364 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Many instances are recorded where it has had a 

 mae;ical etfect. Some such have come under our ob- 

 servation. As a general rule, however, salt is of little 

 benefit on wheat. Prof. Way suggests that salt acts 

 by increasing the solubility of the silicate of alumina 

 and ammonia. Water containing salt will take up a 

 very much larger quantity of this salt than pure or 

 ordinary rain water. He has expressed the opinion 

 that the silica which forms the stiffening of the straw 

 of wheat, is taken up by the plant in the form of this 

 salt — the ammonia evapora^iug as the silicic acid is 

 deposited on the straw. If this ingenious hypothesis 

 proves correct, we have at once an explanation of 

 the well known fact that salt stifi'ens the straw of 

 wheat, and has a tendency to retard excessive and in- 

 jurious luxuriance. W^e would say of salt, as of plas- 

 ter, it is cheap, and every farmer should experiment 

 and ascertain its effects upon his own soil. Analysis, 

 in the present state of chemical science, will not aid, 

 though when this subject is better understood, it is 

 highly probable that it may prove useful. 



WINTER MANAGEMSNT OF HORSES. 



The Suffolk, Cleveland Bay, or Clydesdale is 

 probably the best breed of horses for plowing and 

 other heavy farm work, while roadsters, hunters and 

 racers may be equally good for their respective uses. 

 But for strength, endurance, activity, and adaptation 

 to all the manifold wants of farming life, the common 

 hordes of the United States, in our opinion, are supe- 

 rior to all o( hers. In no other country, too, are there 

 so many houses kept in proportion to the population. 

 This is an unmistakable e. idence of great and gen- 

 eral prosperity. In Europe, "poor people" form 

 nine-tenths of the community, and never enjoy a 

 sleigh-ride after their own horses^ while in America 

 comparatively few are so jjoor as to be unable either 

 to keep horses themselves, or to frequently hire from 

 livery stables. The number of horses kept for hire 

 is beyond all credence to a European. These hor- 

 ses must be kept on hay, bran, shorts and oats, and 

 hence the comparative high price of these cattle 

 foods in our large cities. Hay is usually higher here 

 than in England, while wheat is .50 per cent, lower. 

 And yet, much more labor is required to grow the 

 wheat than the hay crop. Why this difference? 



Without stopping to exaratae this point, it may be 

 well to inquire if farmers cannot be more economical 

 in the use of hay. City horses must have hay. They 

 cannot get the proper bulk and nutriment in a cheap- 

 er form. We can get the same amount of nutriment 

 in corn at 70 cents a bushel, or at $2'i per ton cheap- 

 er than in hay, or probably in any other foood. But 

 we do not get the required bulk, and therefore can- 

 not use corn or oats alone. 11 aj', therefore, which is 

 jcertainly the most natural food, appears to be our 

 'Only resource, as under ordinary circumstances it 

 would be our cheapest. But this congregation of 

 horses in one point produces an artificial demand for 

 hay, and proporlionably high prices. Under such 

 circumstances it appears highly probable that far- 

 mers can winter their horses and cattle more econ- 

 omically than on hay. Some farmers think horses 

 cannot do without hay, but this is a mistake. One 

 winter, after our hay crop had failed, we kept seven 

 horses for three months on cut oats in the straw, a 

 Jittle barley meal and bran, and ruta bagas. The 

 horses kept in admirable condition, — in fact never did 



better, and we found this much cheaper than winter- 

 ing with hay. 



A horse requires about 33 K)s. of hay per day, 

 which, at present rates in this city, would make the 

 cost of keeping a horse for six months $'40. Cannot 

 a horse be wintered on a farm at a much less cost? 

 There can be no doubt of it. All that is required 

 is the same amount of nutritious matter and bulk in 

 some palatable food. In good clean straw and com 

 meal we have the veiy thing. To get an amount of 

 nutritious matter in straiv equal to 33 fcs. of hay, 

 we require, according to Boussingault, 16.5 lbs. Of 

 course no horse conld consume such a quantity. But 

 if we give him 30 lbs. of straw and 8 ft)s. of corn 

 meal, he would receive quite as much nutritious mat- 

 ter, and in the same bulk, while the cost of wintering 

 in this way would be materially reduced. Horsee, 

 like other animals, crave variety; and a little oil- 

 cake or pea meal might be substituted, occasionally, 

 for the corn meal with advantage. If the horses are 

 kept constantly at hard work, a little extra oil- 

 cake, peas or oats may be regularly given, inasmuch 

 as they are highly nitrogenous and would be more 

 likely to supply the increased destruction of muscles 

 caused by violent exercise. " But my horses will not 

 eat straw — they will starve first." Then let them 

 starve. They will come to their food in a few days. 

 Let the straw be clean and sweet, cvt shori, and well 

 mixed with meal, so that they cannot separate them, 

 and our word for it, your horses will eat it and do 

 well, and if they have an occasional feed of carrots or 

 ruta bagas, they will do better. 



We have said that there is no country in the 

 world where so many horses are kept, in proportion 

 to the population as in America. We may add that 

 in no other country is the horse worse used than 

 here — in none does he work harder, fare harder, and 

 receive less attention. This is owing, perhaps, to the 

 fact that in Europe the labor of one horse is equal 

 to that of two men, while here we pay as much per 

 day for a man as for a span of horses. Let any one 

 visit the French or English stables, and he will be 

 satisfied, by contrasting their system with our own 

 practices, that we are lamentably careless, and cul- 

 pably negligent of the health of our horses. How 

 often have we seen a span of horses brought in from 

 a haid day's work, swathed in sweat, turned into a 

 cold stable, led, and left to dry, as best they could, 

 without any other attention than to strip the harness 

 off them, and throw it over the stall. How often, 

 too, do we see a span of horses driven Jehu-like into 

 the city, and then hitched with their feet in ice-cold 

 water, to a post — from whence, after shivering a fiew 

 hours, they are driven as unmercifully home again, 

 to receive the cold comfort of lying down to rest, (?) 

 covered with clotted perspiration, which, perhaps, is 

 curried off them next morning, prior to another day's 

 work, as severe and as inhuman as the preceding. — 

 Our horses are short lived, and no wonder. The 

 only thing that surprises us is, that they live half so 

 long, and do half the work that they are compelled 

 to perform. 



■ m • ^ — 



The action of frost on potatoes and other vegeta- 

 bles is not clearly understood. It disarranges the 

 particles of matter and induces speedy fermentation. 

 The nitrogenous matter acts on the starch and con- 

 verts it into sugar, similarly to the action of malting.. 

 Hence the sweet taste of frozen potatoes. 



