lOSO 



PRACTICE OF AGRICULTURE. 



Part III. 



6643. The pointer, setter, and spaniel, {fig. 708.), it might seem at the first view unnecessary to intro- 

 duce to the notice of the agriculturist ; but a little examination of the subject will show that they 



MC. 



may be made an object of considerable importance to the farmer. Few dogs command such prices as 

 sporthig dogs ; and few persons have such opportunities of rearing them so cheaply, or so well, as farmers. 

 Many farmers shoot game ; most of them do it more or less : and it would be very easy to make two brace 

 of pointers or setters, with one or two brace of spaniels, pay a considerable part of the rent of the farm, 

 without other expense than skimmed milk and potatoes, or occasionally a little barley meal. We will 

 suppose that a farm has on it three pointer bitches, and one pointer dog, all of acknowledged excellence, 

 and two out of the three bitches may be expected to go to heat early, and to produce progeny between the 

 seasons of shooting, when they are wanted : from these, four brace of puppies may be saved, and by conti- 

 nually following the servants and their master, they will become so handy, that their breaking will be ef- 

 fected daily, and without any other trouble than what occurs in restraining them when a little wild. If their 

 breed is very good, their stopping and barking will commence towards the end of the first season, and dur- 

 ing the periods between this and the next autumn they may be steadied and practised in fetching their 

 game, &c., as directed in good sporting works. At thecommencementof the following season, if they have 

 been well attended to, although only fifteen months old, the whole may be sold to the London or country 

 dealers, to average six or seven guineas each : or if sold privately, they will fetch from eight to twelve and 

 fifteen guineas each : out of which, perhaps not more than half a guinea can fairly be deducted for keep, 

 &c. The trouble occasioned to the master will be trifling, because connected with a pleasing employ to 

 him as a sportsman, and who will thus have his own sporters for nothing. 



6644. Setters, as more valuable, will fetch a higher price : but they do not always command so ready a 

 sale, and are more troublesome to break. 



6645. Spaniels are commonly thought, but most erroneously, almost to break themselves. A really well 

 broke spaniel, however, is so rare, that instead of being worth two or three guineas, which is the usual 

 price, it will fetch from five to ten pounds. It would be even less difficult to the farmer to rear spaniels 

 than pointers ; and by following him continually about the grounds they might be taught to perfect obe- 

 dience, and close rangings, which are the grand requisites, without trouble or expense. In this way, 

 four or five brace might be easily brought every season to market, and would always command a ready 

 sale, and a price according to the perfection of their breaking. 



6646. In the breeding and rearing of dogs for the above purposes, it is necessary to observe the greatest 

 care in their original selection ; that the breed be of the very best, and one which as it were breaks itself, 

 for this shows the purity of the breed. It is likewise no less necessary that the breed be carefully pre- 

 served so : to do which, the moment the dogs begin to smell a bitch, shut her and the intended male closely 

 up, in a confinement inaccessible to other dogs, and there let them remain a fortnight. It is likewise, 

 almost equally necessary, that the dogs peculiarly appropriated to agriculturists, particularly the shepherd's 

 dog, should be bred as pure, for no animal is more liable to sport into varieties. No crossing can on any 

 account be permitted ; but choice may be made among families of the same variety. In the rearing of 

 this dog, his education should be early and carefully attended to, to make him hardy and familiar with all 

 the signs of the shepherd j who ought himself to be equal to the regular education of his own dog. 



6647. The diseases of dogs are very numerous*, The following are described by 

 Blaine, as the most prevalent, with their methods of cure. 



6648. The canine asthma is hardly ever observed to attack any but either old dogs, or those who, by con- 

 finement, too full living, and want of exercise, may be supposed to have become diseased by these devia- 

 tions from a state of nature. It is hardly possible to keep a dog very fat for any great length of time, with- 

 out bringing it on. This cough is frequently confounded with the cough that precedes and accompanies 

 distemper, but it may be readily distinguished from this by an attention to circumstances, as the age of 

 the animal, its not affecting the general health, nor producing immediate emaciation, and its less readily 

 giving way to medicine. 



6649. The cure is often very difficult, because the disease has in general been long neglected before it is 

 sufficiently noticed by the owners. As it is in genpral brought on by confinement, too much warmth, and 

 over-feeding ; so it is evident the cure must be begun by a steady persevering alteration in these particu- 

 lars. The medicines most useful, are alteratives, and of these occasional emetics are the best. One grain 

 of tartarised antimony {i. e. tartar emetic) with two, three, or four grains of calomel, is a very useful and 

 valuable emetic. This dose is sufficient for a small dog, and may be repeated twice a week with great suc- 

 cess, always with palliation. 



6650. Of diseases of the eyes, dogs are subject to almost as great a variety as ourselves, many of which end 

 in blindness. No treatment yet discovered will remove or prevent this complaint. 



6651. Sore eyes, though not in general ending in blindness, is very common among dogs. It is an af- 

 fection of the eyelids, is not unlike the scrofulous affection of the human eyelids, and is equally 

 benefited by the same treatment : an ungent made of equal parts of nitrated quicksilver ointment, pre- 

 pared tutty and lard, very lightly applied. Dropsy of the eyeball is likewise sometimes met with, but is 

 incurable. 



6652. Cancer. The virulent dreadful ulcer, that is so fatal in the human subject, and is called cancer, is 

 unknown in dogs ; yet there is very commonly a large schirrous swelling of the teats in bitches, and of 

 the testicles (though less frequent) in dogs, that as it sometimes becomes ulcerated, so it may be charac- 

 terised by this name. In the early state of the disease discutients prove useful, as vinegar with salt, and 

 camphor and Spanish flies, with mercurial ointment, have sometimes succeeded ; taking care to avoid 

 irritating the part so much as to produce blister. But when the swelling is detached from the 

 belly, and hangs pendulous in the skin, it had better be removed, and as a future preventive suffer the 

 bitch to breed. Schirrous testicles are likewise sometimes met with ; for these no treatment yet disco, 

 vered succeeds but the removal of the part, and that before the spermatic chord becomes much affected, 

 or it will be useless. 



6653. Colic. Dogs are subject to two kinds of colic ; one arising from constipation of the bowels, the 

 other is of a kind peculiar to dogs, apparently partaking of the nature of rheumatism, and also of spasm. 

 From a sudden or violent exposure to cold, dogs become sometimes suddenly paralytic, particularly in the 

 hinder parts ; having great tenderness and pain, and every appearance of lumbago. In every instance of 



