246 Next to the Ground 



"grasses," that is by springs — and officially 

 from the first of January — hence the impor- 

 tance of an early birthday. Hence too Sep- 

 tember is almost universally the weaning time. 

 Then the mares neigh plaintive distress for a 

 week at least, and much longer if their young 

 have not been taken clean out of sight and 

 hearing. Weaning is, in fact, impossible so 

 long as dam and foal can hear and answer 

 each other. Some weaning-times one must 

 have regard to the wind. If it blows scent 

 strongly from the mares to the foals, or vice 

 versa:, though they may be grazing a mile 

 apart, the weaning will be tedious and trouble- 

 some. Mares kept thus apart for six weeks, 

 and their udders thoroughly dried, have been 

 brought back to their milk in a very little 

 while by the vigorous sucking and nuzzling 

 of the youngsters when they were again 

 brought together. 



Things stranger still sometimes come to 

 pass in horse breeding. With every lot of 

 weanlings breeders graze a big mare, prefer- 

 ably a barren mare, one that has never thrown 

 a foal, yet is sound and kind. She wears a 

 tinkly bell, and the young creatures become 

 her abject slaves, grazing round about her, 

 lying down when she lies down, and rising up 

 when she rises. To shift pastures, or get 

 them into the big stable, it is only necessary 



