1856. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEK. 



133 



greater degree, as it is the symmetry of form, and, horse to inin a race that the crowd "that pays" may 

 gracefuhiess of movement in the horse, in which have an opportunity to gratify a strange curiosity 

 consists his liighest value. If the colt is allowed that seems to exist in the breasts of the Yankees, 

 to become stinted while young, all the high keep- We might ask the managers of these societies 

 ing that can be given in after Ufe never can restore ; that annually throw away their monej- on this ra- 

 that which he has lost. I have known a man who ' cing business, this question — are you expending the 

 •wished to raise up a tough horse for his o\Ml\ use, j money committed to your charge in a manner cal- 

 who kept his colt in an open shed, with nothing but culated to give permanent satisfaction? And of 

 poor hay to eat, and it was tough indeed ; tough to i the members of these societies I would ask, are 

 look at, tough to drive, and a sorry looking thing j your officers spending your money as you wish to 

 altogether. A colt should be kept in a warm sta- 1 to have them ? Are you willing to have forty or 

 ble, with plenty of good hay, a pint of oats and & fijly dollars paid for the best specimen of "horse- 

 pint of sliced carrots a day, during the first winter, womanship," when your wife or daughter receives 

 and here I would say, that I consider grooming of but three or four dollars as the highest premium 



as much importance as good keeping ; farmers, as a 

 general thing, pay too Httle attention to this ; a 

 good rubliing from head to foot, once a day, is 

 worth as mucli to a horse as two quarts of oats. 

 If farmers would keep three things in view, in re- 

 gard to young animals, we should soon see a great 

 improvement in the stock of New England, which 

 are these — feed, feed well, feed high. A. F. 



West Brookfield, 1856. 



Remarks. — Capital suggestions- 



given for the best butter, cheese or bread ? No 

 and I hope the officers of all the agricultural soci- 

 eties will consider well what they are doing before 

 they conclude to give away half or a quarter, or in 

 shoit, any of the money which is distributed in pre- 

 miums, to those who can best run or race a horse. 

 Pray remember those who have exerted themselves 

 to raise fruit and vegetables, to make bread, cheese 

 and butter, to bring specimens of their handiwork, 

 j that your halls may be ffiled. And if any person 

 and as true as should prefer horse-racing to bread and butter, or 



they are capital. Hope to hear from A. F. again. 



For the New England Farmer. 



HORSE RACING AT CATTLE SHOWS. 



Mr. Editor : — Can you tell us how it happens 

 that within a year or two, the time at our cattle 

 shows, instead of being devoted to the legitimate 

 objects of such gatherings, is devoted to horse-ra- 

 cing ? And not not only that, but a large part of 

 the money raised and set aside for jirizes, given for 

 the best specimens of female equestrianism ? Is it 



Eossible, that, in this enlightened age, we are wil- 

 ng to sustain horse-racing, with all its attendant 

 evils too numerous to mention ? that which our 

 good fathers and mothers have labored to warn us 

 against, and to shun as the places where vice and im- 

 morality did abound. This practice has been dis- 

 countenanced by the good and moral for ages ; 

 and now, that it presents itself in a new form, un- 

 der the name of cattle shows, thousands, both old 

 and young, are in attendance ; the grey headed, who 

 ought to be too wise to be seen there, and the 

 young and thoughtless, who drink in the excitement 

 of the hour, Mith all the evil they see and hear, as 

 they would the most luscious sweets. Horse-racing 

 has become the most important part of the per- 

 formances, beside which, an able and well delivered 

 address would be called poor and insipid, and not 

 •worth listening too. 



It is said by way of excuse for all this, that it 

 draws a crowd, and it pays, and this is all that can 

 be said in favor of the thing. All very true. So 

 it would draw a crowd and doubtless pay, to have 

 a puppet show, Jim Crow dancers, a circus, or 

 something of that sort, but do you think it would 

 tend to promote the noble art of agriculture ? For 

 one, I think otherwise, and am determined to raise 

 my voice against the increasing e\il. More than 

 once when I have witnessed the races, I have been 

 led to remark that the ladies would do better to be 

 at home, making bread or butter, or still better, be 

 able to bring a specimen of those articles to the 

 fair, that they might compete for the prizes offered, 

 rather than to show themselves mounted on a fast 



fruit, then I say, let him have his fill and live on 

 that as long as he can, for he does not deserve any 

 of the bread or the butter. More at another time. 



Middlesex. 

 JVewton Centre, Jan. loth, 1856. 



Remarks. — There is a diversity of opinion in re- 

 gard to trotting-courses on our Fair Grounds. We 

 are willing to yield room for a pertinent discussion 

 of the question. 



For the New England Farmer. 



ABOUT FARM ACCOUNTS. 



The neighbors of Shoemaker A. expressed sur- 

 prise on hearing that he had made a purchase of 

 real estate. It was not so sm-prising an affair, after 

 all. The observation of A. had learned him that 

 lucky ])urchases were made in a dull market. He 

 had "the money, and thought it would bo a safe in- 

 vestment, and having been brought up on a fann- 

 and ha-\ing a taste for agriculture, the management 

 of a piece of land would be to him a relaxation in- 

 stead of a care. A.'s purchase consisted of a small 

 farm of twenty acres, "be they more or less," with- 

 out buildings, they having recently been destroyed ; 

 situated -nithin half a mile of his shop and the Post- 

 office. A.'s first step was to hire a surveyor to 

 measure and draw a plan of his land, when he found 

 he had nearly an acre more than he expected, 

 which more than ])aid the expense. 



The trees next became the object of particular 

 attention ; they^were^pruned and washed, and every- 

 thing done for them that promised to promote 

 their advancement. The labor was all hired, the 

 manure for composting was all bought, the crops 

 were all sold, and accm-ate accounts kept of the 

 same. What time A. spent in managing and keep- 

 ing accounts of the land, the agricultural paper, 

 &c., were all charged to real estate. 



At the end of three years, the hay crop had 

 been doubled, and all the other crops greatly in- 

 creased. A. became desu'ous of changing his resi- 

 dence, and consequently of selling his farm. The 

 farm was advertised in the agricultural paper that 



