1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



365 



DOCKING HORSES. 



We are glad to see that the abominable prac- 

 tice of docking and nicking horses is going out 

 of fashion. It prevails in no country in the 



able size may be judicious and safe. For instance, 

 in tlie case of neglected orchard trees, in a luxu- 

 riant state, with dense heads, in which the fruit 

 is deprived of air and light. In such cases, the 



world besides England and the United States ; 1^=^°^ '^^ ^"^^3^ '^"^ t^"°°«d. «"t ^'^d cut ; the sur- 

 we got it from the mother country, and the , ^f*^ ^^^^^^^ ^^"'^" ""^^ V^'P?'^'^ """^ smoothly than 

 sooner we leave it off the better. It is wonder- j^* ^''J «ther time. But it is unsafe to produce 

 ful how any body but an ignorant, narrow-i^^^ ^,7^ «-°^'V^ '^r".?""^'''" ""^ ^^'^''Se, as it ar- 

 minded blockhead of a jockey should ever have r^^;«,/^'^^g^«^^'tl^ of *^>«*^^^ , , , 



thought of it— being as offensive to good taste as ' '^^^ pruning in the growing season tends to ar- 

 it is a violation of every human feeling. Hasl'^'^^^ F"^^'^- ^^""erymen know that a slight 

 nature doae her work in such a bungling man- iP^'""'"S of stocks beiore budding will so arrest 

 ner, m forming that paragon of animals, theiP^^'^^f *^ '"^'^^ ^ll^^lf ^ji^^'^f ^^^^ifly ^ ^jl^^"' 

 horse, that he fequires to have a large piece ofl'^ff^^*^ the pruning, it lifted freely. It is only on 

 bone chopped off with an axe to redSce him to i ^^"? P"°"P^^ that most all pruning, to promote 

 symmetry? or that beauty and grace can be ob- 1 f^^^^^l"^?^' ^"«* '^*^ done at a point of greater or 

 tained only by cutting a pair of his large i ^^f ^<=*^^'»t:5^ fg'^owth. Late spring pruning w 

 iauseles •' •' ° ^ ° j often resorted to as a means oi subduing a super- 



-Thedocking and nicking of horses," says an abundant vigor, and it has the same effect as root 

 intelligent writir on Farriery, "is a cruel prac- pr«°ing to a certain extent.— Horhcultuust. 

 tice, and ought to be abandoned by the whole 

 race of mankind. Every human being, possessed 

 , of a feeling heart and magnanimous mind, must 

 confess that both the docking and nicking of 

 horses is cruel; but that creature, called man, 

 attempts thus to mend the works of his Creator, 

 in doing which he often spoils and disfigures 

 them. What is more beautiful than a fine horse 

 with an elegant long tail and flowing mane, 

 waving in the sports of the wind, and exhibiting 

 itself in a perfect state of nature ! Besides, our 

 Creator has given them to the horse for defence 

 as well as beauty." 



The same author relates an instance of a fine 

 iiunting horse owned by an Englishman, which 

 would carry his rider over the highest live barred 

 gate with case ; but he thought the horse did not 

 carry as good fail ae he wished ; he therefore had 

 him nicked, and when the horse got well, he 

 could scarcely carry him over two bars. "Thus," 



For the New England Farmer. 



PIGS AND POULTRY. 



Mr. Editor : — The following account, which 

 I have kept for my own siitisfaction, I had not 

 thought of making public till recently, upon be- 

 ing advised by a friend ; it is not as particular oa 

 I should have kept it if designed for the public. 



The 26lh of July, 1S53, 1 commenced my account 

 with 10 pigs, 6 weeks old, for which I charged 



$3.50, or $35.00 



The mother 12.00 



From that time up to the 26th Feb., 1855, 1 have 

 given them 56 bags corn, 192 bushels cob corn, 

 43 bushels barky, 4 bushels oats, 1636 pounds 

 shorts, and 255 pounds rice, making an aggre- 

 gate cost, including toll, of 281.20 



Pigs, mother and all $328.20 



In the spring of 1854, I h.vd G pigs from the 

 . . mother, being ber second litter, and G pigs from 



said he, "I have spoiled a fine horse; and no I one of the 10 ab.ive named. I will now give you 

 wonder, for it weakened him in his loins." Any Ln account of what I have received in return for 

 man of common -sense would cheerfully give ten | all this outLiy, first informing you that 1 kept 

 p«r cent, more for a fine horse whose tail hadimy poultry out of the grain charged to the pigB, 

 never been mutilated, than for one which had |;v,irj also, what grain my horse has had has been 

 been under tlie hands of a jockey.— Maene Far- taken from that, as it was not convenient to keep 

 ^'^''^- separate lots. 



PRUNING WHEN THE LEAVES ARE 

 ON. 



The only pruning we hold to be sound, safe 

 and commendabh;, at this season, is that of the 

 finger and thiiiu!>, — in other wo.''ds, pinching. It 

 is quite iucousisteut with good management to 

 rear a crop of good shoots at two or three inches 

 growth In-fore they attain to woodliness. This 

 econoiniz'js the force of the tree, and turns it in 



In the spring of 1S54, I killed 918 lbs. pork $100 98 



I sold 3 pigs for 9.75 



I kiled 4 pigs July 3d for roasting, 76 lbs., 14c 10.64 



During the last fall and winter killed 1700 lbs 1S7.00 



Have on hand one of the 10 I began with — one I lost. . .12.00 

 Grain for horse during the time 10.00 



$330 37 



Add to this for poultry sold during pame time 25.72 



Eegs do. do 5o.93 



Leaving me 



$412.08 



for about 250 bushels carrots I 



to a channel where it will promote instead ofjhave given them. The manure, I think, v;ill 

 frustrating the ends we are aiming at. For in- [pay for the trouble of tending them. I have 

 stance, if we plant a young tree, and have it[reckoned the pork at 11 cents per pound, as it 

 trimmed with a view to a certain form, and, con- 1 has averaged mo that by cutting it up and selling 

 trary to our expectations, a shoot breaks out at it in the form of ham, sausagis and salt pork. I 



an unexpected point, and assumes a vigorous hab 

 it, and robs all other parts, it would be evidently 

 unwise to tolerate this intruder until it arrives at 

 full growth and tlien cut it away. Too many 

 trees are thus managed by the neglect of summi-r 

 pruning or j)inching. We admit, however, that 



could not have saved the expense had I sold them 

 whole, at from 7 to 8 cents per pound, the mar- 

 ket price. 



It is my opinion, formed from this experience, 

 that if farmers will save their own corn, it will 

 pay well to raise hogs to fat. It is also my 



there are cas'S in which the summer pruning, orlopinion that cob corn is the cheapest and be^t 

 entirj lopping off or cutting of limbs of consider- j food fur hogd, till within a week or two of killing. 



