THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE 



303 



uuder a false uame, it has also been pronouuced good by those 

 who, to judge of ita qualities, have submitted it to careful ex- 

 periment, and by all who have tasted it iu proper condition — 

 that is, when taken from a sound ami rested horse, and kept 

 sufticiently long. It is then excellent roasted ; and if it be 

 not so acceptable as bouilti, it is precisely because it furnishes 

 one of the best soups — perhaps the best that is known. It is 

 good also, as experiments prove, made by myself as well as 

 others, when taken from old horses, not fattened, whose age 

 was sixteen, nineteen, twenty, and even twenty-three years — 

 animals thought worth no more than a few francs beyoud the 

 value of their skin. This is & capital fact, since it shows the 

 possibility of utiliaing a second time, for their flesh, horses 

 which have already been utilized up to old age for their 

 strength ; and, consequently, of obtaining a further and almost 

 gratuitous prodt at the end of their life, after they had well- 

 nigh paid the cost of their rearing and keep by their labour." 



So much for the great champion of horseflesh. 



Having disposed of the flesh, we come next to the 

 blood, heart, and tongue, weighing about GOlbs. The 

 former is used, like the blood of other animals, as a 

 decolorizer, lor manure, and for making, with other 

 animal substances, the well-known salt, prussiate of 

 potash. The disposal of the heart and tongue we will 

 say nothing about, as there is somewhat of mystery 

 resting upon their appropriation. 



The intestines of the horse, weighing about 801bs., 

 are converted to several uses. When cleaned, they 

 serve for covering polonies and sausages; or they are 

 twisted into bands or strings for bowing cotton, or for 

 other purposes. 



There is seldom much fat to be got from the horie : 

 probably about 201bs. may be obtained; and this is 

 used, after being distilled, for burning in lamps. We 

 impprt horse grease largely from the River Plate, 

 but we get better at home. The grease is also worked 

 up by the soap and candle makers in common with 

 other fats, while the entrails and remnants are given to 

 hogs, to make food for home consumption — at least this 

 is so in the United States, where the porcine race are 

 less daintily fed than our own store-fed pigs. 



The bones come next ; and these weigh, say about 

 160lbs., and are sold at the rate of 4s. Gd. per cwt., 

 either to convert into knife-handles, or for making phos- 

 phorus, and superphosphate of lime. They will not do 

 for aaimal charcoal, because horses being usually killed 



when aged, the bones contain too great a proportion of 

 phosphate of lime, and too little animal matter. 

 Ground into dust, or crushed into half-inch bone, they 

 make excellent manure ; while other special manures 

 for turnips, &c., are made from the blood, flesh, and 

 bones combined. 



The Kensington Museum catalogue, compiled by Mr. 

 P. L. Simmonds, lets us into the secret of a ready way 

 of cleaning the bones and divesting them of putrid 

 flesh, &c., so as to fit them for use in manufactures. 

 To take off the flesh by hand is a tedious and difficult 

 operation. An ingenious Treuchman solved the diffi- 

 culty. He noticed that rats were very fond of horse- 

 flesh ; so are fowls — other arguments iu favour of M. 

 St. Ililaire's reasoning of the wholesomeness of the 

 food. Our Frenchman advised the authorities to 

 colonize the dead horse-pound with rats. This com- 

 mon pound is an enclosed area of about ten acres, sur- 

 rounded by a stone wall, to which all carcases, &c. are 

 taken, and among the rest the 400 horses which die or 

 are killed in a week in Paris. The catacombs fur- 

 nished rats by thousands; and now a dead borse put in 

 over night is picked beautifully clean by the morning, 

 and the bones are ready for the bone -dealer. A grand 

 battue is also periodically made, to keep under the 

 rats, and they are utilized by making their skins into 

 gloves, and possibly their flesh into pies or ragouts. 

 We have nearly done with the economic uses of our 

 worn-out hack; there remain but his pedal extremi- 

 ties to deal with. The hoofs, weighing about 6 lbs., are 

 worth 8s. to IDs. per cwt. for gelatine, or for making 

 prussiates. They are not adapted to pressing into the, 

 so-called horn buttons, which are made fi'om ox-hoofs, 

 but possibly may turn up polished in the shape of a 

 snuff-box, capped with silver. The shoes will work up 

 into shoes again, or sell for old iron ; and the nails are 

 much esteemed for making gun barrels. 



We have now used up our " old horse," and this is 

 merely the example of many other animals whose car- 

 cases are turned or might be turned to various useful 

 purposes. Such a history points a moral that nothing 

 should be despised, for out of many waste substances 

 money is to be made; and the large profits of scavengers, 

 knackers, and dust-contractors are evidences of the 

 utilization of offal and sweepings. 



FURZE AS FOOD FOR HORSES. 



Sir, — Aa you now and then receive some little matters 

 written by me, and are so couiteous as to give them a place 

 in the Farmers'' Gazette, I now send another, in the hope 

 it may promote your object in being of benefit to 

 those who read your paper. It has been too much the 

 jiractice of honiculturists to introduce and recommend new 

 plants and flowers, and to let the old pass into oblivion. 

 Thus the beautiful moss-rose, the cabbage-rose, the York 

 and Lancaster, the double white-rocket, with others, which 

 fifty years since were the delight of the cultivators, some 

 are now never seen, and others, like poor relations, are left 

 to take tlie lowest room, and new or scarce plants and flow- 

 ers, which bear no comparison in fragrance or beauty, are 

 the ornaments of the garden. In the same way, in improved 

 agriculture — though there are few who join more in heart 

 and hand in the introduction of new plants and new prac- 

 tices to tills land — though there are many of the old I long 

 to hoe exploded, such as poorly-paid, badlj'-fed, and, as a 

 certain consequence, badly executed labour, small, weak, 

 badly-fed horses, and consequently light and inefficient 

 ploughing, and therefore scanty produce — still there are 

 others of the old school I regret to see neglected — 

 " 'Tis right to be off with the old love, 

 Before we are on with the new." 



I shall now make some remarks on the most valuable of 

 those old practices which are too much neglected — feeding 

 cows and horses on furze (whins), the florin grass, and irri- 

 gation. I have been for fifty years and more feeding my 

 cows and horses on furze; and I can say, from that long ex- 

 perience, that it is the cheapest and the best food for the 

 autumn and winter months. I saw it iu constant use at the 

 residence of the late Rev. Horatio Townsend, the author of 

 the statistical survey of this county, who strongly recom- 

 mended it. I followed his example, aud never have re- 

 gretted doing BO. 1 have had my horses, getting neither 

 hay or oats, in more beautiful condition (sleek as mice) than 

 any of my neighbours, though they had costly grooms, the 

 horses fed with best hay, oats, and beans, aud warmly clad. 

 Aline were, perhaps, not as fit for the race-course or the 

 hunting-fields; but for road-riding, carriage-work, or the 

 work of the land, they were most fit, although fed only on 

 chopped furze and steamed swede turnips ; aud I rejoice 

 to see that this valuable food has been brought under the 

 notice of the agriculturists. 



On arranging some papers lately, I found a letter, dated 

 Juue, 1840, from one of the best practical agriculturists I 

 know. He states, " The most profitable crop I have planted 

 is furze. With an acre and-a-half I fed five horsea up to the 



