538 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
August 4 
" BRAIN WORK" IN THE LOWER 
ANIMALS. 
Reasoning or “Instinct.” 
Part II. 
Speech .Without Words. —We might 
now a/sk the question: Do animals re¬ 
flect, and are they able to communicate 
with one another? In answer I will sim¬ 
ply relate an incident which occurred 
under our own observation. We had a 
Collie dog that when given a choice bone 
would bury it in a certain place. One 
day a little female dog having a family 
of pups came into our yard, and imme¬ 
diately Pedro (our dog) went to the 
place where his treasure was buried, un¬ 
covered it, and gave it to the mother, 
who started off at once to her home. 
After we noticed that this was a fre¬ 
quent occurrence. Pedro was at all 
times very sympathetic and affectionate, 
and these feelings were probably what 
prompted him to show them in so prac¬ 
tical a manner. He thought that the 
mother was in need of help to provide 
for her pups. There must have been 
some mode of communication between 
them, as he would lie and wait, and 
when he saw her coming at some dis¬ 
tance would make right for the spot 
where he had hidden the Choice morse]. 
He must also have reflected; because it 
was a plan that he had thought all out, 
for he had put the bone away for her, 
and waited until she came around, and 
then delivered it himself. After this dog 
became blind and deaf from age, it was 
pathetic to see the joy that he expressed 
at the return of any member of the 
family who had been absent for a long 
time. Naturally intelligent animals 
show it by their expression. They 
usually 'have a broad forehead, large, 
mild, prominent eyes, which are well set 
apart. Highly-bred animals, as a rule, 
are more intelligent than mongrels. 
Collies and poodles are said to be the 
most intelligent breeds of dogs. This is 
probably the result of longer associa¬ 
tion with man. The subject of breeding 
animals is a very important one. If we 
want intelligent animals, we must breed 
wholly from intelligent animals, as “like 
begets like under like circumstances.” 
Educating 'Animals. — Education, 
which is so often neglected in our do¬ 
mestic animals, seems to me to be very 
necessary. If we would take more in¬ 
terest 'in the education of our animals, 
how much better they would serve us, 
how much more like companions they 
would be. One author says, “Equally in 
other animals, as in man, education de¬ 
velops or determines new tastes, feel¬ 
ings, passions, ideas, aptitudes, habits, 
etc.” By education we do not mean sim¬ 
ply the teacning to perform tricks and 
various feats; but as in man, the sur¬ 
roundings of the animal tend to develop 
its faculties. We frequently see a dog 
on the street that is quietly following 
his master, minding his own business, 
not noticing other dogs, when one that 
has been brought up carelessly, allowed 
to run the streets, etc., comes up to the 
well-behaved dog, and perhaps knocks 
him over, and wants to pick a quarrel. 
If we inquired into the bringing-up of 
these animals we will probably find that 
the former belongs to a man who takes 
an interest in his education, and allows 
him freely to associate with his family; 
while the latter probably belongs to 
somebody who does not allow the dog 
to enter tne house, consequently he re¬ 
mains out on the doormat, and very nat¬ 
urally becomes a sort of rover, and all 
the education he acquires is What he 
picks up. He has no refining influences. 
In fact, he is educated on the street, and 
develops the same character that we 
would expect in a boy brought up in like 
manner. 
Natural Ability in Animals. —Ca¬ 
pacity for learning in the lower animals 
is often wonderful, and their modes of 
acquiring it are closely allied to man. 
Some animals are not capable of learn¬ 
ing as much as others, while some can 
only be taught certain things and kind 
of things. In some dogs, and in other 
animals, there are special natural tal¬ 
ents, which must be found out and cul¬ 
tivated by man, as some dogs have spec¬ 
ial talent for performing. Then, again, 
the sporting dog has his professional 
education, and they are often taught by 
each other, as, for instance, young dogs 
are put out with old ones to learn to 
hunt. 
Intellectual Education. —Dr. Lind¬ 
say divides the education of the lower 
animals, as in the case of the child, into 
that which is physical, intellectual, and 
moral. We know that the young of all 
animals play, either by scampering over 
the fields, resembling racing, or jump¬ 
ing, or sham fights with each other. 
This all tends to develop muscle; keeps 
the body in good health, which is so im¬ 
portant to the sound mind. So we see 
that Nature herself provides ample 
physical training. Intellectual educa¬ 
tion tends to the development of mental 
cleverness, of sagacity, ingenuity, adap¬ 
tiveness. Moral education has not been 
fully investigated in ’the lower animals. 
The education of our domestic animals 
should begin when they are young, as 
they learn more easily then, and they 
have not acquired bad habits. It is 
much easier to teach an animal a new 
idea, than to make him forget a bad 
one. _ 
THE RED POLLED CATTLE. 
Red Polled cattle, as the name indi¬ 
cates, are solid red, and hornless. They 
are native of Norfolk and Suffolk, Eng¬ 
land, and are prized for their good quali¬ 
ties—'for meat and for dairy purposes. 
As compared with other pure breeds of 
cattle known in this country, none sur¬ 
pass them in the dual purpose of beef 
and butter. While not equal 'in weight 
to Short-horns, they probably stand sec¬ 
ond in this, running up as high as 2,000 
to 2,800 pounds, and in the dairy, second 
only to Jerseys. In this country I have 
never heard of any purebred being killed 
for beef, and all records on this line 
have been in England. They seem, be¬ 
cause of scarcity, to have been used in 
breeding, and only some grades have 
been fattened for the block. The great 
advantage they have for beef over the 
Short-horns and similar beef breeds is 
that they will take on fat at any age, and 
seem to prosper on scant food better 
than the regular beef breeds. They 
possess the characteristics of Devons 
very much, but are hornless, heavier, 
and better milkers. Like Devons, they 
are very active and great “hustlers,” and 
do not require so much feed to produce 
fat. 
In some experiments on a cross on 
Short-horns and pure Short-horns, be¬ 
tween one and two years of age. the 
half-breed Red Polls took on weight 
faster, and had not as much food and 
attention as the Short-horns. The cows 
hold their flesh well, even When in good 
milk. I saw one of the finest butter 
makers of this breed, when in full milk, 
and s.ie weighed 1,200 pounds. They 
are very compact, thick through body, 
and with short legs, and have long teats. 
One of the most distinguishing features 
is a bunch of long hair on the top of 
head, falling down like the old-fashioned 
bangs on a girl’s forehead. 
If I were asked to state in few words 
the advantages of Red Polled cattle over 
others, I would say: 1. They are horn¬ 
less, and consequently can run with 
other stock to better advantage than 
horned kinds, and it takes less room to 
shelter and ship, nor are they so prone 
to tear down fences or fight. 2. They 
are solid red, which butchers prefer, and 
in England the red cow is thought to 
give the best milk. 3. Will take on 
flesh quickly at any age, and are active 
and industrious in hunting for suste¬ 
nance. 4. Are very kind and docile. 5. 
Are purebred, and been known and writ¬ 
ten about for hundreds of years, and 
consequently they have great prepotency 
in imprinting their good qualities on 
their offspring. I have been raising the 
Red Polls for 10 years or more, and 
have yet to see a grade with any indica¬ 
tions of a horn, nor have I heard of any 
descended from bulls sold by me, nor in 
that time have I seen but three grades 
that were not solid red. although the 
cows in every instance were horned, and 
while some were red, most were not, and 
the majority were Jerseys or grade Jer¬ 
seys. R. l. armistead. 
Madison, Tenn. 
MANGELS FOR SHEEP. 
An Ohio reader writes: I have an acre 
of mangel wurzels that will give me a 
bumper crop. How far can they be used 
instead of clover hay to feed sheep and 
lambs? I have not the abundance of 
clover hay that I had last year, and did 
not succeed in making it first class. Corn 
and fodder will be plenty. Besides the 
mangels I will sow soon about 1*4 acre 
to turnips. With the roots, can I go on 
feeding with the promise of success I 
should expect if I did not have the roots 
and an abundance of clover hay? 
'In my reading I am unable to get de¬ 
sired information on some of these 
points. Analysis is probably against my 
supposition or desire, but chemical 
analysis does not give the full feeding 
value of roots. Chemical analysis does 
not make much value out of the pump¬ 
kin, yet there is nothing lambs and 
sheep relish more when once they have 
learned to eat them. I hardly know 
what branch of sheep feeding I will try 
this Winter. Lambs promise to be cost¬ 
ly, and in case I do not get what I want 
I may try sheep feeding, as they may be 
neglected in the scramble to fill up the 
lots with lambs. 
Killing Prairie Dogs. —A bulletin 
from the Nebraska Experiment Station 
(Lincoln) gives the following “dose” for 
prairie dogs which is said to be a sure 
shot: 
Dissolve three ounces of strychnine and 
one-half pound of potassium cyanide in one 
quart of boiling water; then add two quarts 
of molasses and one teaspoonful of oil of 
anise. Stir. Then place one bushel of 
wheat in a tight receptacle (so there will 
be no loss from leakage) and pour the fore¬ 
going solution over it. It should then be 
well stirred while an assistant slowly 
sprinkles into the mixture four pounds of 
finely-ground cornmeal. The molasses 
renders the liquid adhesive, so that it will 
cling to the grains of wheat. The object 
of using the cornmeal is to absorb the 
superfluous liquid or syrup and thus enable 
the grains of wheat to carry a large 
amount of poison. 
■) The Old Reliable Remedy For Spavins, Splints, Ring¬ 
bones, Curbs, etc. Also All Lameness. 
E CERTAIN IN ITS EFFECTS AND DOES NOT BLISTER. 
Kingston, N. Y,, Sept. 19, ’98. 
Gents:—Your Kendall’s Spavin Cure I have used for the 
last two years, and I think ids the best medicine I ever saw for 
i Spavin and Splint, and will freely recommend it to my 
- 1 friends. Yours respectfully, WM. rROCHNOW. 
Such endorsements as tlie above are a guarante 
•’ tit 
of merit. Price, $1; six for 65. As a liniment for 
r family use it has no equal. Ask your druggist for 
Kendall'* Spavin Cure, also “A Treatise on 
the Horse,” the book free, or address 
Dr. B. J. Kendall Co., Ertosburg Falls, Vt. , 
L. 
Breeders’ Directory. 
Chester Whites, Holsteins and Choice Eggs. 
A fine lot of young sows bred for Fall litters. 
HolstelD-Friesian Bui' Calves of extra breeding 
Light Brahma and B. Hock Egvs: 15 for 75 cents. 
CHAS. K. RECORD. Peterboro. N. Y. 
rnn oil r— a thoroughbredholstein 
run CALC BULL CAI.F. Well marked and of 
best breeding. Will be sold at farmers’ price. Write 
at once. W. W. CHENEY, Manlius, N. Y. 
COD Oil If— From one to a carioad of fine 
lUn OALb Red Short-Horn Calves: also, 
Southdown Lambs and large English Berkshires, 
all crated at low prices. 
ISON & LIT8EY, Harrodsburg, Ky. 
ST. LAMBERT and Combination. For sale 5 Cows, 
7 Heifers. IB Bulls. S. E. NIVIN. Landenburg, Pa, 
Some GOOD young 
JERSEY BULL CALVES 
FOB SALE at fair prices. No FLUG8 nor un 
registered for sale at any price. 
R. F. SHANNON. 907 Liberty St., Pittsburg, Pa. 
DELLHURST FARM, 
MENTOR, OHIO, 
has nearly 30 Holstein Hull Calves to select 
from, and offers sons of DeKol's Rutter Boy No 
19210, Royal Paul 22979 and others, having the much 
talked-of Pauline Paul and DeKol cross. Our Herd 
now numbers 150 head. Stock of all ages and both 
sexes for sale from Advanced Registry cows. 
C HENANGO VALLEY STOCK FARMS, Greene N. 
Y—Dutch Belted and Jersey Cattle; Dorset and 
Rambouillet Sheep; Poland-China, Jersey Red and 
Suffolk Pigs. Land and Water Fowls. Hens' 
Eggs, 60c. per dozen: 10 kinds; standard bred. 
Ohropshire Lambs.—Ewes and Rants, high grades. 
extra good, blocky, well bui t, for Breeders, August 
delivery. Price, $7 to $10 ea. W. A. Bothers, Lack, Pa 
DHI AWfl PUIMAQ— Large strain, purebred 
rULnllU'‘UnillHu Poland-China Pigsforsale 
$5 each when they are eight to ten weeks old. 
F. H. GATES & SONS, Chlttenango, N. Y. 
nnl I |r Dll DC from registered stock. 
llULLIC rUlw Spayed females. Circulars 
free. SILAS DECKER, South Montrose, Pa. 
nriTII Tfi I IPC on HHN8 and CHICKHN8 
UCAin IU LlUL 64-page book fbbi. 
D. J. LAMBERT, Box 307, Apponang. R. I. 
WILDER’S 
Swing Stanchion. 
Improvement over Smith's. 
S'eel latch; Automatic 
lock. Adjusts itself when 
open so animal cannot turn 
It in backing ont. Safest 
and Qi’ickest Fastening 
tuade.Send for testimonials 
J. K. WILDER & SONS, 
Monroe, Mich. 
The WILLARD KNAPP COW TIE 
Is the most humane, inex¬ 
pensive, practical and dur¬ 
able device for fasten ng 
cattle. Approved by all 
up-to-date dairymen. 
Send for illustrated pam- 
phle'.describing the tie and 
givii gstatements from our 
customers. 
H. KNAPP & CO 
Groton St., Cortland N.Y 
The Mystic* 
Spf^avefl 
Jhf 
One quart of Killer and a Sprayer furnished 
on receipt of $1.00. Will free cattle of flies. 
Is sure to give satisfaction. 
LEGGETT & BR0., 301 Pearl St., NEW YORK. 
A Carving Set. 
Every family needs a carving set three 
times a day. This set consists of a Shef¬ 
field eaiver with eight-inch handmade 
steel blade, buckhorn handle, fork and 
steel. Price, $1.90; or we will send it for 
a club of two new subscriptions at $1 
each and $1.25 extra money, or free for a 
club of six at $1 each. 
Gold-Shell Rings. 
Most people like a 
nice ring. We show 
three styles. These are 
made by drawing a 
shell of gold over a rod 
of composition metal. 
They are better and 
will wear longer than 
solid gold rings of a 
low carat. The retail 
price would be from 75 
cents to $1. We will 
send one of these rings 
postpaid as a reward 
for sending one new subscription at $1. 
Cut a slip of paper the size of finger and 
send for size. 
