1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



59 



Rome. He regarded no beasts, birds or fish 

 as hateful. So on a particular day the ''Bene- 

 diction of Beasts'''' is annually performed at 

 Rome ! It lasts for some days, and every Ro- 

 man, from the Pope to the peasant, who has a 

 horse, a mule, or an ass, sends them to be 

 blessed at St. Anthony's shrine. Even the 

 English go with their job horses and favorite 

 dogs, get them sprinkled, sanctified, and placed 

 under the protection of this saint. The same 

 practice exists in Madrid, Spain, where mules 

 and other useful animals receive a blessing in 

 St. Anthony's church! 



We cannot but have some respect for such 

 customs, when they tend to foster good feel- 

 ings, and increase kind treatment to the ani- 

 mals under our charge, which are indispen- 

 sable to our comfort and happiness. 



Some of the days in February could not be 

 better spent by certain persons who hire horses 

 at livery stables, by teamsters in cities, and by 

 some farmers who feed light and load heavy, 

 than by attending upon the services at St. An- 

 thony's church ! 



Reform among us, as farmers, is still needed 

 in regard to the management of farm stock, as 

 relates to treatment, — that is, influence over 

 them, — as well as to the modes of feeding. 

 An angry word and then a blow, is still the 

 ]iractice with some persons, whenever an ani- 

 mal varies from the strict line of practice re- 

 quired of it. This does not arise so much from 

 violent temper, or ill-feeling, as from a 

 thoughtless habit, — ^but it tells upon the ani- 

 mals, nevertheless. 



A little practice will enable an observing 

 person to decide what herds of cattle, in the 

 barn, are treated with kindness and considera- 

 tion, and those which are controlled with harsh 

 words and blows. It cannot be possible that 

 animals who live in constant fear, who are ex- 

 cited whenever their master is present, and 

 tremble at his approach, can be in that state 

 of rest and composure which is necessary to 

 secure the greatest product from them in flesh, 

 work or milk. 



An inconsiderate overloading of horses and 

 oxen is one of the most common cruelties in- 

 flicted upon them. More good horses are 

 spoiled in this way than in any other ; and the 

 better they are to begin with, the more likely 

 they are to be ruined. 



Every farmer should know the dimensions 

 of the cart or wagon he uses, and then what a 



square foot or a cubic yard of sand, gravel, 

 stone, lumber or manure will weigh. Of 

 course, these will vary under certain circum- 

 stances, — as a cart full of green manure will 

 weigh twice as much as the same cart full of 

 that which has been composted. A cord of 

 fresh dung will weigh about 9289 pounds ! or 

 nearly ybwr and a half tons! And yet half a 

 cord is often the load which a pair of oxen are 

 expected to haul over ploughed ground, where 

 the feet of the cattle and the wheels of the cart 

 sink into the soil to the depth of six or eight 

 inches ! Is that merciful treatment ? A third 

 of a cord is thrown upon a cart for a single 

 horse to drag over or through a similar surface, 

 where he can get no substantial foothold, and 

 where the wheels are trigged at every step by 

 the great unevenness of the furrows. And yet 

 he is required to haul over such a place more 

 than a ton and a half. 



Is it a matter of wonder that so many of our 

 horses are afflicted with sjyring halt, hone and" 

 bog spavin, ringbone, fisitdous withers, false 

 quarter, sandcrack, broken knees, heaves, quit- 

 tor, and a host of other diseases, some of which 

 are common to half the horses we see !: 



Let us, farmers, think more of these things, 

 now that we have comparative leisure, and are 

 enjoying arouiad our firesides the delights of 

 home, kindi-ed and friends. Let us not only 

 think, brit talk them over, recall past prac- 

 tices, and decide whether we have heretofore 

 given to our business such powers of the mind, 

 and such skill, as will bring us the largest re- 

 wards for our labor. 



February winds and snows are not our 

 care. Let them whistle and fly, while we 

 mark out our duties and form our resolutions 

 for the future. 



Nice Pork on a Good Farm. — We saw, 

 the other day, at Mr. David Buttrick's, in 

 Concord, Mass., three very fine hogs, that 

 must dress between 400 and 500 lbs. each. 

 They are thirteen months old, have always been 

 fed together and are so nearly equal in size, 

 that it is difficult to decide which will weigh 

 the most. Not only his hogs but his fields, 

 buildings, and other stock, with the numerous 

 conveniences of a good farm, show excellent 

 management, and are evidence of what can be 

 accomplished by an industrious, persevering 

 man on the "worn-out" soil of old Massachu- 

 setts, at plain, ordinary fanning. 



