224 A FARMER'S YEAR 



hoeing them with the flat-work hoe, which has two knives in 

 the centre and one projecting on either side. 



There are four ' ringes,' or rows of plants, to a ' stetch,' that 

 is separated from the next stetch by a furrow, and the hoe covers 

 two ringes and a furrow, or a whole stetch in the double journey. 

 The two centre knives clean the middle ringe completely, while 

 one side knife cuts that portion of the furrow which was left 

 untouched on the last journey and the other does half the outer 

 ringe, which, on the hoe being turned at the end of the field, is 

 completed by what was the furrow-knife. This sounds rather 

 intricate, but in truth it is simple. I am afraid, however, that it 

 is not possible to make the agricultural process of flat-hoeing 

 quite clear to the reader without the help of diagrams. 



At Bedingham this afternoon I found the colt with the in- 

 jured shoulder in a fair way to recovery. It would have been a 

 pity had it been otherwise, for he is bred from my best mare, and 

 likely to make a fine animal. The farrier thinks that his shoulder- 

 blade was cracked ; if so, I suppose that it has mended up. I 

 have never heard of Rontgen rays being applied to horses, but if 

 the animals are valuable it might be worth while to try them in 

 order to locate such injuries. 



Many years ago, in Africa, I owned a horse of great beauty. 

 It was a powerful creature, with an arched neck, small head, very 

 fine legs, and round hoofs, not unlike the fancy horses pictured 

 by Vandyke and other early artists. Its long mane and tail also 

 were snow-white and crimped, while its colour varied from a dark 

 cream in winter to a black roan in summer. This animal I was so 

 unfortunate as to lose through the carelessness of a native servant. 

 Ultimately it was found about fifty miles away, and pounded in a 

 kraal with stone walls six feet high. This wall it tried to jump, 

 and, indeed, did jump, but in the effort cracked its shoulder- 

 blade, like the colt at Bedingham, and was returned to me dead 

 lame. A gentleman who had always admired it very much offered 

 me twenty pounds for it, taking the chance of its recovery, which 

 sum I accepted. Six months or so afterwards I was astonished 



