NO. IS. 



THE farmers' cabinet. 



273 



severity compels them to do. At whatever 

 stage of life, winter overtakes them, they 

 still .seem capable of its endurance. 



Still others, whose periodical changes arc 

 of shorter duration, may reproduce their kind 

 several times in the year. 



New- Garden, 'id mo. 8th, 1837. 



For ihe Farmers' Cabinet. 



In the 14th No. of tiic Cabinet we have 

 the figures of two or three kinds of stocks for 

 shoeing oxen. 



As the advantage of using oxen instead 

 of horses on a farm, is now generally acknow- 

 ledged, it is important that we should exam- 

 inetlie be.st means to fit them for labor, as 

 well as to give them comfort and ease while 

 thpy are performing it. 



There is sometliing noble ia the character 

 of the ox, his peaceable and quiet disposition, 

 his enduring patience, his generous exertions 

 to the heigiit of iiis strength in bearing along 

 his heavy load through heat and cold, excites 

 in us a friendly feeling towards him, and 

 makes us wish to render his condition of ser- 

 vitude as easy as possible. Impressed with 

 these feelings, and a desire to increase our 

 agricultural interests, I have ventured to 

 suggest some improvements in fitting and 

 nailing on the shoes, and in tlie stocks that 

 are here described. 



In figure 59, two strong leather straps are 

 represented to pass under the ox, " intended 

 to prevent his laying down ;" for those I would 

 substitute two sacks, one under his belly and 

 the other under the upper part of his hind 

 leg; I have seen both kinds and think the 

 Backs much preferable, particularly for the 

 ease of the ox. 



In shoeing, the plan recommended of use- 

 ing broad nails is quite objectionable ; it is 

 much better to bend the head of the nail 

 down to the surface of the shoe. The broad 

 nails are liable to catcli upon the stones, turn 

 up, and then draw out; but if the head of the 

 nail is small and sunk into the indented line 

 called theswedging, they are out of the reach 

 of any violence of this kind, for all the pres- 

 sure comes on the smooth surflice of the shoe. 



"Turning up the shoe at the toe, between 

 the hooves" is another objection. 



When the ox is shod his shoes ought not 

 to prevent his toes coming together in their 

 natural way, but the forepart of the shoes 

 ought to be about half an inch asunder when 

 the toes are closed. 



There should be two corkings worked upon 

 each shoe, at right angles with each other ; 

 one at the toe parallel to the line of his tra- 

 veling, and one at the heel across it ; these 

 assist him to maintain his standing in frosty 

 weather. The shoe in all cases should be 

 long enough to extend back under hia heel, 



at least as far as any pressure comes upon 

 the foot. 



'J'he hoof of an ox is very thin, compared 

 with that of a horse, consequently the 

 swedging or indented line should be near tho 

 outer edge of the shoe to prevent the nail 

 from striking the vital parts of the foot. 



Some people, through ignorance or inatten- 

 tion, work tiii'ir oxen uiilil tiioy are lame, 

 and then send them to the suiilh to be shod; 

 in this condition the hooves are often so worn 

 away, as to be unfit to receive the shoe ; and 

 when imperfectly put on they soon come od', 

 and sometimes increase his lameness ; all of 

 which tend to discourage the practice of 

 shoeing, and leaves the patient animal to be 

 drove shoeless over rough roads, in sufi^ering 

 to himself, and loss to his owner. If shoeing 

 in this condition of the foot is determined on, 

 the shoo must be miide to fit the foot, close 

 around where it is nailed, as pearing and 

 smoothing the foot is impracticable, and when 

 the foot cannot be made to fit the shoe, the 

 shoe must be made to fit the foot, but with all 

 the care and art that is possible to apply ; it 

 is better in ordinary cases to turn them out 

 to pasture, or to cease working them until 

 nature has supplied them with a hoof suffi- 

 cient to hold the shoe firmly to its place. 



The ideas here sugrgested are drawn 

 from experience ; they are known by practi- 

 cal men to be improvements in the art of 

 shoeing oxen, and if any one interested in the 

 labor of this noble animal, should think an ex- 

 amination worthy his attention, he will no 

 doubt conclude with the writer of this article, 

 that the knowledge has well paid him for hia 

 time and trouble in collecting the facts, &c. 

 Further, that the path to distinction as well as 

 profit in agricultural pursuits, lies in making 

 himself acquainted with every branch of his 

 business, as well as watching the avenues of 

 expense that drain off his "surplus revenue." 



SUBSCRIBER. 



Wilmington, Del., Sd mo. 10, 1837. 



For tlie Farmers' Cabinet. 



FarBBnisig. 



It has been the prevailing custom with the 

 farmers of New Jersey, for many years, to 

 plough their sward for corn, that they might 

 raise more than in tilling otherwise. I ad- 

 mit it is a good mode to till on the sward, and 

 has always been allowed so by first rate farm- 

 ers ; but I find it greatly to my advantage to 

 reverse the practice, in order to prevent the 

 worm making such sad havoc in my corn 

 fields. About six years ago I planted twenty 

 acres on the sward, and out of that the worms 

 took eight, scarcely leaving" a hill to be seen. 

 The tenth day of June 1 had it planted over 

 again, thinking the worms would not disturb 



