is very dangerous,
often producing colds, fevers, and
not unfrequently, fatal chronic complaints,
unless the same exercise is speedily
repeated. .Even the paitial application J
of very cold water to parts of the body,
or the head, or the legs, when the horse is {
much heated, should be avoided; for his 9
appearing to be gratified bv it is no more '
a proof that it is good for him. than the '
manifest gratification of a sot in dram- 1
drinking, after having been drunk, is '
proof that he is benefitted thereby. The 1
poor horse which knows no better, ex- '
periences present relief, at the expense of
future suffering that he is incapable of '
anticipating, or brute as he is, he would '
probably reject it. Rubbing in the shade
and lending the horse about at intervals, '
constitute thu proper treatment both for
farm and other horses, when much dis
tress??d by severe work of any kind.
Rut all orrrautions to nrcserve the (
- r- ,
health arid vigor of your hordes will prove I
unavailable, unless you pay eqnai atten- '
lion to the kind and quality of their tood; I
the manner of feeding them, and also of |
giving them water. I '
To enable either farm or other horses i
to render the utmost service of which they { I
are capable, they should he fed wholly no J ,
dry food, the grain and long forage to he
old and sound, the first of which should ,
be ground, and the latrer chopped in all |
cases where practicable. For saddle and |
carriage horses under hard and constant i.
. II
usage, onlsarr better than Indian corn,and
that is preferable to everv other grain. 1
The blades also, when well cured, are
better than anv other kind of long forage, 1
as they contain more saccharine matter. .
When either farm or other horses' arc j
much heated, and great basic is indispen- i
sable, no other food should be given them |<
than a hand full or two of old corn or oat. I i
meal stirred into a few quarts of soft wa- ,
tcr, with a little salt dissolved in it. Be.
fore this is given, let their nostrils, inside ;,
and out, be cleansed by a sponge or rag I,
wet with vinegar and water, if the? former ;
can be piocured, if not, with water alone. I(
Altera very hard ride or travel in harness, ;
the horse should he suffered to swallow, ,
before any thing else is done to him, if j (
time and weather permit, rather than to I,
he led immediately into a stable to be I,
cleansed and cooled. L
Manger feeding with ground grnin and j |
chopped long forage, is now very general- i (
Iv preferred in England and Belgium, as '
well ashy the best judges in our own j ,
country, to the old fasioned, most waste- i ,
fill way of giving tingrmind grain in mail- ,
J gers, and unchopped forage in racks. ,
j Tnese last are disused every where, but ,
in a few places for green grass; and in |
j Ii?u of the rack, wide, deep mangers are
I adopted, with small iron or wooden bars j I
fastened across them, to prevent the j i
horses from throwing out their food. In ' <
| England the most common food for farm ; '
| horses consists of a mixture of bruised j
1 ? ???*i nK.ilf ... tliu nrmwtrlinn I I
irrnn.^ aim i uuii, hi hh. ...... ,
ofeight pounds of out*, which are equal '5
| to about five quarts, (their oats being a J J
j lew pounds heavier per bushel than ours,) j (
two pounds of beans, with twenty of chair, j |
i Thirty-uve or six pounds of such food is !
the day's allowance for medium sized j,
horses while at work, and forty pounds j
j of it for large horses. Such is the com- j
; inon allowance during winter, when the <
! horses arc constantly stabled. But from J
j the end of April to the end of July they j
I are usually turned out at night, and th?* j
| whole of rest da vs. Other kinds of food,
| however, are much used bv small farmers,
I such as barley, unmerchantable wheat,
| beans, peas, sweedish turnips, carrots,
and potatoes, with grasses of various kinds
but very little oats or rye.
In Belgium the chief food of their j
I farm horses consists of green clover in
' ?ut rimer, and roots with cut straw in win. ,
i tnr, A few oats arc occasionally given,
hut not in so regular a manner as to give
great muscular strength. They usually
go to work 4J doon as tt is light, oo iitiaue
-I
at it until ten, then rest and feed until 1
two or three o'clock, when they resume
and continue their labor till six or seven.
In harvest time they work front daybreak
until evening, resting only a few hours
in the heat of the da v. A pair of horses
with one plough are allowed for every 40
acres of arable land, the whole of which,
r>n an average, is ploughod twice and
harrowed three times; besides this they
cart fodder and manure, and do the bar.
vest work. Both in Belgium and Eng.
land, they are rnoierately watered before
and after feoding. When not worked,
water is given them three times a day,
ind always or the softest kind, w*hen it
can he procured. In ordinary travelling
ilso, a liberal supply of such water is
(trongly recommended to be given, a lit.
ii? ?I a tnna urhirh nrnvfiirta VP
ur m 1% kl|l|f}| FT "? I v?? ^1 VTVMTFT W??W v
thirst, and the consequent drinking to
axcess. This is very dangerous, especiillv
to a horse much heated, especially if
the water he very cold.
fn addition to the foregoing condensed
remards, taken chiefly from the two excellent
works already mentioned, permit
ne now to offer auch information as I
invo derived from others and from my
?wn long experience as nn owner of eve.
v kind of horses hut the race horse, in
ogard to the host mode of managing
: lie.se most useful animals in our own
wintry* I will ,4begin (asi the saying is)
it the beginning."
Colts should always he weaned before
he grass is generally gone, and should
>e put into some enclosure where they
.annot hurt themselves. Their dams
ihould he stahled for a few days, and
nilked if their hags swell much. These
colts should never he stnbled until hroke,
cor much after that before they are full
iirown. But they should have well covired
shelters, open to the south, under
which to protect themselves from had
weather. Plenty of good corn, fodder,
>r hay in winter, and grass when it comes,
ind as long as it lasts, will keep them
whilst unhroke, in a heokhv, growing
condition, which is far better than keeping
[hem very fat to force their growth bej/ond
what is natural; for overgrown
(lnrws, iikr orerjjrown mcit, fmcij, e?sr,
have hardihood, vigor, and Activity in
proportion to their size, lln fact, very
large horses a rc objectionable for all pur.
loses, except slow and heavy drafts.
The gentling of colts should commence
<oon after they are foaled, and continue
until thoy are hacked. Frequent hand-j
ling, occasional salting or feeding them I
mt of your hand, and stroking their necks I
arc all good practices. From two to j
three year* old they should he accustomed
by degrees to the saddle and bridle; a
light snaffle is best. Thus treated, the
breaking becomes so easy, that they will
rnrclv plav any tricks, and may be soon
taught even to stand fire, by shooting off
n. gun or a pistol for a few days, just as
they cotnmence^ating. In a word, uniformly
kind, gpntle treatment by their
master, will always make such go.nl, dorile,
gentle horses, that they will often
follow him like his dog, anil will manifest
aqua I regard for his person.
All the general directions for the treatmerit
of horses in England will suit quite
us well for the horses of our own country.
Rut the articles of food being somewhat
rlifferent with us, I will now arid a few
emnrks on that subject. In most or our
states, the chief lood for horses is Indian
rorn and the fodder thereof. Both are
usually fed away in the most careless, exfravagant,
and wasteful manner?the
rorn being given in the ears, and the
fodder in bundles, which are thrown unlied
into the horse-racks or on the ground.
Much then, is wasted hy being trampled
under foot, and so dirtied that the horse
rejects it, whilst many of the grains of
rorn pass through his body undiges;ed,
ind of course render him no service whatrver.
He also loses all the benefit of
[he cobs, which ho rarclv eats when
whole, although they make an excellent
food, if ground up with the grain. This
mode of feeding is much the most gene,
ral, notwithstanding it ha* been indisputably
proved hy actual and numerous experiments,
that to give the corn and coh
ground together, which is railed cob homiiy,
nnd fodder chopped in a cutting box.
not only save* more than enough to pav
the extra expon.se of grinding and cut.
ting, but actually keeps the horse in a
Imtter condition than the same quantity
>f corn and fodder given in the usual
way. Moreover, it is a cheaper food
than any other of which grain, either
whole or crushed, forms a part. Take
rvats for example,* which are the moat
common, where corn is not used, and let
us estimate the farmer at forty Hnd the
latter at sixty cents a bushel, which I
think a fair general average in the states
wherein corn is a staple crop. Now as
only half the cob hominy is grain, the
mixture will cast only thirty cents a
bushel, and is generally deemed fully
equal in nutritive qualities to a bushel of
oats. If these also be crushed, we must;
add about four cents to their cost, and
the diffurenco between the two kind*, of
ground food, (the chopped fodder being
the same in both rasca.) will he about 14
cents per hqshel, in fay or of coh-hominy.
Suppose then, th^t qne gallon, three times
a day, is enough, as experience has
r i: " i
proved it to be, for an ordinary sized
horse, with eighteen or twenty bundles of
fodder, the saving in one week, by feed*
ing with cob-hominy, will he a fraction !
over thirty-tix cents, or nearly nineteen
dollars a year for each horse, which is the
annual interest of rather more than 9315.
Yet not one in a hundred of us ever 1
t'links of saving it! Few southern ana |
western men who are "wZ/ of," (as the
Mtyin# is,) keep less than three or four
horses thai do no farin work, and this they ?
do at au additional yearly expense, when 1
otts and unchopped fodder are their food,
of 57 dollars for three, and 76 dollars for
e I 11 .!_ _ 1 . .L 11
mur uumm, raiuer man ue ai inn umaii |
trouble of having their fodder chopped, i
and their ear* of corn ground into cob
hominy. Ten or twelve poor children i
might to? annually schooled for that sum. i
For horses that arc often hard ridden and i
rapidly travelled, oats are generally deem, i
ed hotter than corn, as lean heating; hut a i
greater quantity of them must be given,
in the proportion of about one and a half i
gallon* of oats to one of corn at each (
feed. Unde^ such usage, green food ,
should never be given if avoidable. But
when the home enn rest for a few days i
some riiiiv he allowed hi?i, in small quantities,
by way of medicine. Any kind of
gra** that a horse will eat. tnay answer
the purpose, but lucerne and clover of the
first cutting are deemed best?the ftecond
always salivate*?an effect, by the
way, for which no cause, I believe, ha*
yot been discovered. Presupposing that
a horse ha* plenty of wholesome food and
proper grooming, if you would give him a
finer coat thao these alone can produce,
let half a pint of sound wheat or a small
hanufull of brown sugar he mixed with
his food, about once in every six or eight
days, for a few weeks, and the object will
he attained far better than by blanketing,
which always makes him more liable to
take cold, when exposed to bad weather,
as he soinetiineft must necessarily be. On
long journeys, in hot weather, give your
horse n double feed at night; in the morning
travel 15 or 20 miles before you feed
him again, then do it lightly and after he
is cool. Give a few quarts of soft w.iter
both before and after hi* food, then resume
your journey and go fifteen or 20 mile*
farther. Thjg will enable you to stop
early evcrv evening, without any night i
riding, and will give both yourself and
your horse a long rest to recruit your
strength. If your horse be sound, you
may thus travel him hundreds of miles
without danger of his failing.
Farm horses may be kept in good order
at much less expense; for they may he
fed, when unemployed. upon anv of the
roots which it is custom-try to give th-in
in England, in addition to these, we. have
the pumpkin and its varieties, all of j
which are good food for horses, but the j
seeds should always bo laken out, as they
are powerfully diuretic. If such food he
at first rejected, horses may soon he
taught to eat it, bv mixing a little salt
with it, and offering them nothing else
for a few days. To this should he added,
us soon as they will eat such mixture, from i
thirty to forty pounds of chopped provender,
for every twenty four hours, and this
may he made either of well-cured corn
tops, blades, huy wheat, oat. or rye straw,
or chaff. Corn shucks (which is the
southern name for tho covering of the
ears.) answer well to mix when chopped
up, with the roots or pumpkins ; if they
are wilted as they are put up, and kept
dry. Another very good long forage peculiar
to our country, consists of Indian j
peavme. These make excellent rood
for farm horses, if exposed to the sun until
they are somewhat wilted, then stacked
in alternate layers with the straw of
either wheat, rye, or oats, and oach layer
sprinkled with salt, as they are stacked.
Thus fed and protected from had weather
by warm shelters, open onlv to the south,
and well covered with any kind of thatch, j
or corn tops, or loose straw, farm horses
may he kept healthy and in good order
throughout the Southern states, without i
their owners incurring the expense of j
wooden or brick stables for thein. Stalls, J
however, should be made for thein under j
the shelters, with divisions high and close j
enough to prevent their fighting, and in j
those they should he tied while eating, i
Their mangers or troughs should be wider
and deeper, than when racks also are
used, although thr.y never should he, or
lazy hostlers will bo sure to avail themselves
of them, if not closolv watched i
When put to constant farm work, horses I
should have onlv drv fond, three times a
day. It may consist either of bran, shorts,
cob.hominy, ground ryH? oats, broom j
corn, or oats mixed with chopped stuff in i
the propoitions already mentioned?that j!
is, about thirty-five pounds for horses of; I
common size, and fortv pounds for the |'
Inrgest. But after the grass is in plenty, ji
and as long as it lasts (if it does not sail- i
vnte.) they may be turned out of nights (
and rest-days, although if your pastures
are large, more time is lost, every morn- ,
ing in catching them and getting ready (
for work, than would amply compensate, (
if spent in fnrni labor, for the expense;
rif keeping them up, especially should 1
you have any grass to give them a mode- j i
rate quantity in l?eu of a portion of tl.eir I
dry food.
To fatten a horse rapidly, his fodder er ,
hay should always be chopped and steam- ! 1
ed, before it js mixed with the meal of '
pithc? cofn, o*U, or tye. and as touch i
I
I
should be gifen him, three frmes n <hy,
a> he will eat without leaving any. Give
him also salt alone as often as he iff ent
it, and soft water at least thrice ? day,
but alw.tys with some meal of either of
the above mentioned grains stirred up
with it. A small quantity of ground Indian
peas will add much to the nutritive
propertii s of his food; and thus treated,
with moderate daily exeriso, in good
weather, the process of fattening will :
soon b<? completed, provided the horse be
in good health at the eornmencernerrL
I fear that some of Vour readers perhaps,
may deetn the foregoing details re- 1
lative to horses, more minute than they
need be, and possibly may think mo some- i
what officious in giving them, But
should they be disposed thus to condemn [t
me. I must beg them to recollect before
fhey pas* sentence, that all I have writ,
ten on the subject haw been communicated
at the request of yourselves and one o'
your correspondents. It is true that this
request whs made to your contributors
generally, find therefore it whs not my
special business to comply with it. Still
I have ventured to make the attempt, and
should it bring me into any scrape, I hereby
give you and your North Carolina 1
friend fair notice that I shall call upon
you both lustily for help. If either of
you should wnnt farther information in
regard to horses, let me strongly recoinmend
to you the work on " The Hcrr&"
for in addition to all that I have said, you,
will find a prescription for all their diseases,
and directions for correcting every
fault which can be corrected.
FARM-YARD JCAttUKS.
The manure commonly furnished bv
the furm-yard is compounded of a mixture
of animal substances, ot the put.
relying straw of various descriptions of
grain, mixed with the feces, and urine
of cattle, horses and swine.?The mixture
forms no new substances, neither
doe* the putrefaction which ensues add
to the hulk oftnedung; on the contrary,
it causes u considerable loss of weight*
There have been many arguments and
much difference of opinion among cultivator*,
wiih regard t? the advantages of
employing dung in a freahorina putrid
state; and, as is too often the ease, both
parties have run into extremes, the one
side contending for the propriety of em.
ploying it Iresh from the farm yard, the
other contending that it cannot well hr
too rotten. The mode employed by Mr.
Coke is the medium between these erro.
neous practices; he found that the employment
of the fresh dung certainly
made tne dung go much farther; hut then
a multitude of the seed# of various weeds
were carried on to the land along with
the compost: He has therefore, since
used his manure when only in a half put
trilied st ite, called short dung by farmers;
and hence, the seeds are destroyod by
the effects of the putrefaction, and dung
stilt extends nuich farther than if suffered
to remain until quite putrefied.
Putrefaction cannot go on without the
the presence of moisture ; where water is
entirely absent thero can be no putrefaction;
and hence, many farmers have adapted
the practice of pumping the drain,
nge of their furm-varda over their dung
heaps; others invariblv place them in
low damp situations. This liquid portion
cannot he too highly valued by the cultivotor.
The soil where a dunghill, has
laid in a field is always distinguished by
a rank luxuriance in the succeeding crop,
even if the earth beneath, to the depth j
of six inches, .h removed and spread with
the dunghill.
The controversy, too, which once so
keenly existed, as to the stale of fermentation
in which dung should be used on the
land, has now pretty well subsided. There
is no doubt but tlmt it cannot be applied
more advantageously than in as fresh a
state as possible, consistent with the at.
tainment of a tolerable clean husbandry,
and the destruction of the seeds of weeds,
grubs, Ate., which are always more or
less present in farm.yard dung. These
are the only evils to be apprehended from
the desirable employment of this manure
in the freshest state; for otherwise the
loss of its most valuable constituents
commences as soon as ever ferme.itation
begins. This was long since domonstia.
ted by Davy, whose experiments I have
often seen repeated and varied. He
says, ? I filled a large retort, capable of
containing three pints of water, with
some hot fermenting manure consisting,
principally of the litter and dung of cat.
tie: I adapted a small receiver to the re.
tort, and connected the whole with n
mercurial pnetunaric apparatus, so as to
collect the condensible and elastic fluids
which might arise from the dung. The '
receiver noon became lined with dew, and
drops began, in a few hours to trickle
down the side of it. Elastic fluid likewise
was generated ; in three days thirty
five cubical inches had been formed,
which, when analyzed, were found to (
contain twentyone cubical inches of car. |
bonie acid; the remainder was hydroenr. j
bona to, mixed with some azote, probably
no more than existed in the common air i
in tta receiver. The fluid matter coJUfc- ?
red in tho receiver at tive same Uiikv
amounted to nearly half hu ounce* ft
had a saline taste, and a disagreeable
sttuII, and contained some acetate and
carlxmnte of ammonia. Finding ancu
products given oft' from fermenting litter,
f introduced the heak of another retort,tilled
with similar dung very hot at the
time, in the soil, amongst the roots of
some grass in the horde- of a garden: in
less than a week a very distinct eflect was
produced on the grass i upon the spot exposed
to the influence of tho matter dinengaged
in fermentation, it grew with
much morn lu.triance than the grata in
any other part of the gardoi."
Nothing, indeed, appears at firat light
bo simple, as the manufacture and eoUoC
lion or farmyard dun#; and yet titer*
nre endless source* of error into which
the cultivator is sure to fail, if ho is not
o/er vigilant in their rriftitagemeilt, Tim
late Mr. Francis BUkie, in hit valuable
little tract upon the management of farmyard
manure* dwellsu|?onseveral ofthese:
he particularly/condemn* the practice "of
keeping the dung, arising from different
descriptions 01 animals, in separate heap*
nr departments, and applying them to tho
land without intermixture. It is customary,"
he adds, ??to keep the fatteuing neat
cattle in varda hy themselves; and the
manure thus produced is of good quality
because the excrement of such cattle is
richer than that of lean ones. Fattening
cattle are fed with oil-cake, corn, Swedish
turnips, or some other rich food, and the
refuse and waste of such food, thrown
about the yard, increases the value of the
manure ; it also attracts the pigs to the
yard. T iese root the straw and dung
about, in search of grains of corn, bits of
Swedish turnips, and other food, by which
means the manure in the yard becomes
more intimately mixed, and is proportionately
increasec in value, The feeding
troughs and crihsin the ya'd should, for
obvious reasons, be shifted frequently."
The horse dung," continues Blakie,
"is usually thrown out Nt the? stable doors,
slid there accumulates in large heap*. It
is sometimes spread a little about, hut
more generally not at all, unless where
necessary for the convenience of ingrfwe
and egress, or perhaps to allow the water
10 drain nway from the stable door.??
Horse dung lying in such heaps, very soon"
ferments, and heats to an excess; the
centre of the heap is charred cr burned to
a drv white substance, provincislty termed
fire. fanged. Dung in this slate, lose*
from 5D to 73 per cent, of its valne. Tun
diligent and attentive farmer will guard
against such profligate waste of property^
l?y never allowing the dung to accumulate
in any considerable quantity at
the stable doors. The dung from the
feeding hog styes should also he carted
and spread almut the store cattle yard, in
the same manner as the horse dung."
Johnson on Manure*.
CAKR OF STOCK.
At seasonable times wc have spoken
of the producing and gathering of hay,
roots, <S*c.; also of the im|>ortance of
making the barn comfortable. Without
food and comfortable lodging, stock will
not thrive. But these alone arr not all
that the farmer may profitably allow to
his domestic animals.
Kindness or gentleness in the general
treatment of all ahirnals, is quite conducive
to their enjoyment and thrift; we
PArtAm mnn A tka am ntnwmofit
IIIT7ld*'l^ I^V?UMilllUIMI IIIV rni|/i?iy iiitiiit
kind tones and gentie actions toward* (he
inmates of the bum. No matter hoar
Urge your outlay <>f kindness, for the investment
will yield a good interest.
The c.?rd and currycomb, bv exciting
the action of the akin, help to increase
the circulations and to giro health and
vijor to the animal. The cow being generally
confined to the yard in winter
and accustomed to hut little exercise, requires
carding and rubbing more then
the ox, where exercise will open the pores
of the skin and help to keep up good eireolations
throughout the system. And
yet it is the ox, that goes into company
with his owner, whose hide is rubbed
down with elbow grease?while the cow,
needing it more, is seldom thus favored.
A good carding, each morning, will be
found economical food for your beasts.
? ?? i i ? ? o 1
litit all vour aninmis im *r? wen imnwi
that their bed shall he dry and comfortable.
Sides bedaubed nod wet with excremenls,
must be both uncomfurtable and ,
unhealthy.
Feed out your hay in small quantities
at a time?the cattle relish better that
which has just been put before them,
than that which they have fouled by their
breath. Mix a variety of kinds together
?fresh meadow hay, salt marsh hay, oat
or barley straw, English hay; these or
whatever other ingredients you may
have, it is often well to m?*thoroughly
*nd feed out to the stock. Th* proportion*
must oo determined by thtf-quantity
jf each that is to be consumed .in the
rourse of the winter?hut maim your calculations
so as to have the fond to become
tetter in quality toward springs than it in
in mid winter. >
All hay before being fed out should bn
veil shaken up. The more the straw*
mcfc other, and the lighter they 1**0**,
/