1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



115 



while her cotemporary of the yard stands demure- 

 ly looking on, with joints too stiff almost to move. 

 Thus whole generations of domestic animals rise 

 and full M'liile one of ours is i-ising. And yet this 

 brief life is all they have, whilst ours stretches on 

 through endless ages ! 



_ But enough of sentiment, and now for the prac- 

 tical application. 



What shall be done with the old horse and cow ? 

 Don't have anything to do with such creatures, say 

 some, but contrive to transfer your live stock into 

 other hands before it gets old. Suppose, however, 

 you have a family horse that is giving you the 

 best of his strength and endurance, but is all the 

 while advancing in years. You cannot blame him 

 for this — it is as much a law of nature to the beast 

 as to his master. The fountain of perpetual youth 

 is as much a myth to him as to you ; and worse 

 than this, he seems to leap at one bound from 

 youth to age. He tries hard, when let loose, to 

 leap back again. He will throw up his heels and 

 curvet and play shy, but the old fellow makes 

 clumsy work of his early coltish tricks. Clad in 

 harness, his age will betray itself, in spite of pa- 

 tent leather and silver plating. Prick up ears and 

 tail as he may, at starting in the crisp morning air, 

 he will pretty soon be dragging his slow length 

 along despite all your coaxing and lashing, till his 

 head is turned towards home. All the fire left in 

 him is not sufficient to "get up steam" more than 

 to fulfil for his driver the apostolic injunction, 

 "Let your moderation be known unto all men." 



But he is of some use after all. Age, indeed, 

 does not invariably hinder speed, and you will see, 

 now and then, an experienced road-horse outstrip 

 his younger brethren. This, however, is the ex- 

 ception. Aged, as well as large bodies, are apt to 

 move slow. We, of this fust age, get out of pa- 

 tience with slow coaches, but when you really 

 want to enjoy new and beautiful scenery, and chat 

 leisurely by the way with your traveling compan- 

 ion, how convenient it is to be driving an old, 

 steady-going nag ! What a favorite, too, he is 

 •with all but fast women ; ana just the team to 

 trust your wife and children with. Neither will 

 he be balking and shying when put to serious 

 farm-work, and frittering away his strength in 

 needless starts and plunges, but plods patiently 

 through the day, and evening sometimes, like a 

 good and faithful servant. How fruitful, as well 

 as useful, old age may be, if the animal in ques- 

 tion be a mare. She not only serves her own gen- 

 eration but posterity besides, renewing her youth 

 through a succession of colts. 



Meanwhile the cow is growing old, and what 

 shall be done with her ? Hurry her up, say some, 

 for slaughter before the beef gets any tougher. 

 Ah, what a thankless lot is this of the cow, that 

 her "milky way" should only have been leading to 

 the butcher ! No wonder her milk is sometimes 

 streaked with blood, in anticipation. The writer 

 confesses himself in a quandary over an aged cow. 

 She still lives and eats, and returns from her ud- 

 der a fair equivalent ; and what her milk loses in 

 quantity, with the lapse of years, it appears to 

 gain in quality. Her owner, however, needs but 

 one good cow, and that he is likely to have in the 

 smart, plump looking heifer by her side. So the 

 elder of the two is probably to be sacrificed, though 

 she has no suspicion of it yet. And if nobody will 

 buy her for the dairy, there is no alternative but 



for her to drop suddenly to rest, one of these days, 

 in that sure haven fur aged kine, the slaughter- 

 house. Let me, however, recommend to the farm- 

 er who has plenty of fodder and stal)lc room, to 

 keep the valuable steeil, or cow, that has grown 

 old on his hands. And would it not be well for 

 us all to show a little more reverence for our do- 

 mestic animals that have unfortunately passed 

 their prime ? 1 have associated witli llie stul)le a 

 term that probably belongs to the house ; but the 

 "old folks" have by this time discovered my mo- 

 tive. It was not to detract from the respect and 

 affection that is ever their due, nor to abate one 

 jot of the tender care they have a right to expect 

 from their children and ch'ildren's cliildren. Only 

 let not such regard begin and end with them. 

 When you have done "pitying the sorrows of a 

 poor old man," pay a visit 'to the barn, and see if 

 there be not some venerable object there, also, 

 for your pity and regard ; and remember in that 

 connection old age may not only be green, but 

 also be made to blossom and bear fruit. 



Feb., 1863. \\. e. b. 



FiiT the New Emjlaml Farmer. 



HINTS ON BUILDING E-^JlNS— No. 3. 



The barn is the building next in importance to 

 the house, and the same objects should be kept ia 

 view in its construction, viz., convenience and du- 

 rability. The location should be on dry ground, 

 and as near the house as possible, and not ex])ose 

 it to danger from fire. If possible, it should be 

 on the same side of the highway as the house, 

 which may be said of all other buildings, as they 

 are more convenient to the house, and a dozen 

 steps saved every day, makes a long journey in the 

 course of a life-time. 



The most a])i)roved plan of building a barn, is, 

 with a basement and cellar ; ia short, no first-class 

 barns are built now-a-days without them, and it 

 is much the cheajjer to build in that way, as the 

 extra room gained, is worth double the extra cost. 

 In building the basement walls, spare no ])ains to 

 make them solid, for here is where the ruin of 

 most barns commence. Not one of my readers 

 but what can look around his neighljorhood, and 

 see more or less barns all out of shape, and some 

 falling down, and all in consequence of imperfect 

 foundations. 



The same hint is applicable to this wall that was 

 recommended for the house cellar, viz., to dig a 

 trench under the wall, and a drain from that, and 

 fill with pounded stone so that the cellar shall be 

 dry. The size of the barn should be regulated by 

 the size of the farm, and should be large enough 

 to hold all the grain raised, and some of the hav. 

 A large floor is indispensable f(n- convenience la 

 threshing, but should not be used for a carriage- 

 house, as many firmors do, to their great disad- 

 vantage, and the abuse of their carriages and wag- 

 ons. The stables, which ought to be in the base- 

 ment, should be arranged so as to feed from the 

 floor above, which will save a vast amount of la- 

 bor in carrying hay and straw. 



Good inch boards put on up and down and bat- 

 tened, are better than common siding, which is li- 

 able to split and get torn off, and is not as tight 

 as the former way. It is contended by some, that 

 siding looks better, but I disagree with them 

 there, as it is a theory of mine, that the beauty of 

 an object of that kind consists in its durability and 



