170 AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE. 



want to go too much and -those which don't want to go at 

 all. The first is the nervous, jibbing- horse ; the second 

 the sulky, balky horse. A good way to manage the first is 

 to unhitch him at the first manifestation of the evil spirit, 

 and without any blustering or whipping, get on his back 

 and run him about three miles at the top of his speed. Nine 

 times in ten a horse will, after this treatment, when put in 

 harness again, pull as steadily as the most sober-minded 

 old horse in the world. A very usual way to manage the 

 second kind, those experienced in horse dealing say, is to 

 trade him off to some one in want of a good, steady, 

 reliable, old family horse. A favorite, but not generally 

 successful plan, pursued with horses of either of these 

 types, is to pound them over the head with the butt of the 

 whin or with a sapling. This is useless, but natural. 

 There is nothing in animated natuie that can develop bad 

 bile in a man to such an extent as can an animal of this 

 kind. There is a legend of a man who hired a horse and 

 went out for a drive. The horse balked ; the man lighted 

 a cigar, took out a newspaper, settled himself back in the 

 cushions, and read two hours and forty-five minutes by his 

 watch. Then that horse got- ready to go, and the man 

 must have been pretty well prepared for a better world. 

 This process would be tiresome, but quite likely more effective 

 than rubbii:g dirt in the mouth of the sulky one or kindling a 

 fire under him. The latter sort of inducement to " go," has, 

 it is said, proved effective with confirmed jibbers. 



Judging Age. What experiences there are in judging 

 the age of horses by the teeth ! While all the little black 

 cups or hollows are still in the teeth of the horse's lower 

 jaw, the animal is not over six years ; when those in the 

 corner teeth only are left, the horse is under nine. When the 

 cups are all gone in the under jaw, but are still left in the 

 teeth of the upper, the horse is probably not older than 

 ten, but this is not a certain rule. 'J he shape of the teeth 

 tells much to the experienced observer. In youth the 

 cutting surface of the tooth is long from side to side ; in 

 old age long from front to rear. When the cutting surface 

 of the teeth in the upper and lower jaws arc worn smooth, 

 and so long from front to rear a? to resemble in shape the 



