252 Transactions of the American Institute. 



God intended to be as light as possible. My young span, "Light- 

 foot " and " Fleetwing," who easily go three and a half miles, to tho 

 post-office and return, in from forty to sixty minutes, are not likely 

 very soon to exchange the elastic step of the light-shod Yankee for 

 the dead tramp, of the English peasant, whose double soled, iron 

 epiked, or plaited clogs are well nigh inhuman. I have known 

 very heavy horses, unshod M^hen young, attain an elastic, light 

 step, that lasted all their lives, even though shod at a later period. 



" But, do your horses never fall upon the ice?" 



I answer yes, about as often as the shod ones, and with this dif- 

 ference: They have thereby damaged themselves with their ever 

 dangerous corks, while mine are unharmed, and soon learn better 

 than to fall, if ever so icy. I speak not of heavy, di'aft horses on 

 macadamized streets and levees, or of roadsters in a rock bound 

 country, but of prairie farm horses, and thousands of others, too, 

 which are so very needlessly shod. I say, begin right with the 

 next colt, and keep the horse-shoeing shop off the farm. While 

 talking about horses, I want to condemn most decidedly the barba- 

 rous practice of binding down upon the brain or forehead under 

 heavy bridle bands that foretop that God evidently designed should 

 fly loose in the breezes. Oh ! cut those bands off your bridles, or 

 else pull out those foretops, especially in hot weather, and your 

 horses would thank you a thousand times if they could only speak. 



REPORT ON MRS. SAUL's POTS AND KETTLES. 



The committee of ladies designated to report on the pots and 

 kettles invented by Mrs. Saul, which have a flue for conveying 

 steam and offensive odors into the tire, reported as follows: 



'* That these domestic utensils for culinary purposes are most 

 excellent devices for securing the objects for which they are 

 intended. Every ambitious housekeeper who desu'es to have all 

 disagreeable odors which must always arise from certain kinds of 

 food when it is being cooked, conveyed to the chimney instead of 

 being carried to every room in the house, will readily appreciate 

 spiders, pots and kettles that will always keep the air pure and 

 sweet throughout the entire dwelling house." 



Mr. N. C. Meeker. — Where poor people have to do all their 

 cooking in the room they live in, this cooking utensil will be hailed 

 with delight. 



SOWENO PLASTER. 



Mr. T. Dewey, Richland, Kalamazoo county, Mich. — I have cul- 

 tivated an extensive farm several years, and have found the best 



