128 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[August, 1875. 



LIVE STOCK MISCELLANY. 



Rules for Purchasing a Horse. 



First — Examine the eyes in tlie stalile, then in tlie 

 light ; if they arc in any way defeetive reject. 



Sceond — Examine tlie teeth to determine the asc. 



Third — Examine the iioll or crown of the hca<l, and 

 the withers, or top of tlie shoulders, as tlie former ie 

 the seat of poll evil, and the latter that of fistula. 



Fourth — Exaralnc tlic front feet, and if the frog 

 has fallen or settled down between the heels of the 

 shoe, and the heels arc contracted, reject him ; as he, 

 if not already lame, is liable to become so at any mo- 

 ment. Next, observe the knees and ankles of the 

 horse you desire to purchase, and if cocked, you may 

 be sure that it is the result of the displacement of the 

 internal org.ans of the foot, a consequence of the form 

 of the foot and injudicious shoeing. 



Fifth — Examine for interfering from the ankle to 

 the knees, and if it proves that he cuts the knee, or 

 the leg between the knee and the anlile, or the latter 

 badly, reject. Speedy cuts of the knee and leg are 

 most serious in their effects. Many trotting horses, 

 which would be of great valne were it not for this 

 single defect, arc by it rendered valueless. 



Sixth — Carefully examine the hoofs for cracks, as 

 jockeys have acquired great skill in concealing cracks 

 in the hoofs ; if cracks are observable in any degree, 

 reject. Also, both look and feci for ringbones, which 

 are callouses on the bones of the pastern near the 

 foot ; if apparent, reject. 



Seventh — Examine the hind feet for the same de- 

 fects of the foot and ankle that we have named in 

 connection with the front foot ; then proceed to the 

 hock, which is the seat of the curb and both hone and 

 blood spavins. The former is a bony eulargcmcnt of 

 the posterior and lower portions of the hock joint ; 

 the second, a bony cxcrcseenee on the lower, inner 

 and rather interior portion of the hock, and the lat- 

 ter is a soft enlargement of the synovial membrane 

 on the inner and upper portions of the back. They 

 are either of tliem sufficient reason for rejecting. 



Eighth — See that the horse stands with the front 

 feet well under him, and observe both the heels of the 

 feet and shoes, to see if he forges or overreaches, and 

 in case he does, and the toes of the front feet low, 

 the heels high, and the heels of the front shoes a 

 good thickness, and the toes of the hind feet are of 

 no projjer length, reject him ; for if he still over- 

 reaches with his feet in the condition described, he is 

 incurable. If he props out both front feet, or points 

 them alternately, reject. 



Ninth — In testing the driving qualities, take the 

 reins while on the ground, invite the owner to get in 

 the vehicle first, then drive yourself. Avoid the dis- 

 play or the use of the whip, and if he has not suffi- 

 cient spirit to exhibit his best speed without it, reject. 

 Should he drive satisfactorily witliout it will then be 

 proper to test his amialiility and the extent of his 

 training in the use of the whip. Thoroughly test 

 his walking qualities first, as that gait is more im- 

 portant in the horse of all work than great trotting 

 speed. The value of a horse, safe for all purposes 

 without Idinds, is greatly enhanced thereby. 



Tenth — Always purchase of the breeder of the 

 horse, if practicable ; the reasons are obvious. — -Mary- 

 land Fanner. 



Caution to Stock Raisers. 



It is notiuicommon to see farmers and others throw 

 unhusked corn to their horses and cattle. I have 

 often wonilcrod whetlur they were aware of the in- 

 jury they miglit lie thus doing tlieir stock. Every 

 farmer is familiar with what we call smut in corn, 

 but perhajis very few arc aware of the power it pos- 

 sesses. This smut, in technical terms, is I'Mlafjo 

 madU. The medical liistory of this fungus growth is 

 very meager ; but so far as its cdccts on the system 

 are known, it acts very much like the ergot of rye. 

 Medical writers speak thus of it. Prof. E. M. Hale 

 says : 



"In a cowhouse where cows were fed on Indian 

 corn infested with this parasite, eleven of their num- 

 ber aborti^d in eight days. After their food was 

 changed none of them aborted." 



Lindlay says : " lis action on the uterus is as pow- 

 erful as the ergot of rye, and perhaps more so." 



I'owlin says : "Its use is attended with she<lding 

 of the hair, both of man "and beast, and sometimes 

 even of the teeth. Mules fed on it lose their hoofs, 

 and fowls lay eggs without any shells. Doubtless its 

 power causes the egg to l)c extruded before there has 

 been time for a shell to be formed." 



Other proof on the subject might be given, but per- 

 haps the above will suffice. My own observation in 

 relation to it is quite limited. One case, however, 

 came to my knowledge within the past month. A 

 mare in the town of Sumner, Fillmore county, aborted 

 a few weeks since, from no other cause than that of 

 eating smutty corn. I would suggest that when y(ju 

 feed corn, especially to pregnant animals, husk it and 

 be sure that they get none containing smut. — Vor. 

 Fanners^ Union. 



Sheep on the Farm. . 



Sheep are undervalued by the mass of landholders 

 as a means of kceiiing up tliu fertility of the soil and 



putting money into the pockets of farmers. The mo- 

 ment one begins to talk of sheep husb.andry, the 

 listener or reader beirius to look for wool quotations 

 — as if wool was all that yields profit from sheep. One 

 might as well look fiir wheat quotations alone when 

 there is talk about tlie profit of farming. 



Sheej) on a farm yield both wool and mutton. They 

 multiply with great rapidity. They are the best 

 of farm scavengers, "cleaning a field" as no other 

 class of animals will. They give back to the farm 

 more in proportion to what they take from it than 

 any other animal, and distribute it better with a view 

 to the future fertility of the soil. Prove this? There 

 is no need of proof to those who have kept sheep, 

 and know their liabits and the profits they yield. 

 To prove it to those who have not the experience, it 

 is necessary they should try the experiment or accept 

 the testimotiy of an experienced shepherd. 



But the live stock of a farm should not, necessarily, 

 be sheep exclusively. Cattle, horses, swine, have tlieir 

 respective places in farm economy. How many of 

 each to keep is a question that locality, character of 

 markets, adaptation of soil, predisposition, taste and 

 skill of the husbandman must decide. But one thing 

 ought not te be forgotten, that the more stock a man 

 keeps on his farm, the more grass and grain it ought 

 to, and if properly managed, it will grow. The rates 

 of increase will correspond with the business tact, 

 technical and practical knowledge, and skill of the 

 husbandman. 



Feeding Wheat to Horses. 



Feeding wheat to horses in some portions of the 

 west, is liy no means uncommon. A writer in the 

 Prairie Farmer, living in St. Clair county. 111., says 

 that six acres of wheat are there sown to one of corn, 

 as the latter is a verj' uncertain crop, and that while 

 wheat sells at $1 per bushel, corn bringg 75 cents, 

 thus, regarding the product of both, wheat is the 

 cheaper article to feed ; but what is rather surprising, 

 it causes the horses to sweat more than corn ! The 

 way it is prepared for feeding, is to put it in a bar- 

 rel and add water so as to cover it six inches, and 

 let it remain for thirty-six hours, by which time it 

 becomes soft and sometimes even sprouts. It is gen- 

 erally fed with cut straw, in feeds commencing with 

 two quarts of the wheat to four quarts. At the be- 

 ginning tlie animals do not take readily to it, but 

 gradually get to like it, and work upon it as well as 

 upon corn. Oats is very little used there. 



LITERARY NOTICES, 



Premium List and Judges op tue Pennsylva- 

 nia State AoRicuLTunAL Society : Twenty-third 

 Annual Exhibition at Lancaster, Monday, Tuc8d.ay, 

 Wednesday, Tliursdav and Friday, September 27, 28, 

 29 and SO, and October 1, 1875. This is a royal oc- 

 tavo pamphlet of 02 pages, beautifully printed on fine 

 white paper, in colors, giving lists of officers, execu- 

 tive committee, ex-presidents, judges, rules and regu- 

 lations, instructions to the judges, premium lists, 

 special laws, and all other matters relating to the 

 approaching State Exhibition, in which there appears 

 to be a more than usual liberal distribution of prizes, 

 consisting of money premiums from one to one hun- 

 dred dollars, silver cups, silver and bronze medals, 

 and diplomas. The articles for which these are of- 

 fered are divided into fifteen divisions, with appro- 

 priate committees to superintend each, consistinsf in 

 part of liorses, cattle, swine, poultry, farm products, 

 machinery, implements, husbandry, domestics, me- 

 chanics, paintings, fruits, vegetables, minerals, and 

 many other things which cannot come within a gen- 

 eral notice. 



Diseases of the Hokse, and How to Treat them; 

 a'concise Manual of Special Pathology, for the use of 

 Horsemen, Stock-i-aisers, and Students in Agricultu- 

 ral Colleges in the United States, liobert Chawner, 

 an eminent New York veterinary surgeon, li»s evi- 

 dently supplied a want in this neat little volume, as 

 no work on the subject has appeared within twelve or 

 fifteen years — Youatt's, Mayhew's and Percival's 

 works being repulilications of foreign books which 

 were written for the past generation. This-profcsscs 

 to instruct owners of horses in the latest and most 

 approved modes of treatment in all diseases of the 

 horse, including the late epizootic and spinal menin- 

 gitis. It is designed to meet the wants of that large 

 class who handle horses, but who will not employ, or 

 have not the opportunity to employ, a veterinary sur- 

 geon. Published by Porter & Coates, Philadelphia. 

 Illustrated 12mo. ISO pp. Cloth, $1.2.5. 



The Scientific Fahmer : A quarto of 16 pages, 

 published at Amherst, Mass., at $1.00 per annum, by 

 T. fi. Huntington and E. H. Libby, editors and pro- 

 prietors. This is a new caterer and solicitor ol' jiulilic 

 favor, and judging from Nos. 1 and 2, now bcibre us, 

 it deserves to succeed, and if it does not it will only 

 be another exhiiiition of that want of appreciation 

 and co-operation which has " killed olf" so many of 

 the good and useful things of this world. The print, 

 the quality of the paper, and the appropriate literary 

 matter, arc altOi;ether unexceptionable. Wp regard 

 it, in every respet't, essentially what its title imports, 

 and tender it a friendly greeting. 



THE PROGRESS OF INVENTION. 



Official List of Patents, 



Relating to tue Farm, the Dairy, Apiary, Ac, 

 For the month ending August 7th, 187.5.* 



Seeding Machine ; F. B. Bushncll, Fond du Lac, Wis. 



Harvesters ; V. N. Collins, Nordhof, Gal. 



Harrows; C. Brodrick, Champaign Co., HI. 



Plows; A. Griggs, Lafayette, Tcnn. 



Hay Racks ; J. Hall, Riverside, Neb. 



Seed Drils ; J. R. Simmes, Hamilton, Ohio. 



Plow Cleaners ; T. W-allas, iVuburn, N. Y. 



Farm Fences; L. M. Whcelock, Yorkshire, N. Y. 



Harvester Reels ; Jas. F. BUack, Oshkosh, Wis. 



Harvesters; H. H. Britcnthal, Latrobe, Pa. 



Automatic Gates; H. Hammond, Smithfield, O. 



Lifting Gates ; W. Lundy, Attalissa, Iowa. 



Harvester-Rakes; J. S. Marsh, Lewisburg, Pa. 



Sulky Plows ; J. Moore, Rock Island, III." 



Plows; L.B. White, Norfolk, Va. 



Corn Cultivators ; A. F. Batehcller, Cedar Falls, Iowa. 



Gateways ; S. L. Fisher, Krimfleld, 111. 



Grain Drills ; E. D. Meade, Shortsvillc, N. Y. 



Rotary Churns; J. J. Shelton, Wasliington, Mo. 



Feed Cutters ; F. Weljlj, Elyria, Ohio. ' 



Plow Points; G. Wyard, East Ahon, N. Y. 



Hay Presses ; L. D. AVhitgardner, III. 



Rotary Churns; H. Felk, Carlyle, 111. 



Milk Coolers ; W. H. Johnson, Bclhigh, N. Y. 



Harrows ; J. Mastcrn, Alexandria, Ohio. 



Corn Planters ; M. Newton, Kcntland, Ind. 



Corn Stalk Cutters ; A. C. Smith, Ft. Madison, Iowa. 



Cultivators; F. F. Vandegrift, Wabash, Ind. 



Feed Cutters; E. Waggoner, Westminster, Md. 



Corn-Drills ; J. Cammel, Harrison, Ohio. 



Fertilizers ; C. H. Narr, Somerville, Mass. 



Corn and Cane Harvesters ; T. Merrill, Dixon, III. 



Plows ; G. Ringen, Smith City, Mo. 



Farm Gates ; W. Waggoner, Creston, Iowa. 



Seed Planters ; D. F. Ballantine, Mt. Gallagher, S.C. 



Barbs for Wire Fences; G. F. Duffey, Chicago, III. 



Machine for destroying potato-bugs ; C. E. Mathew- 

 son, Franklin Corners, Pa. 



Hog-ringing Machine ; S. Sparks, Bowinsville, Ohio. 



Harvesters; G. B. Webster, Stockton, Cal. 



Harvesters; G. H. Elward, St. Paul, Minn. 



Corn Planters ; W. B. Gerouble, Springfield, Mo. 



Potato Diggers ; J. H. Loueh, Rome, Ind. 



Milk Coolers ; E. N. Porter, Morrisville, Vt. 



Harvesters ; J. M. Rosebrook, Hoosic Falls, N. Y. 



Agricultural Boilers ; W. H. Swarthout, Aurora, 111. 



Seed Sowers ; J. Birk, Sycamore, III. 



Seats for Harvesters ; W. E. Matherson, New Bruns- 

 wick, N. J. 



Automatic Gates ; K. D. Kuntson, Clinton, Wis. 



Mowing Machine ; D. Lockhead, Hocelaga, Con. 



Harvester Droppers ; T. McDonough, Ottawa, III. 



Mowing Machine ; C. Wheeler, Auburn, N. Y. 



Automatic Gates ; O. P. Clinton, Menasha, Wis. 



Machine for cutting eorn-stalks; T. O. Bryon, Bar- 

 nard, Mo. 



Gang Plows ; H. Opp, Belleville, 111. 



Corn Planters ; P. S. Shaur, Pink Hill, Mo. 



Grain Separators ; W. S. Klymuns, Burnt Cabins, Pa. 



Cultivators; J. N. Doncvan, Byhalia, Miss. 



Fence Posts ; E. Gear, Beloit, Wis. 



Churns; A. Goodnough, Portland, Oregon. 



Potato Diggers ; G. W. Hagg, Milton, Pa. 



Plow Mold-Boards; J. Holmes, Pittsburgh, Pa. 



Seed Drills ; W. A. McCliulock, Pittsfield, III. 



Plows ; W. K. Allen, Kansas City, .VIo. 



Automatic Gates ; L. N. Alleiids, Poughkcepsie, N. Y. 



Rotary Churns ; Tilson Laiidt, lUion, N. Y. 



Farm Gates ; R. Miller, Stephensville, Wis. 



Corn Shellers ; E. C. Morgan, Valdosta, La. 



Harrows ; W. F. Parlin, Canton, 111. 



Corn Planters ; G. W. Shepherd, Aflon, Iowa. 



Milk Cans; J. W. Smith, Philadelphia, Pa. 



Fertilizer Distributors ; W. F. Wheeler, Dorchester, 

 Mass. 



Corn Drills ; J. Canterbury, Harrison, Ohio. 



Harrows; J. Chamberlain, Melmore, Ohio. 



Butter Workers ; M. Hutchuison, Owaionna, Mhm. 



Hay Knives; R. Kencr, Battle Creek, Mich. 



Milk Strainers ; F. L. Oliver, Frieiidshirp, N. Y. 



Long Plows; E. P. Pullion, Palmyra, Mo. 



Plows; J. R. Sample, Liberty, .Miss. 



Plows; O. P. Sanibrd, Dateville, Ala. 



Hay Loaders ; E. R. Whitney, Magog, Canada. 



Plows ; G. Wiard, East Avon, N. Y. 



To Preserve Posts. 



The American Chemist says that a western farmer 

 discovered, many years ago, that wood could be made 

 to last longer than iron in the ground. Time and 

 weather, he says, seem to have no elfect on it. The 

 posts can be prepared for less than two cents apiece. 

 This is the recipe : Take boiled linseed oil and stir 

 into it pulverized charcoal to the consistency of jiaint. 

 Put a coat of this over the timber, and, he adds, there 

 is not a man who will live to see it rot. 



"Prepared exprensly for The Lancasteb Fakmkii by 

 Louis llaygcr & ('o., Solicitors of Pattuite, Wusliitigtoii, D. 

 C, troui wlioin complete copies of the l*ateut8 and Drawings - 

 may bo obtaiiied. 



