38 



FARMERS' REGISTER— HORSE TEAMS, &c. 



HORSE-TEAMS FEEDING EXPENSES LABOR. 



Extracts from the Fanners' Series of the Library of Useful 

 Knowledge. 



Animal labor is an object of the deepest impor- 

 tance, both to the public and to tliosc individuals 

 who employ it: to the former, inasmuch as the 

 amount of tbod thus consumed is so much ab- 

 stracted ii-bm the general means of subsistence; 

 and to the latter, as the value of its employment 

 consists in the proportion of its cost to its power. 

 It is, therefore, in every point of view, desirable 

 to economize it, !?o tar as may be consistent with 

 its efficient use, both through the saving of the 

 labor and the teeding of the cattle by which it is 

 performed; but to these considerations must be 

 added a due regard both to the efl'ectual perform- 

 ance of the work, and to the sufficient support of 

 the animal. Less has been done for the farmer 

 than Ibr the manufacturer, in the improvement of 

 machinery, and unless the power of the steam- 

 engine should at some future period be applied to 

 the plough, he must still be dependent for the 

 production of his crops upon the labor of cattle, 

 which absorbs so large a portion of his profits, tho.t 

 he cannot be too careful of this branch of his ex- 

 penditure. In this, however, as in the regulation 

 of manual labor, true economy lies more in duly 

 apportioning the strength of the teams to the 

 work to be performed, than in any mere saving of 

 expense; and there is no ]iart of a farmers busi- 

 ness that demands a sounder exercise of judgment 

 than the selection and mangement of his working 

 stock. 



It is usually considered that one team, if well 

 kept, is sufficient for the cultivation of Irom 40 to 

 50 acres of heavy land, and from 50 to 60 acres of 

 lighter soil, under common rotations; but the 

 strength of that team depends so much upon the 

 breed and condition of the animals, as well as upon 

 soil and culture, that this is subject to much va- 

 riation. Some tenacious clays cannot be worked 

 with less than lour strong horses, or even more, 

 on breaking them up; while a free loam may gen- 

 erally be managed with a pair and whip-reins; and 

 a course of constant tillage necessarily requires a 

 greater number of ploughs than when a large 

 portion of the land is allowed to rest for some 

 years under grass.* Team.s should never be be- 

 low the work to lie- executed: every such apjjarent 

 saving will turn out a real loss to those who at- 

 tem])t it, and even a supernumerary horse, for 

 cases of emergency, will seldom be found bad eco- 

 nomy. The great point is neither to be above nor 

 below tlie mark: no exami)le need be adduced to 

 show, that if too little power be employed, the 

 work must be imperfectly done; and tliat if too 

 much, a portion of' it must be thrown awaj'; nor, 

 although working-cattle should not be pampered, 

 is it necessary to prove the trulh of the old saying, 

 ' if they won't pay for feeding, they won't pay for 

 starving.' 



*In the report of the Morvich and Ctdmaily farms 

 (Farmer's Series, No. 18 J consisting of 650 acres of 

 arable land, it is stated that the whole work is perform- 

 ed by seven pairs of horses, including one pair of 

 mares in foal, and one pair of young horses, tlvown off 

 to grass during summer: but the rotation on the greater 

 part is, — 1st turnips; 2d barley; 3d, 4th, and 5th, grass; 

 and Gth, oats: on the remainder, 1st rape and naked 

 fallow; 2d wheat; 3d and 4th, grass; and 5th, oats; or 

 nearly one-half in grass. 



J^egardiiig Morse Teams. 



It is a just observation, ' that one can hardly be 

 at a loss to determine the character of a farmer 

 fiom the condition of his horses*.' Very fine, 

 high-fed cattle, exhibiting the appearance of being 

 prepared' for sale, rather suggests the idea of idle- 

 ness than of labor; but, on the other hand, lean, 

 spiritless creatures, worn out by toil and hunger, 

 are the certain indications of a bad farmer; of one 

 not thriving and who does not deserve to thrive. 

 The fnan who employs bad instruments cannot 

 have his work well done, and one important and 

 prevdous step towards good faniung, is to keep the 

 laboring stock in good condition. Horses regularly 

 fed, anel regularly wrous'ht, will perform a great 

 deal of work without falling off either in strength 

 or appearance: it is, therefore, of great im])ortance 

 to distribute the labor as equally as possible through 

 the various seasons of the year: and to take care 

 that ifj as must sometimes be the case, an extra- 

 ordinary exertion is to be made, they are in the 

 proper order to make it. When once allowed to 

 fidl off, it requires much more to restore them, than 

 might have kept them in a good state. 



The feeding of farm horses forms so material a 

 part of the cha.rges on agriculture, that the man- 

 ner in which they can be cheapest maintained is a 

 matter deserving the most serious attention. It is 

 an established i)rinciple, that animal power can 

 only be exerted in proportion to the quality, aa 

 well as the quantity, of the food with which it is 

 sustained. In conformity with that rule, hay and 

 oats, or beans, given in their natural state, were 

 long considered as the only horse provender pos- 

 sessed of the re(iuisite degree of nutriment, and in 

 consequence of its cost, penurious farmers stinted 

 their horses, or those of an opposite disposition, 

 who ' n^.dulge in the pride of teams,' were put to 

 very great expense. Experience, however, haa 

 proved that substitutes may be used to a very con- 

 siderable extent, \^•ithout injuiy to the animal itselfj 

 or diminution of its strength; and that different 

 modes of jireparingits ordinary food maj^ be adopt- 

 ed with advantage. 



The vegetables most commonlj^ resorted to as 

 subst tides for corn and hay, are potatoes, turnips, 

 carrots, parsnips, and mangel-wurzel, with straw, 

 and the haulm of beans and peas. Among these 

 the potato ranks foremost, both in quality and in 

 being more commonly cultivated than either par- 

 snips or carrots; but it is attended with the incon- 

 venience of requiring to be boiled, or steamed, as 

 its'juice has been found prejudicial, and in some 

 cases even fatal, to horses, when given raw, and 

 both it and the yam, Avhich has lately been much 

 employed fl)r the same purpose, are apt to ferment 

 in the stomach, and occasion dangerous colic, 

 when used in a crude state. Of turnip,s, the Swed- 

 ish IS the only one that can be recommended to be 

 given alone, though the common kinds may be 

 advantageously mixed with ])otatoes; but, when 

 given in that manner, they should be boiled sepa- 

 rately, in order to preserve their juice, which if not 

 given to the horses, will be found ser\iceable for 

 store cattle and pigs. Carrots are much relished 

 by all cattle, and when combined with diy food, 

 have a most perceptible effect upon the horse's 

 coat, soon imparting to it tliat glossy appearance 

 which is one of the best tests of condition, and 



♦E. Lothian Survey, p. 197, 



