280 Our Farming. 



and any new one is apt to try. There is just one safe, easy way 

 and one can do the job alone, if need be. A large rope might be 

 better, but I use chains because we always have them handy. 

 First, I take a chain of proper length and pass it around the 

 animal, not around the body perpendicularly, but horizontally, 

 passing it well down under the hams, behind and around the 

 breast in front, right down in the water or mud and hook it mod- 

 erately tight. Place some old carpet or sacks between chain and 

 breast. Then, reaching over animal's back, pull up the two sides of 

 the chain until they come together, or nearly so, on back, and 

 hook around them another chain to pull out by. Now if you can 

 back a team right up to the bank of ditch, you may hitch directly 

 onto this chain, and, perhaps, slope off bank a little with a shovel, 

 and with a very steady pull take the animal right out. I have 

 done it in less time than it took to write this. But there is a 

 rather better way. Back a wagon right to the brink of ditch, so 

 the hind axle is over the cow or horse, nearly, and hitch chain to 

 axle. Then put team to wagon and pull steadily. This is better 

 because it pulls up more. If ground near by is soft, so you can- 

 not get a team in (animal is mired in a swamp), run wagon in if 

 possible by hand, on boards or some way, and hitch chains or 

 ropes or poles together from the pole of wagon to where a team 

 can pull. This is a safe plan for the most valuable stock. The 

 first horse we had get in a ditch kept us and the neighbors busy 

 most of the night getting him out, horses and men, just because 

 no one knew just what to do. I have taken a horse out of the 

 same ditch, alone, in fifteen minutes. When I was drawing logs 

 one winter, word was sent me that a very large cow was in the 

 ditch. It was very cold and just at dark, and I had a sled and 

 chains all on it. I passed the house with horses on a run, when 

 I got home, whipped the chains around her and had her out be- 

 fore any one got down there, and she came very near running 

 away with my team before I could get the chain unhooked from 

 doubletree. Of course, you want to get team close back, with 

 short chain to pull by, if you can, and then stand by to unhook 

 the instant they are out safely, as an animal is apt to be consider- 

 ably surprised and excited unless they have been in so long as to 

 be stiff. In this case they should be taken to barn on boat sled, 

 or covered right there and rubbed and tended to. I once had a 

 valuable cow get through an airhole in the ice in very cold 

 weather. No business out there ? You are right, but it was be- 

 fore we were able to do better. When I heard of it she was very 

 nearly gone chilled to death. Without any delay I took her out 

 with team as above described, tossing two or three flat fence rails 

 on the sled as I went down. These I stuck in slanting to slide her 

 up on, so she would not pull against the edge of the ice. There 

 was no time for fussing ; she must come out in just one minute, 

 and she did, and I slid her right up onto the low sled with team and 



