172 DISEASES OF ANIMALS. 



TKAINING. 



We have already treated on this subject, under " Ani« 

 mals" and " Horses." The remarks on taming and train- 

 ing horses, in their leading principles, are applicable to 

 cattle, showing the importance of subduing by gentleness 

 rather than by harshness and force ; they also show the 

 great importance of exercising common sense in this busi- 

 ness. 



We have found, from experience and observation, that 

 by far the best time to train steers is when they are 

 calves, the first winter. A person can then manage 

 them with ease, and put them under good discipline, 

 and they -mW never forget it. When a boy, we trained 

 calves the first winter, so that they were completely 

 handy, and would take as large a load for their size as a 

 pair of oxen. Let this be done by a person of discretion, 

 and not allow boys who were never trained themselves 

 to do this by way of a frolic. 



In the neighborhood where we resided, a pair of calves 

 was raised on a small farm, where some seven or eight 

 tons of hay were cut, and a few acres of land tilled, and 

 no oxen kept. The first winter, these calves were 

 worked by boys of moderation and good judgment. 

 They hauled all the wood for the family, which was no 

 small amount, as it was for an old-fashioned fireplace. 

 They also carried grain to mill, about four miles. The 

 next spring, they were furnished with cart and wheels 

 suited to their size, and hauled out the manure, hauled 

 in the hay and other crops, hauled fencing, &c., and 

 from that time did most of the work on the farm ; they 

 proved to be a superior pair of oxen, and at seven years 

 of age, they were sold at a high price, considerably 

 above the value of any other pair of oxen in the vicinity. 



We should no more think of allowing cattle and 

 horses to go three or four years without training, than 

 allowing children to run wild, wayward, and ignorant, 

 until fifteen or sixteen years old, before being trained 

 or educated. Illustration. — An old gentleman threat- 

 ened his son, a big boy, for disobedience. " Could you 



