PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 231 



a horse built so as 1i^ throw the most of his weight upon the fore legs. 

 The joints of a horse's legs work somewhat like the short toggle-joint of 

 a printing press, where great power is required at the last pinch. Some 

 horses are so built as to be almost useless going up hill. One of the 

 principles by which a horse works is illustrated by this principle: Suppose 

 a ship rigidly held by a rod of iron. It would only require the motion of 

 a slight wave to snap that iron like a pipe stem. If the same rod were 

 made into a chain, its strength would be amply sufficient. In the traces 

 of a plow harness, the more rigid the better, provided there is no danger of 

 hitching the plow against some rigid substance. Some persons make the 

 most of their traces of iron rods; others endeavor to hitch their horses as 

 near the work as possible, to avoid the spring and reaction of a long chain. 

 The nearer you get the horse to the work the more you gain by the 

 momentum of his weight. 



Mr. Solon Robinson. — As a general thing, and taking the average work 

 on a farm, I believe the most economical sized horses are those of about 

 fifteen hands high, and of 900 to 1,000 pounds weight. In training horses 

 they should be hitched to loads so light that they would be sure to be able 

 to start them, and gradually made heavier and heavier, and the horse 

 taught to take very short steps, so as to accomplish by the momentum of 

 a light horse what a heavy one would do by weight. There is much mat- 

 ter for thought by all farmers connected with this question about horses. 



Mr. Adrian Bergen. — There is a great deal in having your harness fit 

 the horse perfectly. In plowing, a slight change in the trace chain will 

 make a great alteration in the power applied to the plow. 



Adjourned JOHN W. CHAMBERS, Secretary. 



January 13, 1863. 

 Prof. Mapes, of New Jersey, in the chair. 



Seeds of the Black Thorn= 



A northern farmer asks if the Club will, in their discussions, disclose how 

 to make one in a hundred of the common or black thorn vegetate, and says, 

 '' you will thereby render an important service to northern farmers. I have 

 tried a bushel of seed, and never succeeded in making one grow." 



In answer to this it was said: That as soon as the seeds are gathered, 

 they should be buried in the ground, where they are left during the winter; 

 in the spring, when the pot is opened, they will be found to have sivouted; 

 they should then be cai-efully planted in drills. 



Prize Essays. 



The Secretary announced that it would be necessary to appoint a com- 

 mittee to examine and award the medals offered by the Institute for essays 

 upon fruit culture, and also vegetables. Messrs. John G. Bergen, Judge 

 Van Brunt, Wm. S. Carpenter, and R. G. Pardee were appointed upon fruitj 

 and Messrs. Mapes, Pardee and Weaver upon vegetables. 



