858 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
DEC. 5 
AMONG THE BRITISH HORSES. 
Visit to a Famous Horse Farm. 
While enjoying a day off, the opportunity 
was taken of Inspecting the model draft 
horse establishment of the Galbraith 
Bros., Janesville, Wis., and knowing The 
Rural is sectional only in name, the idea 
occurred to me that the Rural family would 
like to learn what they may expect from 
the Central States during the coming 
World’s Fair. The enviable business rep¬ 
utation of this firm, and the high qualities 
of the horses always on hand, were the in¬ 
centives for visiting their place. A large 
down-town barn is kept, but it was the farm 
I expected to see so as to learn the most. It 
is a mile out of town and comprises 80 ac’-es 
of rolling prairie soil, inclined to be grav¬ 
elly, with splendid natural drainage. An 
air of prosperity pervades the whole place, 
including the elegant brick mansion, large 
barns, outbuildings, and well kept roads 
and fences 
There are two barns each 70 x 170 feet, 
well lighted and having every convenience 
which long experience can suggest. The 
box stalls are 14 x 14 feet, feeding mangers 
being fixed in opposite corners, one corner 
for hay, the other for the root and grain 
rations. Each stall has a door, or rather 
two half doors; the lower half is kept fas¬ 
tened. This gives the horse liberty to move 
around or lie down according to inclina¬ 
tion, and also a chance to see and be seen. 
There are also a number of stalls 5 x 14 feet, 
in which the horses are fastened in the 
usual manner, except that there is a round 
stick of wood about six inches long and two 
or three inches wide, with a hole in the 
middle, where the tie strap or string goes 
through after going through the ring in 
the manger and is there fixed. The object 
of this is to enable the rope to move up and 
down with the horse’s head, and the animal 
is thus prevented from getting his feet over 
the halter strap. The stalls are on the 
sides of the barns. The floors are level and 
made of planks or cedar blocks. Prefer¬ 
ence is given to the latter, as they make 
the best floor and are cheapest in the end. 
Sawdust is used for bedding, as it absorbs 
the urine readily, although it is thought 
straw would make more valuable manure. 
A passageway 42 feet wide runs down the 
center of each barn. Over the stalls could 
be seen dry fodder—a mixture of cured oats, 
peas and vetches. The barns have three 
ventilators, a room for an attendant, with 
a bed, stove, etc., also a telephone, allowing 
communication with the house, down-town 
barn and the business houses at Janes¬ 
ville. 
Two smaller barns are in the form of an 
L, and in them the brood mares are kept. 
A windmill pumps water from a well 100 
feet deep, supplying all needed, while the 
engine with the machinery in the feed house 
does the cutting and grinding of the feed. 
Exercise being considered essential for the 
health and comfort of the horses, ample 
space has been fenced off for the purpose. 
The horses are exercised daily, the quieter 
and gentler ones being led or run around 
if thought necessary. 
Nothing but hay, the dry-fodder mixt¬ 
ure mentioned, and oats, bran, carrots, 
turnips and sometimes a little flax-seed 
meal, is fed. Plenty of hay is kept be¬ 
fore each animal. The fodder mixture 
is usually cut, steamed and fed with a 
bran mash. When feeding oats three to 
four quarts are given at a time, while 
eight quarts of bran Is considered a feed. 
Carrots are fed largely; four large carrots 
twice a day are considered sufficient for one 
horse. Turnips when raw are fed in the 
same proportion as carrots, and when 
boiled are fed with bran, and chopped feed 
with a little flax-seed meal. The men, how¬ 
ever, prefer to feed turnips alone or with 
oats. Corn is not fed. It is considered too 
heating for idle horses In summer, and 
even in winter it would have to be fed 
sparingly, as it makes the blood too warm, 
giving rise to irritation, itching, etc , forc¬ 
ing the horse to use his teeth, d la an old- 
time surgeon’s lancet, or, as the Scotch 
boys say, like playing the fiddle. Each 
groom is expected to take care of 10 horses, 
feed, groom and exercise them from 30 to 
45 minutes daily, and exhibit them when 
buyers are around, and as these are around 
daily (except Sunday, when all work is sus¬ 
pended except feeding!, the men are not 
idle. The wet bedding is taken out of the 
stalls daily, and fresh putln. 
British breeds only are handled. The 
*• GOTH ” AT FARM WORK. Fig. 3 11. 
list comprises Clydesdales, Shires and Suf- 
folks, while some worthy representatives of 
the Hackney and Cleveland Biy coachers 
are on hand. I regretted that the Messrs. 
Galbraith were absent at Peoria, Ill, with 
the flower of the stud, but I have learnt 
they gave a good account of themselves, 
notwithstanding the fact that the horses 
were not in show condition, as they had 
just arrived from the firm’s breeding farm 
at Killearn, about 20 miles from Glasgow, 
Scotland, the home of the Clydesdale. In 
Clydes, TInwald Chieftain carried off the 
blue ribbon for three year-olds; Dalgona 
came in third In the two-year-old class, and 
Strathaisla was second in the yearling. 
Peeping Tom was first in aged sires; Carl¬ 
ton Victor first among three-year-olds; 
Grove Enterprise third in the two-year-old 
class, and other prizes were won by Hack¬ 
neys, which would make the list too long to 
repeat here. I was surprised at the extreme 
gentleness and docility of the horses I did 
see, all being in good condition and takiDg 
a lively interest in their surroundings. 
Among the last imported, considered too 
good to be shown at Peoria, not being in 
“ fighting trim,” was a magnificent gray. 
The Suff oiks are not well known, but under 
the skillful management of the Galbraith 
Bros., are likely soon to be heard from. It 
was a“sightguid for sair een” to see the 
Hackney mares and foals, “ bonnie beasties 
foo’ o’ promise.” 
An average of 150 head are on hand all 
the year round. There are often as high 
as 200 head, but seldom less than 100, 
the reputation of this house being such 
that the animals are constantly moving off 
to other fields of usefulness. Little breed¬ 
ing is done at Janesville, that part of the 
business being mostly attended to at Kil¬ 
learn. 
A few cows are kept to supply the family 
with milk, and the two hogs I saw fed with 
oat meal were imported with the last batch 
of horses, and will soon grace their table 
in the form of ham, and rashers o’ bacon. 
A fine collie, which would take a prize in 
any dog show, was the first to make my ac¬ 
quaintance on the farm. The attendant 
who showed me around the place (a Scotch¬ 
man who has been five years on the farm) 
set me thinking by his answer to my ques¬ 
tion regarding his personal preference 
among the draft breeds of horses. This 
gentleman said: “You never heard of a 
Shire or a Percheron being sent through 
Scotland to improve the stock of native 
horses, but I have taken Clydes through 
England and France for this purpose.” 
From the best possible sources of informa¬ 
tion I am forced to believe that all our 
present fine breeds of draft horses are from 
the same parentage; that different coun¬ 
tries have different customs and ideals and 
have evolved animals best suited to their 
purposes. It seems customary in France to 
see four or even six horses yoked and pull¬ 
ing well together. In England two-horse 
wagons and drays are the rule, while In 
Scotland one-horse carts and lorries are most 
in use. Authentic records prove this gentlf - 
man’s claim true In so far that Clydes ha\ e 
invaded France and carried off the prizes 
the shows, and the same is true regarding 
England. 
Recent Rurals make mention of digging 
contests. Why shouldn’t there be plowing 
contests f Picture the scene of a Scoth 
plowing match in the Land o’ Burns—40 
teams all gaily decked and beribboned 
where 
Bared to the skin his arms and breast, each recks not 
of the blast, ,, , 
His thoughts, his words are to his team until the day 
is past; 
Gently h» asks them to step out. again to step slow, 
Now right, now left, he tells by word, now comes a 
plaintaive “ Wo a !” 
Well do they know how much depends upon tbelr 
movements too. 
And each g' od horse attention bends until his task is 
through. . .... 
Wise, wise, each horse as e’er did work in hill or vale 
or wold, , 
Useful in reace the Clydesdale now, as Clyde war 
horse of old. 
The present American cry, “ Life Is too 
short” has invaded the ranks of breeders, 
and the fast American holds up to ridicule 
the canny Scot who, if slow, is sure. If 
cranky (?) Amos Cruickshank had not used 
the means at hand and kept his ideal always 
in view through a long series of years, where 
to-day would be the result of his life’s 
work, the Aberdeen-Angus cattle, a tri¬ 
umph of Scotch pertinacity and “ neeps and 
strae ?” 
Perhaps The Rural numbers among its 
readers those who will evolve from the bet¬ 
ter materials at hand waiting the master 
hand, breeds of horses and cattle which 
will be as superior to the present fine breeds 
as these are to the common scrubs. Why 
cannot the American improve his breeds in 
the same proportion as his corn ensilage 
and grain are superior to turnips and oat 
straw ? He has beaten the world in trotters ; 
why cannot the record be carried into the 
field of draft horse and cattle breeding. 
W. DOUGLA8 KING. 
R. N.-Y.—The horse shown at Fig. 311 Is 
Goth (7286) 2148 owned by Galbraith Bros. 
He was foaled in 1887, bred by James 
Thompson, Kirkhan, England. His pedi¬ 
gree is of the best, and as an individual he 
is nearly perfect—one of the best Shire 
horses in the country. The picture shows 
him at his best—in action with a good load. 
The practice of working stallions and bulls 
is an excellent one. 
SMALL BUT MEATY. 
Roads Well Doctored.— On page 766 of 
The Rural is an article under the caption, 
“How is the going this fall, or does your 
road need a doctor ?” Ours has had one. 
In our town meeting one year ago last 
October, a motion was carried that read 
something like this : That money should 
be raised by subscription or otherwise to 
grade, drain and macadamize one-eighth of 
a mile or more, the town to pay one-half 
the expense and the subscribers the other 
half. That winter we succeeded in raising 
$5,750, or enough to grade, drain and maca¬ 
damize 3K miles of road. The road bed 
was to be 25 feet wide, with 14 feet of cru«h 
ed stone. There were stretches of about 4 000 
feet of low, wet places. These were to have 
a layer of stones eight inches deep (such as 
are picked off the fields) and on top of that 
four inches of crushed stone, and on top of 
this one Inch of fine or screened stone. The 
rest of the road was to be six inches deep of 
crushed stone, and on top of this two inches 
of fine or screened stone. Each layer was 
to be thoroughly rolled before the next 
layer was put od, with nothing less than a 
10-ton steam roller. When completed it 
will be one of the best roads about here, 
and in about one week more It will be fin¬ 
ished. D. H. w. 
Trumbull, Cjnn. 
Sorting a Profit.— The article entitled 
“ What you make by careful sorting” page 
757, is pertinent and to the point. I have 
had some experience similar to that of A. 
D., and I know that careful sorting pays. 
I make a specialty of early potatoes, sort¬ 
ing out all small ones as well as those cut 
in digging, misshapen ones, and all that 
are not strictly first-class, and the conse¬ 
quence is that I have no trouble in selling ; 
in fact, I cannot supply the demand. Even 
when other potatoes are a drug in the mar¬ 
ket, mine command fully 25 per cent above 
the market price. I endeavor to place my 
produce on the market in an attractive 
form. My early potatoes are marketed in 
boxes containing about 50 pounds each, and 
are guaranteed to be as good in the bottom 
as on top, and I am not ashamed to have 
my name on the boxes. I aim to excel and 
by so doing have built up a trade. Sorting 
pays, not only on account of the satisfac¬ 
tion of selling a good article, but in dollars 
and cents. A. E. S. 
Sebastopol, Cal. 
New Butter Substitute.— An “im¬ 
proved oleo” has been placed on sale in 
England. It is called “LeDansk.” The 
Ironmonger thus describes it: “The basis of 
‘ Le Dansk ’ is the fat obtained from freshly- 
slaughtered cattle, which is first converted 
into oleomargarine, and afterwards treated 
and made into ‘Le Dansk.’ The process 
consists in first reducing the fat to small 
pieces of uniform size in special machines, 
and then melting it at a temperature of 
50 degrees C. It is then transferred in a 
liquified condition to water-jacketed tanks, 
in which it is kept for about 2)4 hours at 
the same temperature. After this it Is 
drawn off into shallow vessels, where it re¬ 
mains for 36 hours at a temperature of 32 
degrees C., during which time It assumes a 
crystalline condition. The product now 
consists of oleo and stearine, and these are 
separated by means of hydraulic presses, 
the oleo being pressed out and the stearine 
remainirg in the press cloths. The oleo is 
then placed in churns with certain propor¬ 
tions of new milk and oil and some pure 
butter, and the ingredients are churned for 
50 minutes. The contents of the churns are 
then removed and cooled in iced water, and 
the margarine is afterwards placed in mix 
ing machines. Here it Is salted and thor¬ 
oughly incorporated, and afterwards packed 
in boxes and baskets for the trade.” 
Business on a Peanut Farm.—H ere is 
my cash sale statement for 1890. From 13J^ 
acres of land (estimated) we harvested 800 
bushels of peanuts or slightly over 60 bush¬ 
els per acre; 786 bushels were sold at 55 
cents per bushel, making $432 30. The 
season for peanuts was good, but an abun¬ 
dant crop made prices unsatisfactory. The 
crop here is the nearest to a failure since 
we commenced to cultivate peanuts, over #0 
years ago. I also sold timber and stock to 
the amount of over $300 in 1890. J. W. 8. 
Waverly, Tenn. 
