1879. 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



159 



food to carry a poor beast through winter than a fat 

 one, even though nothing may be added to the ani- 

 mal's condition. 



"fhe necessity of shelter for all kinds of stock 

 from the storms, frosts and inclemency of this bleak 

 season, has been frequently dwelt upon In these 

 pages, and its economy as well as its humanity fully 

 demonstrated.— .Bunii Xeie Yorker. 



Runaway Horses. 

 If you arc in a wagon and the horses take fright, 

 and gets on a full jump before you can bring your 

 strength to bear on the bits, there is nothing for it 

 but to hold on and try your best to stop him, "saw- 

 ing" if neccessnry on the bit. Failing in this, you 

 perhaps keep him in the road until his wind gives 

 out, or should a good opportunity occur, you may 

 turn him against a fence or the side of the house, or 

 in fact anything tliat will stop him. This last is a 

 dangerous recourse, but we have seen it done with 

 success. When a span of horses are running, the 

 difficulty is increased, and more strength, more skill, 

 and better luck on the part of the driver, are very 

 desirable qualities. A strong hand and a determin- 

 ed will nearly always sufflce to stop runaways, if 

 nothing breaks. If the lines break or the bits give 

 way, an active person may, without much dilliculty. 

 Is Increased, and more strength, more skill, and bet- 

 ter luck on the part ftf-tha driver, are very desirable 

 qualities. A strong hand and a determined will 

 nearly always sufflce to stop runaways, if nothing 

 breaks. If the lines break or the bits give way, an 

 active person may, without much difhculty, climb 

 over the dashboani, get on the animal's back, and 

 check him by grasping his nose. Leaping from the 

 carriage while the horse is running is almost certain 

 to involve more or less injury. An active person 

 may do it safely, but it is the part of pluck, and 

 generally that of wisdom, to stay by the carriage as 

 long as the traces hold. When the horses is fairly 

 stopped, treat him kindly, and if possible let him 

 stand until his nerves are quieted. If a horse is 

 running toward you, courage and adroitness may 

 eiiable you to stop him. If you can secure a hold on 

 the reins of one of them near the bits you are all 

 right. Hold on and within a few rods at the most 

 the horse will stop, unless he is a most extraordi- 

 nary animal. In case of a span, if you stop one 

 horse the other must stop too, if nothing gives way. 

 We can tell those who have never tried it that it is 

 not a pleasant pastime to stand tiy the roadside and 

 watch the approacli of a frantic horse, making calcu- 

 lation the while to catch some part of the harness. 



The Wild Cattle of Great Britain. 

 The Chillingham herd are the oonneclin 



link 



between the wild cat 

 Scotland — beautiful crcaluri's, witli lihitk rars mid 

 muzzles; "their horns line, wiUi a bold and cknaiit 

 bend," who hide their youug and leed iu the uitrlil , 

 ahd whose calves lay in the form like hares. It has 

 had many chroniclers, and Bewick and Landseer 

 took portraits among its members. The late Lord 

 Tankerville observed their manners and customs at- 

 tentively, no easy task, as he would sometimes, in 

 summer, be for several weeks at a time without 

 getting sight of them. At that season, on the 

 slightest appearance of any one, the wild cattle 

 retire into their forest sanctuary; but they come 

 down for food into the inner park, and will let one 

 come almost among them, especially if on horse- 

 back. Here is a pretty picture of these strange 

 creatures, remnants of an old world, which have 

 hitherto been preserved under extraordinary diffi- 

 culties, but cannot, we should think, long continue 

 to exist ; "When they come down into the lower 

 part of the park, which they do at stated hours, 

 they move like a regiment of cavalry in single file, 

 tKe bulls leading Ihe. van; and when they are in 

 retreat, the bulls bring up the rear. Lord Ossulton 

 was witness to a curious way in which they took 

 possession, as it were, of some new pasture, recently 

 laid open to them. It was in the evening, about 

 sunset. They began by lining the front of a small 

 wood, which seemed quite alive with them, when all 

 of a sudden they made a dash forward altogether iu 

 line, and, charging close by him across the plain, 

 they then spread out, and after a little time began 

 feeding." The wild white cattle are ferocious 

 animals, valiant fighters, capable of domestication 

 when taken very youug, but once partially or wholly 

 grown up, quite uutamable. Mr. Storer says that 

 they hate and fear man, scenting him, as related by 

 Botchius, and he adds : "I am convinced that if 

 any of them were placed in captivity his description 

 would beveiifled: they would be 'sa impacient that, 

 eflir thair taking, they deit for importable dolouro.' " 



The Caitle Belt. 

 "The cattle belt" of the United States begins to 

 attract attention from its enormous extent and the 

 rapidly increasing value of its products. The cattle 

 yield of Colorado is said to exceed its bullion pro- 

 ducts in value. A banker in Denver, it is reported, 

 says that he would rather have one hundred stock 

 dealers' accounts than three hundred mining ac- 



counts from depositors. The "cattle belt" rel'erred 

 to begins at the Klo Grande, near Corpus Christi, 

 and extends northwest through the interior to the 

 frontiers of Manitoba. In its extreme southern 

 and northern portions it is neither highly elevated 

 nor particularly dry, but for the greater part of 

 tlie immense area included under this distinctive 

 denomination— and it Is said to be an area of H50 

 miles In width by 2,000 miles In length— It lies along 

 the surface of high table lands, of which Northern 

 Texas and Colorado are fair types. Cattle on these 

 plains need to be herded and watched, in order that 

 they may receive water at proper Intervals, but it Is 

 claimed that the cost of raising a four-year-old 

 steer, selling at the depots at an average of $30, 

 does not exceed from $2.50 to $:(..')0. The average 

 natural increase of the herds is about TO per cent. 

 The business is one which requires large capital at the 

 outset, regular wages, and strict attention to the 

 best markets, and the inference is that it will 

 speedily fail Into the hands of a few large drovers 

 and butchers. The enormous droves on the plains, 

 said to number at the present time nearly 1.5,000- 

 000, are thought to be In some danger from the ap- 

 proaches of pleuro-pneumonia, but the rapid conver- 

 sion of grazing lands Into farming lauds Is probably 

 the chief danger to the profits of the system, which 

 is now immiaeat. —Jialiiinore Sun. 



Swiss Dairymen in California. 

 Fully two-thirds of all the dairy business of the 

 upper coast counties in California, says the San 

 Francisco Chronicle, is In the hands of Swiss, either 

 as renters or owners. "They seem to be peculiarly 

 adapted to the business, and are turning out a very 

 good imitation of Swiss cheese. Most of the prosper- 

 ous dairymen in the itate are men who but a decade 

 since came here without money and have made valu- 

 able homes, and stocked their farms with the best 

 breed of cattle, by their own Industry and ecouomy. 

 One of the peculiarities of this people is their dis- 

 position to assist one another. A Swiss settlement 

 takes the form of a practical mutual aid society, 

 and the system is to be commended all the more, on 

 account of the absence of all selfishness. A poor 

 boy comes from his native land and begins by work- 

 ing ill one of the dairies by the month. By scrupu- 

 lous economy, in two or three years, he has accumu- 

 lated money enough to reut a piece of land a and few 

 cows. His countrymen take a practical interest in 

 him, loan him money as he needs it, and in every 

 way assist him to become the owner instead of 

 tenant, and when he has achieved that result, he iu 

 turn helps the next poor countrymau who shows a 

 willingness to work. The Swiss dairyman prefers a 

 small farm, in a high state of cultivation, on which 

 lie nus«p the finest stock, and the best of feed for 

 Uiriii. The average California dairyman figures on 

 lioiji loui to seven acres to support each cow, while 

 a Su l^^ ilairyman will reverse the order of things 

 iuid keep seven cows on one acre very soon." 



gives all the milk that is wanted In a family of eight, 

 and that from It, after taking all that Is required for 

 other purposes, StjO pounds ofbutter were made this 

 year. This is in part his treatment of the cow;— "If 

 you desire to get a large yield of rich milk give your 

 cows every day water slightly warm and slightly 

 salted, in which bran has been stirred at the rate of 

 one (luart to two gallons of water. You will find, If 

 you have not tried this daily practice, that your cow 

 will glvetwenty-llve per cent, more milk Immediately 

 under the effects of It, and she will become so at- 

 tached to the diet as to refuse to drink clear water 

 unless very thirsty. But this mess she will drink 

 almost any time, and ask for more. The amount of 

 this drink necessary is an ordinary water pall full at 

 a time, morning, noon and night. 



Polling Cattle. 

 The horns of our cows seem to be neither orna- 

 mental nor useful. As a means of warfare they can 

 only have consideration, but warfare and goring Is 

 precisely what we desire to keep away from the 

 barnyard. English farmers, whose herds are prob- 

 ably more precious and closer confined than In 

 America, have introduced the practice of unhorning 

 cattle by clipping the small projections in calves, 

 when half an Inch long, using simply a strong pair 

 of shears. It is true It hurts the calves somewhat. 

 There will be a little bleeding, but that will stop In 

 an hour or two and the calves will soon resume 

 eating. 



Salt For Stock, 

 I have never been so successful In producing quan- 

 tity and quality of milk, or even flow, as wh re the 

 cows had access tosalt at their opiion; and I k now 

 that it affected the butter and churning, the butter 

 being better and "coining" sooner with than without 

 salt. Furthermore, cattle having salt as freely as 

 they choose, look smoother and do not have a staring 

 coat, as do animals which had no salt, or only a 

 trilie at long Intervals. May not these favored Indi- 

 viduals who sujiply no salt to their stock, fall to dis- 

 cover that their slock is supplied from some unknown 

 source! — JSx. 



To Tell a Horse's Age. 



After a horse is nine years old a wrinkle comes in 

 the eyelid, at the upper corner of the lower lid, and 

 every year thereafter he has one well-defined wrinkle 

 for each year of his age over nine. If, for Instance, 

 a horse has three wrinkles he is twelve; if four, 

 thirteen. Aiid the number of wrinkles to nlue and 

 you will always get at it. 



Hints for Horse Trainers. 



Never try to beat a colt into doing a thing, for if 

 nervous he may turn out a vicious horse, and if 

 stupid he may become stubborn. Remember that 

 by patieuce and gentleness he can be got to do any- 

 thing that will not hurt him. 



When the horse shows signs of shying at an object 

 do not beat him, but lead him up to it, allowing him 

 to stand and look as he comes close, and after he 

 examines it a few times he will not fear anything of 

 the kind again. In passing by hedges with a colt, 

 throw in stones and stop him until he takes no notice 

 of the noise. 



Before putting on any article of harness let your 

 coll smell it, and then rub against his head, neck 

 and body- 



Always start a horse with the voice, never with 

 ilie cut of the whip. In starting turn a little to one 

 side; ill stopping when going up a hill do the same. 

 — Norristown Herald. 



Colic in Stock. 



A correspondent of the Massachusetts rioughnum 

 gives the following cure for colic iu horses, which is 

 convenient at all times and easily applied. He says 

 he has never known it to fail : Spread a teacupful 

 or more of fine salt on the back of the animal over 

 the kidneys and loins, and keep it saturated with 

 warm water for twenty or thirty minutes, or longer 

 if necessary. If the attack is severe, drench with 

 salt. I have a valuable bull, weighing nineteen or 

 twenty huudred, which had a severe attack of colic 

 a year ago last summer. I applied salt to his back 

 as above, and it being difficult to drench, we put a 

 wooden bit into his mouth, keeping it open two 

 inches, and spread salt upon his tongue which, 

 together with the salt on his back, relieved him at 

 ouce, and within a very short time equilibrium ap- 

 peared fully restored. I have for several years past 

 successfully applied this treatment to other auinials 

 ill ray herd. 



How to make Cows give Milk. 

 A writer in the Southern Farmer says his cow 



Poultry. 



Hints to Poultry Breeders. 



A correspondent of the Massachusetts Ploughman 

 writes some good hints about the management of 

 poultry in answer to an article on that subject : 



"First, you say. If eggs in winter are wanted the 

 light Brahma or white Cochin is best for that pur- 

 pose. An experience of ten years with fowls of dif- 

 ferent breeds has not brought about such a conclu- 

 sion with me. I keep fowls foi the eggs— black 

 Spanish, white and brown Leghorns— and have no 

 trouble about their laying iu winter. I find 

 as much trouble in keeping fowls cold In the sum- 

 mer as I do in keeping them v^rm in winter. I keep 

 Brahmas for hatching. They discount all other 

 breeds In that line of business, and their motherly 

 qualities are without a rival. I find the expense of 

 food for twenty black Spanish, white and browu 

 Leghorns, to be the same as that of fourteen Brah- 

 mas. There is no question in my mind but what the 

 Plymouth Hock excels all others, when brought 

 upon the table as an article of food. For eggs the 

 Plymouth Rock still stands as second, which is say- 

 ing much in their praise, wheu we consider the num- 

 ber of good laying breeds with which they have had 

 to compete. A hen that lays one hundred eggs iu a 

 year is not an unprofitable one. Still she cannot be 

 classed as a very profitable one. A hen to be in favor 

 with me must produce from one huudred and thirty 

 to one hundred and eighty eggs a year. At the latter 

 figure I can make them pay three hundred per cent., 

 on the investment, beside the cost of food. 



"If it is desired to obtain a stock of hens for lay- 

 lug eggs to sell when they bring the highest price I 

 like the hatching to take place the first week in 

 .M-ay, if of the black Spanish, white or brown Leg- 

 horu breed. They will lay as soon as the tenth of 

 October. From that time until the first of March is 

 when I find it a good time to sell eggs. In the mat- 

 ter of feeding feed so that your hens shall be healthy. 

 The healthy hens are those from whom we may ex- 

 pect eggs, and not those that are extremely fat. 

 Wheu a hen does not lay four months In succession 

 1 know no way by which she can be made to make 

 up for lost time, any more than I can tell how a 

 farmer can be made to make up the loss of twodays' 

 time per week iu a grocery store discussing his neigh- 

 bors' business. As for a hcu not being profitable to 



