1280 
THE RUR.A.I> NEW-YORKER 
October 23, 1915, 
Buying a Farm Horse 
How would I go about buying a farm 
horse?—I wouldn’t, I’d raise him. There 
is no place in the country where horses 
can be raised at a better profit, than 
right here in Central New York. But, 
if I did have to buy a horse, I suppose 
that I should go to one of the men w T bo 
make a business of dealing in Western 
horses, and take my chances on getting 
something fairly good. 
In the first place, I should buy my 
horse in the Fall if possible. It takes 
some Mttle time for a Western horse to 
become acclimated, and a green horse in 
the Spring is in poor shape for the hard 
work of that season. On visiting the 
dealer, the first thing that I should con¬ 
sider would be the general health of his 
stock on hand. Some lots of horses are 
much worse affected with distemper than 
others, and I should not like to buy a 
horse out of a lot where there were many 
sick animals. Having located a stable 
of apparently healthy animals, I should 
begin looking for the type of horse to 
suit me. I want a low-down, blocky 
animal for farm work, and I should not 
expect to find many of the right type. 
The fact is, that the dealers usually buy 
“seconds” for the farmer trade. Most 
of the horses shipped from the West are 
about one-half of draft blood, a pure 
draft stallion being crossed with bron¬ 
chos, or the descendants of bronchos. 
Some of these horses are of good con¬ 
formation, and some are not. The buy¬ 
ers for the city trade usually take the 
good ones at the higher prices, and the 
country dealer takes what is left at a 
much reduced price. Along with this 
latter class go the otherwise good horses 
that have limbs much too light for their 
bodies, and also those with poor feet. 
Of course there is a reason why the 
country dealer buys these second-class 
horses. One of these dealers told me that 
the average Eastern farmer did not know 
a good horse when he saw one. and 
would pay a higher price for a “second” 
than he would for a really good one. The 
trouble is that the farmer who has been 
in the habit of seeing our light-weight 
native horses gets the idea that all horses 
should look that way, and when he con¬ 
cludes to get a heavier team, he looks 
for a pair of overgrown trotters. That 
is, a pair weighing perhaps 2,S00 pounds 
that stand 16^4 hands high on spindling 
legs. He falsely concludes that these 
horses will be more active than the low- 
down, blocky type, and when he finds by 
using them that they are awkward and 
hard keepers, he is apt to condemn the 
large horse, and go back to the Hamble- 
tonian or the Morgan. 
Of course the market horse will be fat, 
and fat, like charity, covers a multitude 
of sins. Place your hand just in front of 
the hip bone and see how far it is to the 
first short rib. A close-coupled horse is 
an easy keeper, but the reverse will give 
you a hard keeper and a very homely an¬ 
imal when he gets thin. » 
If your horse is broad, he will natural¬ 
ly have a good wide chest, and his legs 
will be set well apart. See that these 
legs, both fore and behind, stand straight 
under the animal. That is, that his toes 
point straight ahead. A straight stick 
is stronger than a crooked one. 
Pay close attention to his head. A 
good many Western horses look pretty 
well when they are fat, but if they get 
thin, their heads seem suddenly to have 
developed vast proportions. Then pick 
out one with a good clean cut head, and 
a good eye, a fellow that looks as though 
he was of an even disposition. 
Go into the stall, and handle the 
horse. Then if his stable manners are 
satisfactory, help to hitch him up. Then 
get into the wagon and drive him your¬ 
self. Try to make him do something 
that he doesn’t want to, and see if he 
develops a temper. Then get down into 
the road and let the other fellow drive 
him. Stand by the roadside and watch 
him go past. Notice not only how he 
handles his legs and feet, but look at his 
back and hips. Especially notice if he 
appears supple in the small of the back. 
When the horse comes back towards 
you, step into the middle of the road and 
watch the motion of his feet. See if he 
throws his front feet out straight ahead 
with an easy motion, or if he “paddles” 
along. Then notice if the hind feet are 
thrown straight ahead, or if the hocks are 
bent in towards each other, and the feet 
are thrown forward at an angle away 
from the body. 
Let the driver send the horse along at 
a good sharp gait, and then stop him 
close to you so that you can see how he 
breathes after exertion. 
After all this make the dealer agree 
to give you your money back if the horse 
is not satisfactory. Don’t agree to take 
another in exchange, for usually the 
dealer will insist that he is letting you 
have a higher-class horse, and will de¬ 
mand more money. 
Also it is generally poor policy to pay 
an extra price for a mare. The really 
valuable Western mares are staying 
where they were born, and those that 
prove to be barren, or are worthless as 
breeders from some other cause, are sent 
out to start the Eastern farmer in the 
breeding business. j. grant morse. 
Dairy Conditions in South Michigan. 
The dairy industry in Southern Michi¬ 
gan is fast becoming one of the important, 
if not the most important, of the farm in¬ 
dustries, the last few years seeing great 
improvement, both in character and 
methods. Ten or 12 years ago it was the 
rule for each farm to make its own butter 
and sell it at the general store for grocer¬ 
ies and calico. Now it is the exception 
for the farmer’s wife to make even her 
own table supply. The farm separator 
and the creamery are now within reach of 
everyone. We here in the northern part 
of Hillsdale County and of northern Cal¬ 
houn County, together with parts of 
Branch and Jackson counties, have a 
highly developed co-operative creamery. 
Still under the same management, and 
with a patronage never equaled before, it 
shows an increasing prosperity from year 
to year. Last year a total of 520,000 
pounds of butter was made and sold with¬ 
out exception on the Philadelphia mar¬ 
ket as extra firsts at an average for the 
year of 33 cents net to the patrons. 
The success of this institution in no 
small degree is due to the qualifications 
of the force of employees, headed by J. L. 
Bosworth as buttermaker, and the excel¬ 
lent equipment furnished them by the 
board of directors. There are many small 
creameries in this section that are doing 
a profitable and honorable business, and 
they have as a rule a large percentage of 
satisfied patrons, but I know of no co¬ 
operation creamery anywhere in the near¬ 
by counties, and have heard of only one 
in one of the northern counties that in 
any way approximate the success of the 
Litchfield creamery. 
There are several cream stations in the 
near-by towns of the centralized cream¬ 
eries of Detroit and Toledo, but as a rule 
they are not very satisfactory. But at 
that they are a mighty good substitute for 
the condenseries that are operating in 
this section. You know of course of the 
trouble at Jackson which resulted in the 
organization of the milk producers’ asso¬ 
ciation last Winter, and I will not refer 
to what has been done at that point. 
Farmers are getting too wise from read¬ 
ing such papers as Tiie R. N.-Y., and see 
the folly of selling the whole milk from 
the farm at such prices and losing the val¬ 
uable feed of the skim-milk. Some of the 
larger dairies are making up the raw ma¬ 
terial into the finished product at home, 
and thus adding a good bit to the net in¬ 
come. Such is the case with the large 
Guernsey farm of Campbell & Angevine, 
near Coldwater, where they are making 
ice cream. Altogether the dairy indus¬ 
try of this section is growing by leaps and 
bounds, and from all indications will con¬ 
tinue to do so for some time to come. 
E. E. LINTON. 
Judge —“What’s your charge against 
the prisoner?” Complainant—“Burg¬ 
lary. He stole $5 from me at the sta¬ 
tion.” Judge—“But for burglary there 
must be a breaking.” Complainant— 
“Well, your honor, when he took the five 
he broke me.”—Boston Transcript. 
Every farmer who has money invested in buildings 
knows the importance of protecting them with good 
paint. Therefore, every farmer will be interested in 
learning that paint containing 
zinc 
lasts longer and protects better than any other 
kind of paint. 
Write to us and we will send you an interesting booklet, “ Tour Move " 
and a list of manufacturers whose paints contain Zinc. 
The New Jersey Zinc Company 
Room 455, 55 Wall Street, New York 
Economical 
for it takes the place of a por¬ 
tion of your regular ration, 
cutting down the cost but 
increasing the feeding value. 
Xtra-vim has all the feeding value of raw molasses with 
the laxative tendency corrected, so that the animal obtains 
full nutritive value from the food. It prevents indigestion 
and colic; dispels dangerous gases; keeps any animal in a 
healthy condition so that it 
Produces Results that Count 
Don’t take our word for it but let us send you a collection 
of statements by men you know are qualified to pass judg¬ 
ment on any feed. We have these statements in book-form, 
illustrated, free for the asking. A Postal brings it. 
XTRAVIM MOLASSES FEED CO., I73-C Milk St., Boston 
Kerosene, Gasoline & Gas 
Look at these New Prices! 
2 H-P $34.95; 4 II P, $69.75; 6 H-P, $97.75; 
8 H-P, $139.65; 12 H-P, $197.00; 16 H-P, $279.70; 
22 H-P, $359.80. Portable Engines Proportionally Low. 
Prices F. O. B. Factory. 
Direct From Factory to User 
WITTE engines. Stationary, Portable, Skid¬ 
ded and Sawrig styles, have set the quality 
standard for 28 years. Better today than ever. 
Castings of Bemi-steel, detachable cylinders, 
vertical valves, four-ring pistons, automobile 
ignition, variable speed, and other merits, with¬ 
out which no engine can now be high-grade. 
Liberal 5-Year Guaranty 
No need to pay double price for any good engine, or 
to take an out-of-date, poor, or doubtful one for any 
kind of a price. Don’t risk any untried, newfangled 
devices with highfalutin’ names. Let me show you 
.How to Judge Engines . 
My New Book tells you how to be safe in your 
engine selection, even if you don’t pick a WITTE. 
Send me just your address, for one of these fine books 
by return mail. 
Ed?H. Witte, Witte Engine Works, 
1891 Oakland Ave., Kansas City, Mo. 
1891 Empire Bldg., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
The STRONGEST, SIMPLEST 
STANCHION'S 
Saving of time and cow-comfort * 
mean bigger profits. Know that your 
cows are held securely without an¬ 
noyance to you or to them—in 
New Modern 
Stanchions—wood or Steel—chain or pivot 
hung. KxteiiHion bars prevent side en¬ 
trance. Latch holds Stanchion in position 
when open. Perfect freedom of head. 
Let us aend you free catalog on our Stan¬ 
chions, Litter and Feed Carriers, Water Basina 
and other “New Modern” stable equipment. 
GLOR BROS. & WILLIS MFG. CO. 
60-70 Main St. - - Attica, N. \.J 
Delay buying any 
engine until you find 
out all about 
Steam. 
Engines 
LEFFEL 
all 
Leffel 
Steam Engines 
They’ll do more for you at less 
cost day after day than any gaa engine. 
Burn coal, wood or rubbish. Run 
farm power-driven machinery. 
Furnish steam and hot 
water for cooking feed or 
cleaning and sterilizing 
pots, pans, milk cans, feed 
troughs, etc. Farmers every¬ 
where swear by the Leffel. 
UUf- for booklet and full 
L H1UC information. Don’t 
delay—write tonight. 
James Leffel & Co. 
Box 302, 
Springfield, 
Ohio. 
■MMi 
From IV 2 to 25 Horse Power 
Jacobson Hopper Cooled Engines start easily, 
run smoothly and have great overload capacity. 
Approved by Nat. Board Fire Underwriters. 
Built with jigs and templates. All bearings in¬ 
terchangeable. Built-in magnetos. Write for bul¬ 
letin of Hopper Cooled Engines: also of Jr. 
the lowest priced high-grade 
on the market. 
JACOBSON 
MACHINE 
MFG. CO. 
Dept. D 
Warren, 
Pa. 
U.S.A. 
OUR NEW HANDY BINDER 
Sides are heavy Book Board, Imitation Leather 
Back and Corners, Cloth Sides, Two Tongues Inside, 
Inside of Cover Neat, Lining Paper, Stamped in 
Gold —“Rural Nkw-Y’orker”— on outside. 
Will hold 52 issues, or more. Sent prvpaid 
upon receipt of price, 50c. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
333 West 30th St. New York City 
