Vol. LXIY. 1 N 0 . 2892. NEW YORK, JULY 1, 1905 WEEKLY, $1.00 PER YEAR 
BREEDING AND CARE OF COLTS. 
Some Things Learned in Twenty-five Years. 
THE BROOD MARE.—First of all, every prospective 
horse breeder" should have a definite idea of what he 
wants, to raise, whether draft, carriage or trotting 
stock. I should say it would be better for the farmer 
of small means to leave the latter for the wealthy or 
gentleman farmer to lose money on. Everything else 
being* equal, I would prefer brood mares of good size, 
but beauty, style, ambition and nerve should come first. 
Often a regular “cranky” one makes a first-class brood 
mare, and I have raised many colts ranging in height 
from l5 J /> to 10 hands from 15-hand mares. These 
mares were old-fashioned Morgans of a type seen every 
day at all kinds of work 50 years ago, but now as scarce 
as “hens’ teeth.” I would not use a genuinely broken- 
down animal for brood purposes, no matter how well 
bred she might be; neither would I condemn one for 
lameness caused by accident. A spavined or ringboned 
one I never owned. It goes without saying that both 
sire and dam should come as close as pos¬ 
sible to the type you have in mind to raise. 
Although my large colts from small mares 
had, of course, large sires, I prefer extra 
size in the dam if either must be larger, but 
quality and finish in the sire always. Sev¬ 
eral years ago I bought an imported Hack¬ 
ney mare about 15hands, 1,100 pounds, 
with a 
will to road 10 miles an hour easily. She 
has brought me three colts and two fillies, 
all sired by a Morgan horse much smaller 
than she, and each having a great deal of 
the beauty and finish of the sire, with size 
and. action of their dam, suitable for car¬ 
riage, gig or saddle. For several years I 
bred to an imported French coach horse, 
hoping to raise matched pairs. I was dis¬ 
appointed in this, but had one in the lot 
which brought a fancy price at the New 
York Horse Exchange. 
CARE OF THE MARE.—As to time of 
foaling, I have had them as early as March 
20 and as late as September, and see no 
particular difference in their growth, pro¬ 
vided always the mare is generously fed, 
but prefer them as early as April. I his 
leaves the mare in good condition to work 
through the Summer, and the foal is big 
and strong by tly time. Mare and foal are 
housed at night until the fiiA of June un¬ 
less the weather is very warm. If the mare 
is turned to pasture before foaling she is 
always taken to the barn at a little past the tenth month, 
where she can be looked after. I have had strong, 
healthy foals born at ten and a quarter months. I never 
give the mare heavy work, and keep her out of snow¬ 
drifts and off slippery places. She has a roomy box 
stall, well bedded, and in Winter the liber"y of a large 
field except on stormy days; all the good hay she will 
eat and occasionally apples, potatoes or carrots, and 
always kind words. Her confidence is worth having. 
During the last month or two she gets a good feed of 
bran and perhaps a few oats. If she is groomed every 
day so much the better. 
THE FOAL is handled every day, has the halter on 
as early as the third day, and often before he is 24 
hours old; is taught to have his feet lifted and to be 
groomed with a good brush, never neglecting the tail. 
I have known three or four-year-old colts positively to 
refuse to allow the tail to be combed, but I did not 
raise them. These lessons are easily learned now. and 
never forgotten, and save lots of trouble later. At two 
weeks he should be perfectly halter-broken and under¬ 
stand the meaning of “whoa” and “backalso accus¬ 
tomed to have ropes or straps wound about his body 
and legs, and in place of the crupper; this may save a 
kicking scrape later on. He is made thoroughly to 
understand that man's strength—and woman's, too, for 
that matter—is superior to his, but the children are not 
to attempt to coerce him, for fear that he should escape 
from them and lay the foundation of a bad habit in 
future. In teaching to lead we do not find it the best 
way to attempt to drag him along by the head, but walk 
by his side and coax or even push him along, turning 
to either side until he learns to follow the halter. If 
he wishes to try his strength at the line once or twice 
hold firmly until he is satisfied that it will not give way. 
Sometimes a little touch of whip at his heels works 
well, but never for a minute lose your temper; always 
pet and praise him. Remember the best horse is always 
companionable and friendly, with perfect confidence in 
his master. In his early days, when any leading is to 
be done, the halter goes on the baby and the mother 
follows. After the foal is two or three days old he 
is allowed plenty of exercise in a large yard or nearby 
field, but never allowed to lie down on cold or damp 
ground after becoinipg heated. Like all young things, 
he must be kept warm, or trouble will follow.' Even 
after turning to pasture he is not left out through a 
cold rain—it is neither humane nor safe. 
WEANING TIME.—If the mare keeps in good con¬ 
dition, which she should do on good pasture, she runs 
with her colt until stabling time in the Fall; it saves 
trouble, and the colt makes better growth. Even if 
she is worked it pays to feed her an extra grain ration, 
and not wean the colt until six months old. When at 
any time the mare and colt are separated each is put 
in a box stall which has no nails, splinters or sharp 
corners to injure them. Colts will sometimes attempt 
to crawl through impossible boles, or over partitions 
which are not built to the top. For the first few days 
of weaning time the colt is allowed with the mare for 
a short time at morning and night: then once each day, 
gradually making the visits less frequent until he is 
kept away entirely. The best of hay—preferably clover 
rowen to begin with—is kept before him all the time, 
also a pail of bran and oats mixed, equal parts by meas¬ 
ure, with a little salt. Plenty of water at least twice 
a day. You Can't winter the colt on the north side of the 
straw stack and expect him to “do you proud" in the 
Spring. He gets apples and potatoes often, and some¬ 
times a nubbin of corn, and is never expected to clean 
up his hay. What he leaves is given to the older 
horses. 
THE COLT’S EDUCATION.—He is taught to stand 
tied while his hair is straightened every day; we find 
an ordinary cattle card the best for this purpose when 
the hair is long and thick. His feet are cleaned often, 
and kept level, with toes short. This requires very 
little time, and helps him to grow up right. Of course 
he has exercise with the others in.the field, although he 
is not let out when there is ice covered with a little 
snow. Sometimes, when he is taken out to be groomed, 
a bridle is slipped on over the halter, and he soon be¬ 
comes accustomed to the bit. He is easily taught to 
drive this first Winter, and often his first lessons are 
taken with a pair of lines snapped into the halter ring 
and passed back through loops well down on the sides 
of a surcingle. After he has learned, on the barn floor, 
to go before, to turn to right or left and to stop at the 
word, he is taken into the yard, to the car¬ 
riage house among wheels and all sorts, put 
between the shafts and made acquainted 
with nearly everything but drawing the car¬ 
riage. Being handled by one in whom he 
has perfect confidence, he will show little, 
if any, fear. When Spring comes again we 
find it a good plan to keep the yearlings in 
the barn for a few days after the older ones 
go to pasture. The excitement and too 
strenuous exercise of the first few days 
before settling down to business is apt to 
set them back in growth. They are salted 
once a week, and looked over to see that 
there are no cuts or sprains, which they are 
liable to get in pasture, and which may 
need attention. Contrary to the ideas of 
many, this method of teaching does not 
turn out dead-heads, but honest, willing, 
reliable animals, trained, not broken. 
C. v. p. 
‘NITRO-CULTURE” NOT NEEDED . 
I have been interested in the articles on 
nitro-culture in The R. N.-Y., and thought 
perhaps a few observations of my own 
might be of some interest. T do not intend 
to create the impression that these “cul¬ 
tures” may not be needed and useful in 
growing legume crops in some sections, 
but I do believe that the farmer in Union 
Co., Ill., would get much greater value 
from his money by investing it in some 
form of potash and apply to the poor spots on his 
farm. I have had spots on my own farm too poor to 
“make a catch” of clover; it would come up, grow slow¬ 
ly, turn yellow, and when hot, dry weather came die. 
Yet these same plants, if pulled up, would show the 
small nodules on the roots. An application of potash 
or stable manure on these places would cause the 
clover to assume a dark color and make a stand. I 
notice by the circulars and catalogues that they claim 
a special kind of nitro-culture for each species of 
legume from sweet peas to clover. I am not going to 
sry that this is not true, but what I do say emphati¬ 
cally is- if it be true then my soil contains in a dormant 
state all these different varieties of “nitro-cultures” 
waiting for me or some one to plant the crop to which 
they are adapted. I say this because I have grown 
successfully on my 40-acre farm almost every species 
of legume, from the Japan clover to the Velvet bean, 
all of which developed in great profusion the nitrogen 
nodules and without the use of any nitro-culture. The 
nodules on Velvet beans are as large as hazelnuts, Soy 
beans the next in size, and Japan clover the smallest. 
Our soil here is splendidly adapted to the legumes, 
