Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 March 1875 — Wintering Farm Horses. [ARTICLE]

Wintering Farm Horses.

I have noticed for some years that farm horses have had a hard time during the winter months, not because of work but of the want of care. Farm horses wear out as fast if not faster than horses that work during the year. Now there is a cause for all this. In the first place horses that have been in the Open air and sunshine should have these hygienic influences all of the time, and horses that have been in active exercise should still be allowed ample room and opportunity for what exercise nature requires. Then again horses that have been fed high should by all means have enough feed to so recruit them that they will look sleek and have fat enough to l<eep them warm. Therefore when horses have accomplished the work of the season and are to rest for some weeks or months to come the first thing to be done is to have the shoes taken off, then give them their regular feed for a few days at least, that is, till they look fresh and their eyes look bright, and they show signs of good rich blood in their veins; then drop the noon feed of grain and go on for a time with two feeds per day, and then leave off the morning feed of grain, and finally drop the feed of grain at night; still I would never let a horse stand and paw or ask for food at night, for it is a loss rather than a gain to try and cheat a horse out of his honest living. As the noon feed is withdrawn give some green food, say potatoes, carrots or turnips, but I would limit the roots to a fourth or a half peck for a few days, then give once, twice or thrice a week as the case may be.By all means give plenty of hay and good, fresh, pure water, with salt as they may require. Now as to exercise, after the horse has eaten his morning meal turn him loose in a good, large yard and let him remain till noon; after the noon feed turn him out again until night, then put him up and feed for the night; of course stormy days I should keep him in the stable. ts horses are kept at work part of the time keep the shoes on and feed according to the work, but by all means give the yard exercise whenever he is let up from work. — Massachusetts Ploughman. —Some people imagine that Mark Twain is exceedingly smart. We knew him when he was grinding platitudes for the Virginia Enterprise, and he was a notoriously lazy grinder. He would sit at his editorial table for hours, drumming on a crackqd guitar, while the compositors were waiting for copy, and when reminded of his duty by the foreman would say: “This working between meals is killing me!” And* he fans ithe healthiest man in the Territory. —OaAZand Tribune. ■ 1 —The Methodist Episcopal Church has twenty-seven universities and colleges and sixty academies and seminaries, the estimated value being $7,000,000, exclusive of their three theological seminaries. The property in schools under the supervision of the church is $2,000,000.