JULY 27 
nor adventitious support. A shoot will start 
out at a right-angle with the stem and grow 
almost horizontally or at any angle until it 
reaches an object. Then it twines, curls itself 
about the object several times and continues 
its course until it reaches another twig or 
branch, when it makes two or three turns 
about that and still grows on. The stems thus 
closely encircled are held as if by an iron cord 
to be choked to death as their growth de¬ 
mands more space. 
The specimen of which a section is shown 
at Fig. 183, has nearly taken possession of a 
latticed octagon arbor about 10 feet high by 
five across. It has reached out arms on all 
sides sometimes extending them horizontally, 
or nearly so, for 10 or 12 feet without support, 
until reaching the trunk or branches of the 
nearest tree it has, serpent-like, climbed up 
to the top and there as if not half satisfied 
reached out and circled about for other ob¬ 
jects upon which to continue, its wonderful 
growth. 
About the arbor above alluded to are four 
magnolias from 15 to 30 feet high and dis¬ 
tant from 10 to 15 feet. The Actimdia sprays 
wave gaily from tne tip-topmost branches of 
all. Another peculiarity of this peculiar vine 
is that the many branches are of nearly the 
same girth whether six or 20 feet from the 
roots, being from a-half to three-quarters of an 
inch in diameter. The leaves are sometimes 
opposite and for the rest irregularly alternate. 
The leaves vary greatly in size, some of those 
from the older wood being as large asjfive 
inches long by four across. 
The white flowers are sufficiently well 
shown in the illustration not to need any de¬ 
tailed description. They begin to bloom hero 
early in June, continuing about two weeks. 
They are white, fragrant of a “woodsey” 
odor and rather fleeting. A few days ago 
the writer was looking over an illustrated 
Japanese work recently published. This 
Actinidia according to it, is found in many 
parts of Japan. The mystery is that it has 
not been introduced to this country before. 
The book states that it becomes arborescent 
with age. 
We have no doubt that, confined to a 
single stem, it would in a few years make 
a fine tree. “ It often stretches across ra¬ 
vines,” the account continues, “ or climbs 
about and entangles the tops of the branches 
of trees. In June two or three leaves toward 
the top of the branches become snow-white.” 
This has not occurred in our own specimen. 
The book says that the “ fruit, which is the 
size of the top joint of the little finger, can bo 
eaten either raw or prepared by drying. 
When fully ripe it assumes a reddish-yellow 
color. It contains many seeds.” The book 
states that cats are “ exceedingly fond of the 
stems and leaves and eat it voraciously. 
They even rub their bodies over upon it. 
Whenever the leaves or stems are burned, 
cats follow to tire source of the odor, gather¬ 
ing about the fire, rolling upon their backs 
secreting an abnormal amount of saliva and 
seeming for the moment as if mad.” 
The R. N.-Y. cats having been supplied 
with a lot of the stems and leaves, regarded 
them with utter indifference. The work says 
that persons “ suffering from cramp, or colic 
use a decoction of the leaves,” and it is said 
to be a very effective remedy. 
Finally, friends of the R. N.-Y., if you want 
a quick-growing vine that is absolutely hardy; 
that will grow luxuriantly in a northern, 
shady position; that will travel from tree to 
tree,forming pretty arbors and wild entangle¬ 
ments, try the Actinidia polygama. 
That this vine has not been referred to by 
the rural press before, is probably because the 
editors and writers thereof know nothing of 
it. It is really a grand plant in its proper 
place. 
Old Rubber Boots. —Nearly every one on 
the farm wears leather boots, and also buys a 
pair of rubber boots for the deep snows and 
slush of winter and spring, and they do good 
service in keeping the feet dry and comforta¬ 
ble, so by the time warm weather comes on, 
by reason of cracks and holes in the feet, they 
are thrown away ’till the “tin peddler” comes 
along and carries them off for a cent or two 
a pound. During the summer season most 
fanners wear heavy shoes on the farm, be¬ 
cause they are more comfortable than boots 
in warm weather. But to get the cows 
during a rainy morning in the tall, wet grass, 
or to catch the horses that have been “turned 
out” over-night is a disagreeable duty, for one 
comes in wet nearly to the knees, which is not 
pleasant. Well, take those old rubber boots 
that reach to the knees, cut the worn-out feet 
off and during rains or mornings with heavy 
dews, just put on these rubber leggings; then 
put on your shoos, and you will take some 
comfort, and bid defiance to the wot grass. 
Johnson’s, N. Y. m. h. c. g. 
Norseman, 
THE COLT. 
THE FIRST YEAR OF ITS LIFE. 
How the Farm Horse Starts. 
FEEDING, HANDLING, TRAINING. 
PRACTICAL FARMERS TALK. 
FROM JOHN M. TRUE. 
My experience in the raising of horses has 
been largely confined to grade draft stock. I 
have a high-grade Percheron that now, when 
20 months old, weighs 1,400 pounds. He is in 
only fair condition, and in no sense coarse or 
ill-proportioned. He was dropped in Septem¬ 
ber, ran with his dam through the winter. 
and was weaned when six months old. He 
was fed generously on oats, wheat bran and 
good hay until pasture was good, and then 
during the summer ran on June Grass pasture 
without grain of any kind. I consider the 
care and feed here mentioned well calculated 
to produce the best results in rearing the 
young colt. 
I am satisfied that the fall colt has many 
advantages over one born in the spring, es¬ 
pecially when the dam is to be worked while 
suckling the colt, as there is less danger at 
this season of injuring the colt from over¬ 
heating the dam. Again, the fall colt after 
he has been weaned goes at once upon grass 
feed and there is little danger of checking his 
growth at this trying period. The spring 
colt that runs with his dam,—the mother not 
being worked—until he is about six months 
old, if he is then well fed with oats, bran, hay 
and corn fodder during the winter, with a 
good stable at night and a sheltered yard for 
a daily run, should do nearly as well as the 
fall colt. But if the dam is worked during 
the summer, the colt should not be allowed 
to follow the mother in the fields or upon the 
road, but be taught to remain in a roomy 
stall or paddock while the mother is at work. 
Care should be taken that the dam be not 
overheated or excited, rendering her milk un¬ 
fit food for the colt. During the first month 
the colt should be allowed to suckle the dam 
every two or three hours. He should be 
taught early to eat grain and then be fed lib¬ 
erally. He should also have ample means for 
exercise. Exercise for the colt the first year 
is all-important. Plenty of feed regularly 
given, and plenty of exercise regularly taken 
insure healthful development. 
Handle the colt from birth. Teach him 
that he has nothing to fear, and he will soon 
become gentle and easily handled. Halter- 
break him while young. 
The young colt should be fed and handled 
for continuous growth and development. If 
stunted during ther first year from lack of 
feed or from exposure, he will never fully re¬ 
cover from the ill-treatment received. I have 
no confidence in the desirability of any tough¬ 
ening or hardening process in the raising of 
young animals, by short or improper feed, or 
by an uncomfortable exposure to the ele¬ 
ments; but if from necessity or prejudice, 
this ordeal is ever to be passed by the colt, he 
should be spared during the first year. 
Sauk County, Wis. 
M. H. C. GARDENER. 
I consider it just as necessary or important 
for a farmer to raise colts, as a part of the 
farm production, as it is for him to raise 
calves to replenish his dairy, or ducks, chick¬ 
ens, turkeys, etc. They are all insensibly 
growing into money, something that the farm¬ 
er of the present day of low prices, sees or 
rather bandies but little of. It costs but little 
to raise a colt, and no more to raise a good 
one than a scrub, except a little more in first 
cost. And it soon grows up to be a three or 
four-year-old, and the owner discovers that 
he has an available horse at but very little 
cost; whereas if he went out to purchase a 
horse that would suit him, he would find that it 
would cost him from 150 to 250 hard-earned 
dollars. That is just the difference between 
raising a colt ai d buying a horse—the colt im¬ 
perceptibly grows into money and very quick¬ 
ly too; while it takes money and plenty of it 
to buy the horse. I have raised a number of 
colts, and, when a boy, my father raised a 
good many, so I have had a fair opportunity 
to observe how a colt should be treated, to 
thrive and become available for service when 
three or four years old. 
I have seen many a young horse by the side 
of which the owner could stand and pointing to 
his noble-looking animal could say: “There’s 
a horse that never ate a quart of feed in his 
life from the time he was weaned until he 
was broken to work;” but when he puts his 
noble-looking horse to work he finds that the 
animal is still a colt, for he has no stamina for 
work, because be hasn’t been braced up with 
feed during his growing years, to fit him for 
the activities that fall to the lot of a four- 
year old horse. I have seen very many cases 
where colts had only hay to eat in winter, 
and where they seemed to thrive on it and 
fill out in shape, but the muscle-building pro¬ 
cess did not keep pace with the growth and 
development of the body. A colt needs good 
feed and must have plenty of it if the owner 
expects a four-year-old horse to do road or 
farm work to a moderate extent. 
My way is to keep the mother in a well-fed, 
healthy condition, and after the colt is foaled, 
she ought to do no work for two weeks; but 
this rule is hard to follow, where farmers are 
short of horses, and during the busy season 
too. Then when she is put to work she is fed 
lioerally, and the colt is not allowed near her 
when she comes in from work very much 
heated. I never allow a colt to follow the 
wagou when tuken off the farm. A colt soon 
learns to turn around and go into the yard 
when the mother is driven away. Teach the 
colt to do this while he is young, and it saves 
a good deal of worry and trouble. 
By the time the colt is ready to be weaned 
it has learned to eat feed with its mother, so 
one can give it a small ration of feed—bran, 
middlings or not very strong feed till cold 
weather. During winter I keep the colt iu a 
box-stall, and feed three or four quarts of 
middlings once a day, and after the cattle have 
been shut up for the night I let the colt have 
the run of the yard, to be shut up again in 
the morning. This gives him the necessary 
exercise and a colt seems to prefer the open 
yard at night to the stall, no matter how 
cold the weather is. Be sure to halter-break 
the colt when a few weeks old. Doing so 
saves much future trouble. The next season 
he may be turned out to grass and the follow¬ 
ing winter be should be well fed on muscle- 
producing food, and then it is well to make 
him familiar with harness. Towards spring 
drive him alongside a trusty horse a few 
times, but with uo load to draw. 
With this method of bringing up a colt you 
will find that when he is three years old you 
have a healthy, well-developed colt that will 
do quite a considerable amount of service 
willingly on the road or farm. But if you 
expect a three-year-old, or even a four-year- 
old to work alongside of a 10-year-old, through 
thick and thin, and not even mind it, you 
will be greatly disappointed. 
Orange County, N. Y. 
FROM C. F. WOOLEY. 
I like the mother to be of good health, bone, 
size and disposition, an easy mover, from a 
sire of good health, size and disposition, and 
a good, easy mover if not fast. With a good 
disposition a colt can be broken with much 
less trouble; if a colt has not that quality it 
needs much more care to break him and he 
will be likely to balk, kick or play some other 
vicious tricks upon slight provocation. With 
good size and figure if a colt has a good gait 
and is a free mover, he will bring here from 
$200 to $500 if fit for a carriage team. If be has 
not style enough for that, he will pay well for 
business purposes. I would prefer that the 
mare should have reasonable work (not exces¬ 
sive) until about two weeks before foaling. 
By having the advantage of grain feed and 
exercise the mother and colt will be stronger. 
When the colt appears let it and its dam run 
to gras«, if the mother doesn’t hold her flesh 
and give plenty of milk. I sometimes feed a 
little grain. 1 like to keep the colt growing all 
the time during the first year. I halter-break 
it when it is six months old and wean it 
at from six to eight months of age, and aim 
to keep it growing nicely by feeding two 
quarts of oats and brau’twice per day. Some¬ 
times for a change 1 give a feed of corn, 
and feed hay nights and mornings, and corn¬ 
stalks at noon, or I vary the feed, according 
to the supply of each. I always aim that my 
colts shall have exercise in a lot or out-yard 
with plenty of light and room every clear day, 
and box-stall them at night. One should be 
sure to keep them growing all through the 
winter by giving them plenty of good feed, 
but I would rather not give them too much 
corn, and when they are turned to grass iu 
the following spring they will soon shed their 
coats and present a pleasing appearance. I 
value the growth of good colt stock at $50 per 
year and upward. 
Monmouth County, N. J. 
FROM J. F. FERGUSON. 
I have raised only a few good colts. It has 
been my practice to purchase Sucklings or 
yearlings in the fall. I never bad any good 
colts from mares I worked. I have raised a 
few good ones from coupling large Clydes¬ 
dale two-year-old mares with a hue-bred trot¬ 
ter or a Thoroughbred stallion. In this way 
1 have obtained some fine colts which grew 
up into good, hardy, long-lived horses. 
Wean the colt when seven months old; be¬ 
fore weaning teach it to eat grain with its 
dam; feed it one quart of oats and two quarts 
of bran morning and night until late spring 
before putting it to pasture. I prefer to put 
the colt in a box-stall, and in connection with 
this there should be a yard in which he could 
run in fair weather in winter. When he is 
put to pasture look well to it that he has plen¬ 
ty of puro water—one of the main things in a 
colt pasture. 
D. J. Cochran, of Almont, Mich., is the most 
successful colt-raiser of this section, and this 
is his rule: “Couple two-year-old mares with a 
Clydesdale horse in J uuo. Keep the colt and 
dam at pasture as loug as there is any pas¬ 
ture. Wean the colt when the dam is on dry 
feed, having taught the little thing to eat 
oats, etc., as described above.” He stops breed¬ 
ing the mares when he has to work them, as 
be thinks the teamsters teach the colts to be 
ill-tempered before they are born, and he be 
lieves that their constitution is broken with 
high feeding also, before they come into the 
world. 
Almont County, Mich. 
THOROUGHBRED STALLION, TRUEFIT. 
Re-engraved From The London Live-Stock Journal. Fig 184. 
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