7 1 Live Stock. Horfes Method of Caftrating. 



In fomc parts of Yorkfhire the farmers, inftead of breeding foals, purfue the 

 fyttem of buying colts in yearly, when two or three years old, which they keep- 

 till four or five, ufing them for the purpofes of the farm : they are then fold to the 

 London or other dealers. By this management their ftock is kept up,and they make 

 a confiderable annual profit,befides having the internal work of the farm perform- 

 cd. They are principally employed in the plough, and in many cafes not fhod 

 till the period of being fold. When intended for the carriage, this eafy fort of 

 work is found of advantage in rendering them- more quiet and tractable.* Ir* 

 ether diftricts it is the practice to buy in at three years old,in the autumn, keep them, 

 during the winter on ftraw, work them a little in the fpring, and fell them in the 

 latter end of fummer at the fairs in the vicinity,, by which method good judges make 

 money. + 



The Yorkfhire farmers, who maftly raife their foals from their working mares&amp;gt;&amp;gt;, 

 are often careful not to allow the foals to fuck till the udders of the mares coming- 

 from work have been well bathed with cold water, and a great part of the milk, 

 drawn away. 



The propriety of caftraring horfes has been difputed by fome, as being difadvan-* 

 tageous in the lofs of vigour that it caufes. The practice certainly proceeds on th e 

 principle of facrificing a portion of the ftrength of the animals to the convenience 

 of managing them. This, in many inftances, is without doubt neceflary as wellas^ 

 convenient ; but there can be no difficulty, by proper management, in making 

 ftallions perform the bufinefs of a farm, which, from their fuperior ftrength, is 

 fuppofed by forne, on experience,, to be executed with great advantage over that 

 of ufing geldings, t 



Where the operation of gelding is to be performed the beft time is probably 

 when the foal is about three months old, though fome prefer a much more advan 

 ced age, as fix or twelve months, and even more in fome cafes. In all animals- 

 there is, however, the leaft danger of inflammation while they are young in perfor 

 ming fuch operations.. Be fides, it is better to cut colts before they have any pro- 

 penfity to hanker after the mares and get bad habits . When the foals are early s 

 and the weather is not too hot, the latter end of May or beginning of June may be 

 a good and proper feafon. 



* Corre&ed Agricultural Report of the North Riding of Yorkfhire. 



f Corrected Agricultural Report of Lincolnfhirei. 

 I Anls of Agricultuic, vol. XXXVI. | Experiencea Farmer, Vol. II. 



