670 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



horse after his day's work. The cleaning, then, is better than in 

 the morning, if either is to be neglected. 



The reader sees the philosophy of this keeping the skin 

 clean, that there may be a healthy action of the tens of thou- 

 sands of pores that may be called the sewers of the animal sys- 

 tem. If the mouth of the sewer becomes stopped, disease, pes- 

 tilence, and death sooner or later must follow. We have not 

 the space here to tell how to groom a horse. Every stable-boy 

 knows; and every farmer should see to it that his horses have 

 well-cleaned coats if he would see them healthy and strong to 

 labor. There is an old saying that " grooming is half the feed." 

 It has philosophy and truth in it. Johnson, in his Elements of 

 Chemistry, says even pigs need their coats cleaned to induce 

 greatest thrift. " Six pigs were put in a pen together for seven 

 weeks. Three were currycombed and cared for and the other 

 three left uncleaned. The former three consumed five bushels 

 of peas less and had gained two stones and four pounds more 

 than the uncurried three." Proper cleaning of the horse, cow, 

 steer, and pig tends to health and profit. 



Condition Powders. There are various vile and decep- 

 tive combinations offered to stable-men and farmers under the 

 name of condition powders. They are, in the hands of the igno- 

 rant groom, as much to be dreaded as the soothing-syrup for 

 babes in the hands of an ignorant nurse. They are both 

 sources of danger and suffering. We are told by the stable- 

 boys the horse is " out of condition," and he needs some pow- 

 ders. Such drugs are in the stable ; they are administered at 

 random, without counsel or advice of owner or veterinary. In 

 this way they are an abomination. 



" Out of condition " is a term applied to very different states 

 of the system. The more common is where the horse has been 

 liberally fed and is fat. He becomes capricious about his feed, 

 his appetite varies, his eye lacks fire, he seems dull. The 

 bowels are bound, dung too dry, and there is a general lack of 

 snap or tone. The trouble is plethora. He has had more rich 

 feed and less exercise and air than is prudent. No medicine 

 whatever is needed. The diet should be changed to a more 



