54 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



STALLS FOR COWS. 



Editoks Genesee. Faemek: — In the January 

 number of your journal is an article on "Keeping 

 Dairy Cows tlirough tlie AViutor," contributed by 

 A. J. Tatlor, of Java, iSr..y.,, containing a descrip- 

 tion of cow-stalls, which are so near the best that I 

 hare seen that I am tempted to describe a kind 

 which I think a trifle better. I hope that Mr. Tay- 

 lor will alter Ids stalls, and give his opinion, wliich, 

 I have no doubt, will be as warm in favor of the 

 "Ayrshire stall" as the inventor could wish. I 

 was induced to build some by an article I saw in 

 the New England Farmer at the time I was alter- 

 ing my barn. The kibstance of the article is as 

 follows : Mr. Jos. ^L Diuvek relates that he was 

 obliged to tie a cow in a horse-stall for a few days, 

 while altering his barn, and in consequence of the 

 hints she gave, he got up the "Ayrshire stall," 

 which he considers nearly perfect ; and his neigh- 

 bors coincide with him, after years of ti'iah The 

 description will be more readily understood if you 

 imagine a horse-stall before you. Now, then, as a 

 cow has not the long and arching neck of a horse, 

 the front plank of the manger must be very narrow, 

 and rise only about two. inches above the bottom 

 of the manger, said bottom being three feet or less 

 above the floor. This height of two inches is sutB- 

 cient to prevent ehoiiped roots from rolling out and 

 falling to the floor.* The short neck and broad 

 nose of a cow prevent her from conveniently using 

 the horse's rack *,, therefore you will bring tlie lower 

 ends of the rack bars toward the cow, and insert 

 them into holes bored in the front etlge of the bot- 

 tom plank of the manger. Thereby they become 

 upright, not slanting: hence the back part of the 

 rack should be sloping, in order to slide forward 

 the hay as fast as eaten. Also, take out every 

 alternate bar, as cows require from six to eight 

 inches between the bars. Do not make the manger 

 too broad; a 12-inch ])lank is full wide for it. — 

 !^^ake the stalls about three feet wide, and shorten 

 the partitions to three feet in length from the 

 manger.. Of coiu'se, the partitions run likewise 

 across the manger, so that the cows shall not see 

 each other while feeding, nor each other's mess. 

 Put a strap around your cow's neck, having a halter 

 chain attaclied ; lead her to the well-filled rack ; 

 put the chain through a hole you have bored in the 

 center of the manger, near the front edge ; tie her 

 rather short, so that her nose will nearly touch the 

 manger when she stands ; and loth of you will be 

 delighted ! The floor should be cut oflf close to her 

 heels, so that her dung and water shall fall into the 

 channel, or on the barn floor, three or more inches 

 below the stall floor, and she will be as clean as a 

 new penny all winter. 



The great advantage is this: When the cow stands, 

 she is as far out of the stall as her chain allows ; but 

 when she lies down, she must step forward and put 

 her head under the manger: hence she can not lie 

 down in lier dung. Tlie method of securing cows 

 by upright stakes, or "stanchions," as we call them, 

 is a cruelty which should be forbidden by law. 



Bedham, Mats., Jan''y, 1S58. M. B. I. 



* IVtixed feed composed in part of meal, I prefer to feed to the 

 iM.w in a box thrust under tlie manjjer; not from anv defect in the 

 ai-rr.ii2:ement of (he manger, but because boxes can be more easilv 

 and thoroughly cleaned immediately after the cowa have eaten"; 

 cuusequeally, rats and mice are scarce on aiy premises. 



WHO HAS THE OLDEST HOKSEI 



Eds. Genesee Farmer : — "Which is the oldest 

 horse, and how long with suitable care and atten- 

 tion can the horse be kept to be of service to man, 

 are questions that Ave often hear; and while the 

 writer of this may not be prepared to answer both 

 questions, he lias, undertaken to write a little his- 

 tory of a p^'etty old horse owned in the goodly 

 town of Oxford, N. Y. 



Some tu'enty-five years since, a certaia Bapti.st 

 Minister brouglit to this town from Canada a span 

 of" black Indian ponies, as they were called, where 

 they were taken wild a long time ago, by a man 

 who has lately visited the neighborhood where one. 

 of them is now owned. He is a gentleman of the- 

 strictest v.eracity, and avers that as long as fovty- 

 one years ago this truly long-lived horse was taken 

 wild,, somewhere in Canada, when he was vi. full' 

 grown horse, where, with his mate, taken at the 

 same time, he was owned and subjected to hard 

 labor all over the Canadas, up to the time when, 

 they were brought to this country and tried a 

 little in several of the States and Territories, ancT 

 then traded oti' by the aforesaid Baptist Minister 

 (for even Ministers traded horses in those days)- 

 to a Baptist Deacon, a neighbor of mine, who 

 kept them a few years,-^say ten or fifteen years — 

 during which time they were allowed, tx)r pastime, 

 to do most of the hard work in the neighborhood;' 

 during the week, and then to draw all hands np to- 

 meeting, four miles, on the Sabbath, and then agaiit 

 were good for all of the evening meetings, siivging- 

 schools, &c., at the same time ; when they wore 

 again traded otf to a man back in the woods, who 

 was just beginning a little clearing over thfre. full 

 six or seven miles ti-om the village ot'Oxfoitl', np to. 

 which place, besides heliping slick up the farm, they 

 were driven — not only with big loads on the Sab- 

 bath, but tilmost eveiy day ill the week, — forward' 

 of an extra strong and heavy can-fage, that nsed to 

 carry all hands safe and sound. Finally one of- 

 these ju.stly celebrated horses "kinder gin out," 

 over there, and while the writer is unable to give, 

 the precise time when this event occurred, it is stilli 

 known to have taken place some time during the- 

 first half of the present century! At any iiite,, I 

 well remember the time, for as soon as it did occur 

 a pair of thills were fltted into the old carriage,, 

 which was extra .strong and heavy, and the hero of" 

 this short history was for a few years ailowcd a> 

 little respite from work on the farm tmd jnst trotted 

 up to town rather oftener than ever, though in truth- 

 since the " going " has got to be uncommonly bad 

 even for this country, and the old horse does begin 

 to look a little oldish^ be has been allowed to " lay 

 by " for a while in order to recruit up again. 



How long, with suitable care anti attention, wili 

 the horse survive and be of service to ntan? The 

 one whose life is written above is knowfi* to have 

 been ttiken in a wild state more than forty years- 

 ago, at the- time a full grown horse — at what age- 

 it is not known, as no record of the years of his- 

 colthood has ever been found; and tradition, alias! 

 is silent upon the subject. e. a. b. 



Oifarcl, Gheiiawj& Co.,' N. Y., 1.S5S. 



"Was it ever known that a rural residence, taste- 

 fully planned and' appropriately adorned, was not; 

 the abode of refinement and intelligence. 



