280 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[Septembeb, 
What makes a Horse Vicious. 
There is no disguising the fact that vicious- 
ness is innate with some horses. It is no doubt 
sometimes hereditary, and follows some of the 
best strains of blood we have. That viciousness 
should accompany a highly nervous organiza¬ 
tion is not to be wondered at. Hence it causes 
no surprise when we find such dispositions 
among the finely organized thoroughbreds— 
animals of a most sensitive and nervous organ¬ 
ization—from which the common expression 
“ thin skinned,” as applied to a too sensitive 
man, is obviously derived. The treatment 
horses receive, and the moral atmosphere in 
whicli tliej are thrown, have a much greater 
influence than most horsemen are generally 
inclined to admit. The pinching, tickling, 
boisterous stable boy, who auuoys a spirited 
horse for the sake of enjoying his futile, though 
almost frantic kicks and leers, i^ affecting the 
disposition of the horse and his descendants 
for generations to come, besides putting in 
jeopardy the lives and limbs of those wlio are 
brouglit in contact with the horse so tampered 
with. A horse is surely influenced by the 
psychological character of tire men with whom 
ho associates. — A passionate man will have a 
baulky horse; a slow, plodding brolhci', one of 
his own style; and so the u(p.’vous, quick, busy 
hian’s liorse will show the same qualities. — So 
noticable is tliis, that we have often remarked 
that the family horse’s of our neighbors, as they 
are changed one after another, very soon fall 
into the very gait and style of their predecessors 
in the same stables. 'Were rules, similar to the 
one which Herbert quotes, followed by all 
English horse breakers, from the time of Queen 
Bess down, it would indeed be a wonder, if a 
good natured horse could be found in the king¬ 
dom. This rule of a Norfolk horse-trainer of 
Queen Elizabetli’s time reads as follows: 
“If your horse does not stand still, or hesitates, then 
alrate him with a terrible voyce ; and beat him yourself 
with a good sticke upon the iiead between lire ears; then 
stick him in the spurring place iii or iiii times together, 
with one legge after another, as fast as your legges might 
waik : your legges must go like two bouncing beetles.” 
This is too much the English and Irish style 
of horse breaking. The grooms, or horse train¬ 
ers get angry and thrash, kick, buffet, and bang 
a horse till they make him as angry as possible, 
and soon spoil his temper for life; we fiave 
no doubt the bad tempers too common in English 
horses may be chiefly attributed to this cause. 
On the continent of Europe there are large 
numbers of English horses (thoroughbreds) 
kept and bred pure for the sake of crossing with 
other heavier breeds, and producing large but 
active, graceful and spirited cari'iag'e horses 
for the monarchs, or nobility. Whoever has 
been through these studs must have noticed 
how free almost all the horses, even the old 
stallions, appeared to be from any thing like 
viciousness. The same thing is seen in the 
Southern States, where thoroughbred horses 
are milch more common than With us at the 
North. The genile hand- 
ling of the negro has wrought 
a change in the disposition 
of the horse, while his spirit 
and pluck, and the strong 
nervousness of his organiza¬ 
tion remain, marked charac¬ 
teristics of the breed.—It is 
possible by severe treatment, 
by pain and torture, to break 
the spirit of a horse, and to 
rule him by fear, keeping 
him in subjection by the fear 
of the rod, yet this will never 
make him less vicious, but 
rather will add treachery to 
vice, in destroying the truly 
noble and affectionate qual¬ 
ities which are natural to 
him. If these qualities are 
assiduously cultivated in 
colts and young horses, vi¬ 
ciousness will much more 
rarely appear than under 
other treatment. Sometimes, 
however, it is necessary to 
conquer a bad tempered 
horse, and if possible to se- ' 
cure a radical conversion, or 
change of character, which 
shall be lasting. N o timorous 
man need undertake this 
task; he will only make 
matters worse. A horse 
tamer should be fearless— 
the horse will know it; he 
should be quiet, for then the 
horse will be put ofl' his 
guard; he should be firm 
and give the brute no ad¬ 
vantage, but crowd him up 
to doing something, and that, 
inevitably what the tamer 
Wants him to do. Thus any 
ordinary horse will soon give 
up and own man, his master. The kindest treat¬ 
ment and even petting must always follow yield¬ 
ing; and if possible to help it, the horse should 
never be frightened by any treatment, and 
above all things, he should not be angered by 
petty torture. His own contrariness should ap¬ 
pear to him to be the cause of all his trouble, 
and man, his best friend. This principle is at 
the foundation of Earey’s successful practice, 
detailed in the Agriculturist for February, 1861. 
— ^ < 11^ C W i' > ^ . . . 
When to Select Seed Potatoes^ 
The best time to select seed potatoes is, when 
they are dug. As soon as they are brought to 
the surface and lie spread on the ground, 
the best can be selected with less difficulty than 
at any other time. Those that are perfectly 
matured, and of good shape, having the marked 
characteristics of the variety, and good aver¬ 
age size, should be selected for seed, in pre¬ 
ference to those of any other qualities. They 
should then be placed in boxes or barrels, and 
kept where they will not be injured by freezing 
or by warmth. If seed potatoes are saved in 
this manner for a few years in succession, we 
have no doubt a decided improvement will be 
observed in the yield per acre, as well as in the 
quality of the crops. And we tliink this practice 
will also be found an effectual security against 
small ones, and a good defence against the rot. 
When potatoes first come from the ground, the 
skins have a clearness, which they soon lose. 
