382 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



hard boiled the contrary. There is an idiosyn- 

 crasy in some persons, which shows itself in the 

 utter disgust which they experience, not only 

 against the egg itself, but also against any prep- 

 aration of which it forms an ingredient, however 

 slight. Eggs should always be liberally accom- 

 panied by bread. — Dr. Doran. 



TBAINING STEERS TO THE YOKE AND 

 TO ^?^OBK 



It is one thing to train steers to the yoke, and 

 another to train them to work — even as knoM'l- 

 edge of the theory differs practically from "know- 

 ing how," and going through with it. As in teach- 

 ing human scholars, "one thing at a time" is bet- 

 ter acquired, than a miscellaneous jumble of infor- 

 mation, so it is in teaching steei's, and the first 

 object is to train them to wear the yoke and to 

 obey the commands of the driver. 



Four pair of steers can be trained at once, with 

 nearly the same ease as one. The first step is to 

 shut them into a well-fenced yard, with an area 

 of from twelve to sixteen square rods, where the 

 driver can stand in the centre and make the steers 

 travel around him. They should be kept going 

 in pairs or Indian file, until they will allow his 

 approach — until they learn to be handled with- 

 out fear, which is an important rudiment in the 

 education of an ox. In doing this, the same pa- 

 tience and gentleness should be exercised which is 

 expected of the teacher of a school — a patience 

 which never yields to vexation. In a short time 

 they will allow themselves to be yoked on either 

 side, and can be driven anywhere, either in or out 

 of the yard. Four days spent in this way, will 

 better train steers to the yoke than four months of 

 miscellaneous farm service, and they will be bet- 

 ter cattle for all kinds of teaming, and sell for a 

 higher price. The drilling in the yard should 

 be continued until they can be driven with ease. 

 To learn them to stand when left to rest, they 

 need hitching as much as a span of horses. 



When steers are trained to drive well in the 

 yoke, the entirely different operation of training 

 them to work should be commenced. This should 

 proceed by degrees, with light loads and short 

 journeys, until they give evidence of ability as 

 well as knowledge. Oxen can be trained to work 

 with as little expense to the natural spirits of the 

 animal, as the horse, and it should be the aim of 

 every ox-teamster, to train his cattle to work 

 well without discouraging or abusing them. 



Doubtless many of our farming readers are 

 training steers to the yoke this season — will they 

 adopt the rule, "one thing at a time," and break 

 to the yoke before putting them untaught to draw- 

 ing loads ; and after a patient trial, report success 

 or the want of it for our. columns. One thing 

 should be remembered — no farmer is competent 

 to manage steers who cannot govern and manage 

 himself. — Country Gentleman. 



CUKE FOB THE BITE OP A MAD DOG. 



A frightful case of attack and biting of a child 

 in the family of one of our friends recently, which 

 the public in this region have generally seen, in- 

 duces us to give the following remedy to cure the 

 bite of a mad dog, which we hope will be care- 

 fully preserved. There is not a year passes in 

 which some rabid dog does not go at large, bit- 

 ing cattle, sheep, swine and horses, and some- 

 times human beings, and spreading present terror 

 and future anxiety through the neighborhood. 



This remedy has no smack of quackery, and 

 in our opinion is worthy of immediate applica- 

 tion to any one who has been bitten, either re- 

 cently or remotely. 



A writer in the National Intelligencer says that 

 spirits of hartshorn is a certain remedy for the 

 bite of a mad dog. The wound, he adds, should 

 be constantly bathed with it, and three or four 

 doses, diluted, taken inwardly during the day. 

 The hartshorn decomposes, chemically, the virus 

 insinuated into the wound, and immediately al- 

 ters and destroys its deleteriousness. The writer, 

 who resided in Brazil for some time, first tiied 

 it for the bite of a scorpion, and found that it 

 removed pain and inflammation almost instantly. 

 Subsequently he tried it for the bite of a rattle- 

 snake, with similar success. At the suggestion 

 of the writer, an old friend and physician tried 

 it in cases of hydrophobia, and always with suc- 

 cess. 



The Sex of Eggs. — M. Genin has addressed 

 the Academic des Sciences on this subject. He 

 says he is able, after three years' study, to state 

 with assurance that all eggs containing the germs 

 of males have wrinkles on their smaller ends 

 while female eggs are equally smooth at both ex- 

 tremities. 



HOW A QUABBEL WAS SETTLED. 



The ancient family of Wolcott, in Connecticut 

 was remarkable for clear-headedness, inflexible 

 integrity, pungent wit and Christian principle. 

 The following facts relate to the Hon. Roger 

 Wolcott, who was afterwards Governor : 



Expressing my surprise one day to Wolcott, 

 that his satirical disposition had not got him into 

 more scrapes, he told me he never was in but 

 one that seriously alarmed liim. It was with the 

 late General M'Cormick. "We had passed the 

 previous forenoon together," said Wolcott, "when 

 something I said more severe than I ought to 

 the General, roused his anger. He retorted. I 

 was more sarcastic than before. He went away 

 and sent me a challenge for the next morning. 

 Six o'clock was the hour fixed upon ; the ground 

 to be the green at Truro, wliich at that time was 

 sufliiciently retired. There were no seconds. The 

 window of my room, however, commanded the 

 green. I had scarcely got out of bed to dress 

 for the appointment, when, pulling aside the cur- 

 tains, I saw the General walking up and down on 

 the side next the river, half an hour before the 

 time. The sun was just rising, cloudily, the morn- 

 ing bitterly cold ; which, Avith the sight of the 

 General's pistol and his attendance on the ground 

 before the hour appointed, were by no means 

 calculated to strengthen my nerves. I dressed, 

 and, while doing so, made up my nilnd that it 

 was great folly for two old friends to pop away 

 at each other's lives. My resolution was speedi- 

 ly taken. I rang the bell for my servant girl : 

 'Molly, ligUt the fire, instantly ; make some good 

 toast ; let the breakfast be got in a minute, for 



