Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 118, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 September 1903 — PAPERS BY THE PEOPLE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PAPERS BY THE PEOPLE.

HORSES FOR MARKET AND BREEDING. , -

By James Wilson,

Secretary ot Agriculture.

Perhaps in no other ine line of work has there been such a lack of systematic study among farmers in America, and in the practical application of known principles, as In horse breeding. Fanners throughout the entire country have practiced haphazard methods of breeding for many years. They simply bred and reared horses without any regard to the demands of the consumer. In any business which is carried on without any definite purpose or object in view sooner or later a crisis will come. Horse breeding, when Judiciously carried on, has always been and is likely to be a reasonably profitable

' business for the American farmer. If horses are bred with a definite object In view the breeder will not be seriously affected by overproduction. There has always been and there always will be a fair demand for any of the recognized market types'of horses. existing conditions there are at least four distinct classes of horses which most farmers can profitable pro duce. The first and most important is the heavy draft horse, next the carriage or coach horse, then the roadster horse, and the saddle horse. There is a market for other classes of horses at the present time, but none of them commands high prices and. most of them are the misfits which are bound to app&ti* from time to time In the effort to produce horses of the first four classes mentioned. The heavy draft horse is one of the most profitable classes of horses that the farmer can breed. The draft colt can be bred with less risk and liability to accident than those of the lighter classes. Some of the essential points to be -considered in selecting a draft horse are: Good feet and legs, plenty of weight, a well developed body, and good style and action. A draft horse should weight from 1,800 upward, the more the better, provided it is combined with quality and good feet and legs. Next In importance to the draft horse is the carriage horse. Some men who are'naturally adapted to educating and training horses can produce carriage horses much more profitably than draft liorsia The ideal carriage or coach horse is an anlnial-of-ih4j*fi‘excellence of form, style, action, speed and education. He must be of good size, standing from 15.3 to 1G.2 hands high and weighing in the neighborhood of-1,200 pounds and upward. Another class of horses in good demand at the present time is the gentleman’s driving horse, or more commonly known as die roadster. A good and valuable roadster should not be considered as necessarily a racehorse. Ferv racehorses ever make satisfactory roadsters. The sadAe horse is’always In good demand. The real, high clasj thoroughbred possesses more quality than any other breed of horses. Horses of this class are often called combination animals, being useful as a saddle or harness horse. THE USE OF ELECTRICITY AS A MEDICINE.

By Slcgmund SAubermann, Electrical Engineer. Berlin.

A noteworthy fact and one much debated in professional circles is the little importance attached to the numerous electrical phenomena with which the human organism comes iu contact, and that the application of electricity for medical purposes should be restricted to only a few cases. The French and Italian men of the medical profession are a laudable exception in this respect, for they do not hinder progress in this

direction by refraining from the use of cjectriclty In their practice. On the contrary, they not only favor investigation tice. On the contrary, they not only favor investigation along that line, but themselves tfse this natural force In their practice whenever possible. With these facts before us It is to be expected thai electro-therapeutics, ns the new science is called, should be

successfully developed in those countries and our own scientists outdone in this important field. Already they successfully treat certain skin diseases and other disorders with the electrical, bath nndjhe Roentgen ray. France is in the lead, and at the universities of that country much experimenting is done with the new method. Much is expected to result from an experiment performed by Professor Stephen Leduc, of Nantes, a member of the French Academy of Science, which proves with certainty that a small alternating current acting on the body will induce sleep and put the body in a state of absolute freedom from pain. That is, the activity of the brain can be stopped by means of such a current without the least pain being experienced or the impairing of the functions of the respiratory organs or the circulation. So far the experiments have been conducted upon animals only, but the results are nevertheless conclusive. The successful experimenter used a small electrical machine with a small current at first, but which could be gradually increased in strength. A rabbit was first used to experiment upon and later a shepherd dog. Neither animal seemed to experience any unpleasantness from the experiment. Pinching, cutting, pricking, or burning did not seem to cause the least pain. As soon as the current was shut off the animal awoke, jumped up, and ran about contented, apparently suffering no injurious effect either as to his physical or mental condition. Indeed, the duration of this electrically induced sleep could be protraeted for hours with the same result. Furthermore, it has ; beon proved that the human body when under the influence of the Leduc electrical current is totally insensible to pain as when cocaine is injected. Eminent specialists declare that this harmless method will supersede the use of chloroform and ether in performing those operations upon persons with a weak heart which so often prove fatal when these anesthetics are used. DDN’J MEDDLE IN LOVERS’ QUARRELS.

By Helen Oldfield.

Love affairs, to all appearances, possess an irresistible attraction for outsiders. “All the world loves a lover.” Love stories are the most popular class of literature with the masses, and gossip about other people's love affairs, real or suspected, is sure to be afloat whenever men or women engage in social chat. The “love pie” is one Into which, more than any other, people who have no visible connection therewith are sure to attempt to introduce a finger, and with which

curiosity, meddlesomeness, and mischief makipg frequently busy themselves under the cloak of gootTnature, fr]epdly. futerest, and genera i- kind trejrrtPOTit l fsr'*” 1 “ ~** r ' Of all ill advised meddlers the most idiotic are those who take part in lovers’ quarrels. Even the part of the peacemaker is not always blessed in such case, while those who fau the flames of discord cannot be too severely censured. When lovers quarrel it is the part of wisdom to stand aside and let them settle the matter between themselves. Jf they cannot agree together it is far better that they should agree to disagree, while If the quarrel be merely a lovers’ tiff it may act as a thunder storm to clear the air or as a summer shower which sweeps away doubts and misunderstandings which have clouded the sky. It is not well to try too hard to persuade dissenting lovers to kiss and be, friends. The wounds of love do best without a surgeon; if they do not heal by the first intention they rarely or never heal at all. There are \ few tactful people who can "stand by,” in the naval sense, and see fair play without Intermeddling. , Such people know by intuition just when to soothe, without seeming to do so, or just how at the right moment to turn the tiff into a jest, persuading the lovers, each, that the other was only in fuii and meant no harm. Usually it Is wise not to take lovers’ tiffs too seriously; it is far better to treat them tenderly, but lightly. In most cases the quarrel is more of a comedy than a tragedy, and probably will do good In the end by showing some tender spot which affection will avoid wounding in future.

JAMES WILSON.