[CULTURE 
-AGRICULTURE 
I WHOLE NO. 570 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 1801 
late>d. Coincident with me opinion 01 L.OI.kman, 
and Percivall, and many other writers, is the 
experience of l>r. Dado, and many intelligent horse 
dealers of the United States also; for the disease, in 
the first place, is not so prevalent here as in the 
crowded cities and barrack stables of the old world: 
and, secondly, we do not find so many blind horses 
here. Whenever a case of simple or spec Hie optbal- 
mia occurs, we generally find the subject located in 
a filthy stable, or on low, marshy ground, or else he 
has been shut up for many hours In a railroad ear, 
there respiring over und.over again the foul products 
of combustion and excretion. 
.Come we now to the direct care of the horse. As 
we have so frequently expressed our views with 
regard to feeding, we will only mention the cardinal 
principles, — regularity and sufficiencii, ■ and pass to 
certain of the labors and manipulations which should 
ho given to every horse occupying ft stable. The 
apartment ho occupies tdu uld he kept clean. He 
should never he allowed 1 > stand up to the heels in 
litter, his own ordure, or other tilth. All excrements 
should be removed at U’ 1 '-: once each day, and a 
Clean place he given him to stand, or to lie down. 
Herbert, and other horsemen, have declared that if 
proper attention were given in this respect, the com¬ 
mon disease, known as Urease or “Scratches, would 
very soon become exceedingly rare, il it. did uot alto¬ 
gether disappear. In this connection we ruay enter 
our protest against poor beds, or no beds at all, for 
horses. A horse can appreciate a good comfortable 
lodging-place as well as, at least, one-half of the 
men, and he has a great deal better title to it. than 
that number of the genus homo. 
(Irooming is very much neglected by our farmers, 
and they have fallen into this carelessness from the 
fact that for a considerable period of the year I »rses 
are worked all day, and turned out at. night. hen 
such is the ense, thu comb and brush may be dis¬ 
pensed wHh. little imi'„ JM^ essarv than to rub tlie 
I dirt from the limbs, — but tins last should always be 
done. To the stabled horse, however, grooming is 
, of the utmost consequence. It enlivens the skill, 
, opening the pores and enabling il in the performance 
of its secretive and excretive functions, — the blood 
passes freely to the extremities, and in part remedies 
’ any defects of exercise. Where, it is possible, groom* 
, ing should not be accomplished in the slall or stable. 
f The scurf, dandruff and dust which are removed from 
the coat are taken by the atmosphere and conveyed 
r to the feed, manger and lungs, and it cannot he oth- 
^ erwise than to their detriment. Many will need con- 
siderable argument to bo convinced of the propriety 
and necessity of grooming, hut if the doubters would 
e witness the benolit to the horse’s skin, and to the 
animal generally, arising from friction, let them rub 
the legs of a tired horse well with the hands, and 
observe the effects. Enlargements subside, the pain 
ful stiffness disappears, natural warmth is regained, 
the coat becomes smooth and line, the animal revives, 
eats with zest, and quietly lies down to repose. 
The stable care of horses is a subject that, now 
needs discussion by practical men, and this need will 
increase in proportion as farmers do away with old 
systems of pasturage, and adopt soiling as the method 
of furnishing fodder to domestic animals. May we 
HI n 
not hope, then, as we drop the matter for the present, 
that Rnui, readers will give their views and ex- 
iy 
, pc n cnees. 
rules the nations, who canseth the wrath of man to 
result in His praise, and restraineth the end of wrath, 
and do our whole duty to our families, our country, 
and our fellow man. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AX ORIGINAL WEKKt/Y 
AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY JOURNAL 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors 
As that season of the year is now with us when 
the liorse spends a goodly portion of the time in the 
stable, a few words concerning his quarters, and the 
treatment he should receive therein, will possess at 
least the feature of opportuneness. 
First, the stable. We are very much gratified III 
Tie m sing the various volumes dedicated to the horse 
g from the press, at, the 
construe- 
Value, Purity, Usefuluess and Variety 01 wwwnie, arm umiira 
and beautiful in Appearance. Its Conductor devotes hid per¬ 
sonal attention to the supervision of its various departments, 
and earnestly labors to render the UC«aj. an eminently 
Reliable Guido on all the important. Practical. Scientific and 
other Subjects intimately Connected with the business of 
those whose interest* it zealously advocates. As a Family 
JOURNAL It Is eminently Instructive and Entertaining beinit 
so conducted that it can be safely taken to the Hearts and 
and his interests, issuin 
prominence which is given to a proper 
tion of his home, and the sincerity and warmth with 
which bis necessities are spread before the reading 
public. It argues well for the humanitarian spirit of 
the age, and we look forward to the adoption of the 
measures proposed by our veterinarians for an allc 
viution of the many ills to which this noble animal 
is heir. Who will say that disease is not born amid 
the foulness, filth, and pestilence of the pens la 
which the horse is often confined! While wc have 
ever been ready to acknowledge bis wondrous power, 
we have frequently doubted the triteness of the say¬ 
ing sometimes applied to men who have undergone 
privations and exposure, — “ they have endured 
enough to kill a horse,”—and yet its full force would 
become apparent upon visiting the places where 
horses are pooped during the passage of the long 
hours. It was, indeed, miracnlons that they should 
take up their abode, even for a brief space of time, 
in one of these damp, dark, fetid dens, and come 
forth alive. 
It is essential that the stable be dry. In the choice 
Entbrkd according to act of OowrryM, in the year P Z 
0. 1). T, Moouk, in the Office nt the Clerk ot the District 
Court for tho Northern District of Now i ork. 
V-tr Our only object iu copyright in* tbit, paper la to »scare 
what every honorable jonrnalirt will freely grant—proper 
credit for articles selected from it* panes Any and every 
generally combined with great activity. They are 
exceedingly staunch to the collar, free from any 
redundancy of hair on the legs, and are by no means 
coarse about the head. They are rareLy of a largo 
size, but usually range from fifteen to sixteen hands. 
Thu most inferior kinds have ragged hips, and goose 
rumps, it speaks highly in favor of this breed, that, 
at the late meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society 
of England, they carried away the majority of prizes, 
As these horses are inclined to be small, size should 
bo nthSBded to ami encouraged »» much us possible. 
It should be observed that they are rather more liable 
to strains of the sinews and the joints than most 
other breeds. 
The animal from which our engraving was taken 
won the first prize at the meeting of the Royal 
Agricultural Society at Windsor, in 1851, and is the 
property of Mr. Thomas Oatlin, of Bentley, Suffolk, 
Wb present Rural readers with a representative 
animal from a breed of horses which are very much 
prized in certain portions of England. In Norfolk 
and Suffolk, two of the finest agricultural districts in 
the “fast anchored isle,” the "Suffolk Punch” has 
long been celebrated for power, performance, and 
endurance. Those farmers who are cognizant of 
their qualities, maintain that they possess the combi¬ 
nation of strength, compactness, and activity, more 
highly than any other breed, it is impossible to 
trace the omrln of this breed of horses; Imf they !m • o 
as some of their neighbors, who had the same kind 
of sheep and kept them in good store order only. 
But this does not prove that the heavy lleeces were 
worth as much by the pound as the others,- it only 
proves that the buyer or seller was dishonest or 
Ignorant of the value of the article in which he was 
dealing. 
We frequently see articles in agricultural papers 
wherein men boast of their very heavy fleeces,— 
which means that they have taken from single sheep 
an unusual weight of second quality wool, —oil and 
the dirt that adheres to it in spite of ordinary wash¬ 
ings. Now, what are these heavy fleeces of wool, oil, 
Ac., made off Certainly they are made from the 
feed the animal consumes, — so, if the food given to 
three sheep had been given to four, or more, it. would 
have yielded quite as many pounds of dean Wool, 
which would have been worth from fifteen to twenty 
per cent, more than that of the heavy fleeces. If 
sheen are kept for mutton, then make them fat, and 
land per annum, and keep a single cow, unu as a 
family of four persons depend on that cow for milk 
and butter, I have been trying the latter method. 
First, I feed two and a half large wagon loads of 
pumpkins, then beets, 
bran and shorts, 
chopped fine, and mixec 
large a supply of corn stalks fodder 
consume — 
slightly Oj 
chopped fine, and mixed with 
i, twice a day, then small potatoes, 
1 with Indian meal, with as 
as the cow would 
-her shelter being hall'stable, half shed, 
jen to the eastern sun, entered nt will, and 
well bedded. The cow Is a young grade Durham,— 
a beautiful pet,—she calved last spring, and is 
expected to calve again next spring. There was no 
falling on; but rather an increase of milk at the end 
of pasture, and the average yield of Gutter has thus 
far been nearly five pounds per week since the cow 
was taken from grass. Taking her present rations 
for data, t.he account will stand thus: 
0 bushels of Indian meal, per 4 weeks, at.- ft (W 
10 bushels of small potatoes, at 12%c- - 1 20 
S3 It, 
20 pounds of butter, at 106. per pound .. 3 20 
The skim milk for pigs, the extra manure for the 
land, some milk and cream for house use, and the 
above small balance remains to pay for the labor. 
The cow has eaten per day 3(1 hills of corn stalks. 
About one-fifth more would have been required, 
without other food, if she were dry, to keep her in 
good condition. Farmers can figure from the prices 
in their own vicinity;—the inference is plain without 
. comment. Peter Hathaway. 
Milan, Erie Co., O., 1861. 
able price of ditit'rent, products— these, and other 
questions, the farmer must take into account in 
forming plans for the next season’s campaign. 
There are other mutters, too, that should receive 
attention, such as clearing land, fixing and making 
gates, repairing implements, Ac. If better seed or 
improved stock is to he obtained, there will he no 
more convenient season for opening a correspond¬ 
ence on the subject, or for spending a season in 
travel for the purpose of obtaining the necessary 
information or making selections. If building is 
contemplated, the arrangements can now be for¬ 
warded with advantage. What would now he a 
Bource of interest and pleasure, in the spring would 
prove a great annoyance. There are many other 
matters that will suggest themselves to our readers 
that can be got out of the way before spring work 
commences, bo as to leave a clear field for the 
great conflict. 
The past season was one of plenty. Providence 
smiled upon the labors of the industrious husband¬ 
man, and great was bis reward; yet the Clip of pros¬ 
perity was dashed from ids lips. All was done that a 
good Providence could do to make this nation pros¬ 
perous and happy, and yet man, with little less than 
HIGH FEEDING —CARE OF COWS 
Eds. Rural New-Yobkhr: — The suggestion of 
John Johnston, illustrated by his own interesting 
am! reliable experience, in relation to high feeding 
Of farm stock, will doubtless claim the attention of 
enterprising and progressive farmers. Yet practical 
farmers are aware that indiscriminate high feeding, 
in all places, and in all circumstances, is not profita¬ 
ble. All good farmers who deserve the name,—and 
that name is becoming more and more elevated,— 
will feed their stock well, whether there is immediate 
profit iu so doing or not, for the same reason that 
they will keep their buildings coated witli paint, and 
their fences in neat order, that reason being that 
dollars and cents is not the only standard by which 
they estimate their surroundings. Beyond this, 
keeping of stock well, which all are bound to do, or 
not keep stock at all, it is an interesting subject of 
experiment when and where high feeding is profitable. 
There are two methods of caring for cows in the 
one is, to dry them up soon after 
GROWING FINE WOOD 
Fine Wool in its perfection cannot be grown on 
fat sheep. Hence fine sheep, kept for wool growing 
purposes, are most profitable when kept in good store 
order only. 
Suppose I have a piece of land that will furnish 
feed for one hundred fall-blood Merino sheep the 
year round, hut will keeji them in good store order 
only, and they yield mo four pounds of superfine 
wool per head, worth fifty cents per pound, making 
$200. Then suppose the next year I keep but eighty 
sheep on the produce from the same piece of land, 
(the sheep and feed being the same as the year 
before,) but the sheep having one-fifth more feed, 
FARMING AT THE WEST AND SOUTH 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:— By your leave, I pur¬ 
pose giving a brief sketch of my rumblings over the 
West and South for a number of years past, and 
having opportunities of viewing a large portion of 
the western country, perhaps u description of the 
the same may prove acceptable to many wtio contem¬ 
plate removal thence. 
Michigan so nearly resembles New Y'ork State in 
climate, scenery, people, and productions, that it 
seems more like a branch ol the Empire State than a 
separate one. 
Indiana resembles Michigan iu many respects, 
drain of all kinds grow to perfection. 
Illinois is one of the first agricultural States in the 
Union. Crops of all kinds thrive, while the prairies 
are capable of supporting vast herds of cattle. The 
soil is generally a rich black loam. Level prairies 
cover the greater portion of tlm State, while the Rock 
River Valley has, perhaps, the richest and bent agri¬ 
cultural lauds. The northern portion of the State is 
healthy, while the central and southern portions are 
the reverse. Fevers and ague are the most prevalent 
diseases. 
Wisconsin suits me the best of any of the States 
through which I have traveled. The climate so 
1 nearly resembles New York, as also the looks of the 
winter season 
grass is gone and pumpkins are consumed, and then 
feed them well on corn fodder and hay. If their 
shelter and bedding is good, and they receive careful 
attention, this method insures their coming out the 
following spring in excellent order; and during thu 
winter period of gestation, they have rest. The 
other method is, to supply them with some kind of 
Mn.uuknt food as soon as the grass begins to fail, and 
keeping them to their milk, continue to feed them 
through the winter, and up to near the time of 
calving, with roots, small potatoes, beans, shorts, and 
Indian meal. If the cows are accustomed to this 
method when young, and the whole matter is skill¬ 
fully performed in-doors and out, the result will 
astonish those who have never tried the experiment. 
Large quantities of nice, yellow winter butter, very lit¬ 
tle inferior to that made from grass, may be obtained. 
Yet 1 think if an exact account were kept of the cost 
of the extra food, and the value of labor, the credit 
cash balance of this latter method would be found 
very small. 
As 1 am now only plowing two and a half acres of 
ing causes; hereditary iiiuuence is supposed to in- 
one among the many causes prolific of the malady; 
yet veterinarians are undecided in their opinions as 
to whether the disease itself, or only the predisposi¬ 
tion, is transmitted. Mr. Percivall considers 
hereditary influence as “ predisposed only — not 
excitant; nor sufficient of itself to produce opthal- 
mia.” Professor Coleman teaches, in his Lectures, 
that “the disease is never seen prior to the domesti¬ 
cation Of the animal; never occurs on a common or in 
the open air, but is the product of the poison generated 
from the effluvia of the breath, dung, and urine of 
horses standing together; in prool of which the 
disease is found to he more or less prevalent, accord¬ 
ing as the stables, in which horses stand, are venti- 
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