AT A OOST OF ,610 TO �12 A-YEAR,

IN FINE CONDITION �O RIDE AND DRIVE.

CONCLUDING
WITH AN ESSAY ON THE

FOR THE DOME8TIC 13 SE OF

AMATEURS AND COTTAGERS,

Tho whole of the Sixpenny publications advertised on back of corei
are complete in cmepart, although in some cases there is a Second, and in
others a Third Part foUowing. For example : Part I. Eabbit Book, treats
upon the breeding and profitable management of rabbits in every detail,
and is so far complete ia itself; wbilst Part II. is devoted to illustratiocs,
designs, plans, kc, for rabbit hutches, courts, pits, inclosed warrens, and
other crections, with deacriptive letterpress.

BIBLIOTHEEK UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT

Content»........................................................................... , 3

General Treatment ............................................................ 5�16

THE GOAT.
General Management ............................,............................ 17�23

APPENDIX, OR PART III.

"Garden Ground," treating upon the Cultivation of Forage Plant*
generally, and Prickly Comfrey in particular.

{Symphytum Asperrimtm.)

A NEW EODDEB PLANT, PEODTTCING ANNtJAlIT, IN IOUB OK PIVE COT-
TINGS, UPWABDS OP 80 TO 100 TONS 'WEIOHT TO THE ACEE.

No plant ever before introduced into this country so rapidly
gained public recognition, and, by common consent, established
itself upon our soil as an agricultural forage erop. It is much
relished by all kinds of stock, and especially Horses, and when
once planted it will last for ever.

Tor full particulars respecting the culture of this plant, see
" Garden Ground," price 6d., advertised on back of cover.

AND HOW TO KEEP ONE AT A COST OF �10 TO �12 A-YEAR.

That Horse-keeping is an expensive luxury, few, I think, will
deny; and especially those who know what it costs to keep them
in town. There is no domestic animal so commonly kept that
returns so little in proportion to the cost of its keep ; and there
is certainly no animal kept with more unnecessary extravagance,
or with less regard to economy, than the Horse. Corn and hay
generally forni his staple, if not entire, food throughout the
year; while the prices these articles command, especially in towns,
make the Horse one of the most expensive luxuries that can be
indulged in. Feeding wholly upon corn and hay may be a
necessity to those who keep Horses in large towns, where cheaper
food is not to be had; and it may also be indulged in by those
who can afford it, whether they live in town or country, cost
being of little object. But such people form a very small pro-
portion of the whole community, and there are thousands upon
thousands who are obliged to keep Horses from necessity�for
trade and professional purposes, as well as the many who would
keep them, were it not for the very great expense incurred by
so doing.

It is very generally believed, and broadly stated by those who
keep Horses in large towns, that the cost per head in corn, hay,
and litter for the twelve months is not less than 3s. per day, or
�54 a-year, and I believe this sum is often exceeded in gentle-
men's stables. If this costly expenditure in the feeding of Horses
were confined to the rich, and to those who keep them in towns

and cannot help themselres, I should have little or nothing to
say on the subject; and to such my remarks do not pretend to
apply. But is it not a fact, that this expensive system of feed-
ing is not at all confined to those to whom I make exception,
but is, to a great extent, very generally adopted by all Horse-
keepers, rich and poor alike, whether they reside in town or
country ?

People of moderate means will readily admit that �54 a-year,
or even �30, is a considerable slice to take out of a limited in-
come, especially if it be for the pleasure of riding or driving
alone�and this exclusive of the consequent and additional ex-
penses of attendance, stabling, shoeing, taxes, &c. The conse-
quence is, that few keep Horses except the rich, and those who
ure obliged to keep them for trade purposes; and but few in-
deed, in a small way of business�however much they may re-
quire one,�can afford any such heavy outgoings.

My object in the present treatise is to show that a Horse may
be kept�at least by those living in the country or town suburbs�
at about one-fourth the cost before mentioned, by following a
different treatment�rational and economical, and such as shall
be withiu the command of all who may possess a small area of
garden-ground, npon which to grow a certain quantity of fodder.
If it can be satisfactorily shown that an average-sized Horse can
be kept in good working condition at a cost of from �10 to �12
n-year, such information cannot fail to benefit a large section of
our working community, many of whom are obliged to keep
Horses, but who are at the same time obliged to study economy
to the utmost.

Although, as I have said, Horse-keeping is an expensive luxury
as commonly practised, it is equally true that a Horse may, under
certain circumstances, be so economically fed as to be within the
reach of people of the most moderate means; and this has been
proved by many who have been obliged to practise economy
in this particular, and who have successfully carried out what
may be called the sta�-feeding and soiling system�the ad-
vantages and economy of which I am about to call your atten-
tion to.

The theory upon which I base the system I am about to reconi-
mend isthis: Firstly�If we take nature as our guide, it is
clearly unnatural, and therefore unnecessary, that the food of a
Horse should be confined to such high stimulating food as hay
and corn to ensure its keeping in health and working condition

Secondly�The same area of ground that will be required to
provide hay, to fodder a Horse for twelve months, will, under
arable or garden culture, raise such a quantity of eseulents as
will suffice to feed six or eight Horses for that period of time;
or. in other words, forty square yards of cultivated ground,
properly cropped, will provide keep for a Horse during the
twelve months, whereas one and a-half to two acres are required
to provide suffici�nt hay for the same length of time. Both
hay and corn are undoubtedly necessary in the feeding of a
Horse, but not to the extent generally used; they are both costly,
and should be made the auxiliary, rather than the staple food.
It is well known that no Horses are more liable to ailments of all
kinds than those kept in gentlemen's stables, where hay, corn,
beans, &c, form the sole diet. A periodical dosing or cleaning
out is of ten necessary to work off the effects of such high
feeding.

In considering the question in its pecuniary aspect, it is per-
fectly clear that keeping land in pasture, either for the purpose
of grazing or for making hay, is not an economical way of pro-
viding food for a Horse. Grass loses five-sixths of its weight
when converted into hay; an acre of land that produces seven
tonS of grass, will only give one ton of hay, and whether this be
grazed or converted into hay, itwill be wholly insuffici�nt to keep
a Horse for twelve months. Although it is true that pasture land
will only raise on an average about one ton of hay, it is equally
true (to quote the words of Mr. Milman) " that the capabilities
of arable land to grow green crops are almost unlimited; it is
scarcely possiblc to overrate the productiveness of a small area
of land;" and it is by cropping and soiling from a small
plot of arable or garden land with certain eseulents and arti-
licial grasses, that suffici�nt forage may be raised to enable you
to provide the necessary fodder at a really trilling cost. Certain
plants have been introduced into this country from abroad, which
yieldan immense weight of forage throughout thesummer, suited
to and much relished by horses. Comfrey, introduced from the
Caucasus, and Lucerne, from Switzerland, are found to be the
two best for this purpose ; the former will yield eiglity tons of
forage to the acre, and the latter upwards of forty. Now, when
we consider that a Horse can only consume about ten tons of
dry and green food in the twelve months, it is readily seen that
a very small area of garden land will suffice to provide the neces-
sary supply, and that something over one quarter of an acre of til-

lage ground laid down with these esculents, will produce as mueh
forage, dry and green, as is obtained from six or eight times the
area of pasture land.*

The first question to be considered in dealing with this sub-
ject is, to what extent can green food be given without injnring
the condition of your Horse, and reducing his working power
and power of endurance? The quantity that may be given
with advantage must, of course, depend in a measure on the
amount and description of work to be done. 1 know that yery
considerable prejudice exists amomgst most horse-keepers, and
especially by coachmen, grooms, and ostlers, against the use of
green food for Horses ; it is given oceasionally, generally medicin-
ally, but seldom or ever continued for any length of time, as
permanent fodder throughout the summer. It is said to make
them wasby, soft, pot-bellied, &c.; and no doubt it has this effect
upon a Horse fed exclusively upon green food, and especially if
it had not been used to such feeding; but I maintain beyond
question that a certain quantity of green food judiciously given,
forming a part, even the chief part, of the daily food of a Horse
throughout the greater part of the year, is the best feeding that
can be given, and will have none of the bad effects complained of.

Let us for a moment look to nature�which is admitted to be
a safe guide in most things�in considering the proper treat-
ment of the Horse. Green food (grass) is clearly the food
provided by nature for liis sustenance ;�the formation of his
hoof, and swiftness in a. state of nature, being proof that
upon that food he will be able to work, and combine speed with
endurance. In my travels through South America, I had
every opportunity of testing this question in a practical manner,
and I quite satisfied myself as to the effect of green food upon
Horses living almost in a state of nature. In that conntry�as in
Australia�wheie horses are bred in herds, in much the same
way that horned cattle are bred here, any feeding except grass
is unknown; and I speak from experience when I say that no
Horses in this country, however they may be fed, are capable of

* Mr. Mechi, in proof of the expense of providing pasture for Horses,
says : " My Horses require two to two and a-half acres per Horse, and
some of my neighbours' Horses consume flve acres, some more, during
the twelv» months. On some farms that I know of, ten acres would
hardly keep a Horse. This brings us to considerthe imperious necessity
and advantage of forcing from the land its utmost possible development.
�hose who watch the discrepant productions of three tons and fifty tons
can at once apply my observations."�Mechi: " Howto Farm Profttably."

enduring the fatigue of a long journey better than they are. I ha ve
myself, on more than one occasion, ridden in the saddle from
sixty to seventy miles in one day, the " guacho," or attendant,
driving a herd of thirty or forty Horses in front for the entire
journey, these being driven for the purpose of change. The
whole journey is performed at a hand gallop ; and I was in-
formed that 100 and 120 miles at a stretch is not of uncommon
occurrence. The journey is, of course, across the grass plains,
and not over roads; the Horses are unshod, and know the taste
of no other food except grass. I just mention this fact to show
that there is nothing in green food to make a Horse useless for
work, as is commonly supposed; but, on the other hand, I am
far from saying that a Horse fed solely on grass can compete
with one, in the long or short run, that is either fed wholly
upon hay and corn, or upon what I maintain to be the best of
all feeding�a proper proportion of hard and soft food. As I,
however, said before, it is not my intention to advocato grass
(pasture) in any shape as fodder, inasmuch as it is far from being
economical, and comparatively few people have the command of
an acre or two of pasture to devote to this purpose, and still
less eau they afford to purchase hay and corn at retail prices.
A Horse, if he is to be constantly used, and expected to work
with any spirit, will undoubtedly require something more than
green food, and that of a stronger and more binding charaeter;
green food must form part of the whole, and the whole, and each
part, must be varied, to obtain the best results.

Although but few people, as I say, may be able to command
an acre or two of pasture for the use of their Horses, even
gupposing it were desirable, there are comparatively few, I think,
living in the country or town suburbs, who cannot command a
small plot of garden ground, say thirty to forty yards square,
and it is to those who can command such a patch that I say,
" You can keep a Horse at a cost of �10 to �12 a-year in good
condition to ride and drive."

We now come to the all-important point of how to cultivate
this plot to the best advantage, as well as generally to consider
the necessary quantity of corn and hay that will be required,
and the estimated cost of �10 to �12 a-year.

I will now take it for granted that the proposed Horse-keeper
is possessed of, say, one-third of an acre of ground (about forty
yards square) upon which to grow his crops, and point out how
it may be most advantageously cropped for the purpose to which

it is infcended to devote it. Of the many crops tliat may be
cultivated for this purpose, Comfrey and Lucerne, as I have said,
are, perhaps, the two best; both plants are of most luxuriant
growth, and afford an abundance of forage throughout nine
raonths of the year, rauch relished by Horses, and upon which
they are found to thrive and do well.* The former (Comfrey)
is only used in a green state ; it is fattening, and less flatulent
and softening than tares or clover, and Horses are found to work
better on it than on any other green food. It is very hardy,
will grow on any soil, comes in earlier, and lasts longer thau any
other green erop, and affords a greater weight of forage per
acre, and when once planted it will last for ever.f Lucerne is
better known in this country, having been in use and established
with us for many years ; it is also very largely used and highly
prized on the Continent as food for Horses. It may either bc
used green, or it may be converted into excellent hay. It will
continue in the ground unimpaired for from se ven to ten years.
Of the root crops, either carrots, parsnips, or mangolds may be
grown, all of which are excellent winter keep for the Horse.
One-third of the area to be set apart may be laid down with
Comfrey, and one-third with Lucerne, one-third being retained for
either carrots or mangolds, or for a few of each of them. This
will allow thirty-six perches for the soiling crops, and seventecn

* Mr. Mechi says : " I object in toto to permanent pasture, as a
positive individual and national loss. Lucerne and sainfoin are my
favourites, and you can grow them anywhere if kept clean, supplied
amply with lime drain (where necessary) very deep, and protected
from frost in winter by a strong coating of manure, with a dust of
guano in summer. Tares (vetches) and rye are also profitable. All
these will grow on any land, however boggy, sandy, or grarelly, if
thoroughly drained, properly manured, and deeply cultivated."

t I have lately received a letter from a neighbour who grows Comfrey
largely, and in it he says : " I have fed three cows and two horses
during the past summer on the produce of three-quarters of an acre of
Comfrey." My own experience of this valuable plant is that it will pro-
duce doubl� the quantity of fodder that can be raised from any other
plant known, not excepting Lucerne, which probably comes next. 2,000
plants or small cuttiugs, that I planted three feet apart early this spring,
produced during the tollowing nine months upwards of 50 tons of forage
to the acre, and I am confident that next year I shall obtain up to 80
tons. The Bishop of Kildare, who grew it largely at Glasnevin, when
asked what produce it would give, replied, " Sir, it will produce 300

tons to the acre." The Rev. Henry M--------, who grew it, obtained

from three cuttings upwards of 82 tons. (Hollkr.) Martin Doy'.e
speaks of it highly, and gtates that its weight per acre is fabulous.

perebes for the root crops. Allowing from the soiling crops an
average yield of fifty tons to the acre, thirty-six perches will give
close npon twelve tons of forage, and allow thirty tons to tbc
acre for the root erop, and we have four tons from the seventeen
perches, or a total of sixteen tons, raised on a plot of ground
forty yards square.* Now suppose a Horse to consume eight
tons of such food in the twelve months, we have a large margin
to allow for the loss of weight in converting a certain quantity
of the Lucerne or rye grass into hay. Carrots are well known
to be excellent for horses, but mangolds are little known and
seldom used for this purpose; nevertheless, they are excellent and
very economical, used in moderation, and not much inferior to
the highly-prized earrot.f Mangolds can usually be purchased
for about one-half the price of carrots, and can be obtained
in places where carrots are not to be had at any price. The
quantity of green food, such as Comfrey and Lucerne, that an
average-sized Horse will consume in the twenty-four hours,
supposing no other food be given, may be set down at sixty
pounds, and the same Horse would probably consume twenty-five
pounds to thirty pounds of dry food, such as corn, hay, and
straw chaff. The total quantity of food, therefore, that should
be given to a Horse daily will be in proportion to the description
given, and will vary according to his size and the work he has
to do. It must be remembered that a Horse has a very small
stomach; the digestion, however, is very rapid, and to make up
for this smallness in size, the food should be administered in
small quantities at a time, and frequently given.

We now come to the question of corn. Although, as I have said
bef ore, corn and hay in any great quantity are not essential in the
feeding of a horse ; a certain quantity however, is neeessary, and
must be given daily, partly to counteract the laxative tendencies
of the green food, as well as to keep up the spirit and enduring

* Mr. Mechi, who had considerable experience in the use of mangolds
for Horses, speaks most highly of them, and found that they, in a great
measure, diapenaed with the neoeaaity of hay, and kept his animals in
first-rate health and oondition. The analysis of the mangold shows
that it poaaesaes the elements neeessary for the formation of bone and
musele to an unusual degree, and more than in other root or green crops.

t Stephens, in his " Book of the Farm," writes as fo�ows: " The
quic.k progress of Luoerne, when it has room, is remarkable; the �rst
year only two tons�the seeond, eight tons�the third, thirty-two tons
at four cuttinga." Lucerne is fit for cutting a fortnight to three weeks
earlier than rye-grass or clover.

power of the animal, and this especially when a Horse is required
to work hard and go at any speed.

Other grain except oats is seldom given to a Horse. Indian
corn, however, is excellent, and more economical; and buck-
wheat may also be substituted, for a change.* A.s variety has
been found to be an important element in the feeding of al! stock,
so is it with the Horse. Taking one season against another
throughout the year, it will be found that an average allowance
of five pounds weight of grain per day (over one bushei per
week) is suffici�nt for any ordinary-sized horse. If we take the
average price of oats and maize at a trifle less than ld. per
pound, this will entail a cost of 4d. per day, or �6 2s. a-year,
leaving, say, �5 for rent and labour of cultivating the plot of
ground, and �1 for any oaten straw that may be required to
cbaff up and consume with the hay roots and green forage
during the twelve months. It will, therefore, be seen that �10
to �12 is suffici�nt to cover all cost, so far as food is concerned,
and this without stint in any way. There is another article that
may be used with very great advantage where it is to be pro-
cured, and that is furze or gorse. This is a most valuable and
economical food for Horses during the winter months, when all
kinds of keep are short, and expensive to purchase. Horses are
found to do remarkably well on furze, and are said to look better
in the coat and more sleek than when fed on any other food. In
very many places furze can be cut in any quantity from commons
and wastes, at no expense whatever beyond that of cutting, and
ten minutes will suffice to bruise suffici�nt to supply an animal
for twenty-four hours.'f

Comfrey and Lucerne will both be ready to soil from early in

* Buckwheat is a very profitable erop to grow, and the grain is much
nsed abroad to feed Horses and poultry. I have on two successive years
obtained (without manure) over forty bushels to the acre, on poor sandy
soil that would not have produced eighteen bushels of oats. It is planted
the same time as swedes, and comes to harvest shortly after wheat
harvest. The straw is excellent to chaff up for horses ; it may also be
cut green to soil from, as Comfrey and Lucerne.

jt Although I have only mentioned Comfrey and Lucerne, there are
many other esculents and artificial grasses that may be cultivated with
advantage for the purpose of soiling from. Sainfoin, which makes the
best of all hay, Ital�an rye-grass, clover, tares, rap�, &c.,�all these are
valuable in their way, yield very heavy crops, and afford an_aendless
variety as change of food for all stock. Full particulars of the cultiva-
tion of these several plants will be found in the Second Part of this
treatiae.

April (indeed, my Comfrey is at this moment, 25th March, in
full leaf and ready to cut), at which time the roots should be
gradually discontinued, and replaced by either one or the other
of these crops. The soiling from these green crops may be con-
tinued until late in November, at whieh time all growth is sus-
pended, and it will then be necessary dnring the next four
(winter) months to depend wholly upon hay, straw, corn, and
roots. Where several Horses are kept, it will undoubtedly pay
well to resort to that which has been found to be by far the best
and most economical way to administer all food to Horses, and
that is feeding upon chaffed food. A certain quantity of hay
and straw should be chaffed up and mixed through the chaffed
green food, and the bruised oats, or Indian corn meal, may be
also added, the whole being mixed together. It is found that a
Horse will consume chaffed food in a much shorter space of time
than when unchaffed, and there is consequently more time for
rest�a very important consideration with Horses that are much
out of the stable at work. There is also the advantage of being
able to consume a certain quantity of straw, and which the
Horse would refuse to eat in any other way. Administering
chaffed food undoubtedly entails extra labour, and, as I have
before said, it cannot be so advantageously practised as where
more than one Horse is kept.*

In winter, when roots have to take the place of green food,
chaffing becomes all the more essential. After the mangolds or
swedes are passed through a pulping-machine, they must be
mixed with chaffed hay and straw; otherwise they would prove
washy, and too cold to the stomach, unless given in very small
quantities. There is, however, no root so good for the Horse as
the carrot�in fact, it is found, when given in suffici�nt quantity,
quite equal to corn. f

* A chaff-cutter and pulping machine may be very economically worked
by a small turbine wheel, by which much labour may be economized, if
not dispensed with altogether. There is no house having anything of a
supply of running water that should be without one of these wonderful
little wheels. They can be put up at a very trilling cost in the corner of
any shed or out-house, and can be used to turn a lathe, cireular saw for
cutting wood, pulping or slicing roots, chaffing hay, straw, cleaning and
grinding knives, scythes, &c. A small 3-inch pipe of water, with a good
fall, will give the requisite power. They only require to be better known,
I think, to be more generally used.

t JTeither carrots nor mangolds should be given in too cold a state.
They should be stored in the stable or some confined place, for a few
hours, to reduee their temperature before use; otherwise there may be

Although chaffing should be carried out when practicable, it
is not a sine qud non in the soiling systera, and where only one
Horse is kept it will be seldom found practicable, as the chaffing
involves cost and labour, two hands being necessary. I do not
niyself chaff my green crops, but give them as cut and carried from
the field, a small qnantity of hay being given twice or three times
a-day after the green food, regnlating the quantity of the latter
by the state of the excrements and general appearance of the
Horse, and more particularly regulating the quantity of hay and
corn by the work the animal is doing at the time. There is
really no practical difficulty whatever in carrying out the system
here advocated, and it will undoubtedly prove the most economi-
cal that can be practised, and adapt itself to the circumstances
of those who really desire to study economy. After you have
once laid down your crops, and they become establislwd in the
ground (being perennial), there is little or no labour or expense
afterwards, beyond periodically mannring the ground, and keep-
ing it free from weeds. The manure that is made from the
crops consumed should be annually returned to the soil, and
this will be suffici�nt to keep your land in high cultivation, pro-
vided it was in good heart when laid down.

It is of the utmost importance that all manure made, liquid or
otherwise, should be stored in such a way as to convert the
whole as far as possible into a semi-liquid state. The most valu-
able properties of manure (carbonic acid and ammonia) are
stored and preserved by the liquid element being present, and
prevented from taking flight and being lost in the atmosphere,
which is the case with all manure that is exposed and allowed
to dry.

Many may think, at first sight, this treatment will involve
considerable labour, but in practice it will not be found to do
so when once the system is understood and systematically
carried out. It will, of course, be necessary that the cultivated
patch should be within easy reach of the stable; if it be directly
adjoining, the forage may be cut with a common field-hook, and
carried in by the boy under his arm, say, twice a-day ; but if the
ground be at a greater distance, a wheel-barrow will be the more
convenient way of carrying. In either case the labour of cutting
and carrying is only the question of five minutes in the day, and
it will take this time to cut the usual quantity of hay from a riek,

fear of griping. �his especially applies when they are given whole and
unmixed with chaff.

where soiling is not practised. As 1 have said before, and
again repeat, a Horse, fed as I have described, will be fit for
any ordinary work, either to hack, drive in a carriage, do cart-
work, or light field-work ; but I do not profess, by such feeding,
to keep a Horse in such condition as to fit him for the hunting-
field, or for fast carriage-work in town, or severe farm-work.
Such can only be performed by Horses fed upon an unlimited
qnantity of corn and the best hay; bnt for such work as nine-
teen Horses out of twenty are required to do, mixed feeding, such
as already mentioned, will be found all that is necessary ; and a
Horse so fed will be found far more healthy, and as well able
to perform all ordinary work as when fed upon four times the
quantity of hay and corn, and possibly at four times the cost.*

It must, however, be remembered that Horses, like all other
animals, differ much in constitution, and consequently it is im-
possible to lay down fixed rules that shall be applicable to all.

Some horses will by nature do more work and keep in better
condition when poorly fed, than others which are comfortably
stabled, seldom worked, and with ample supply of the best and
most nourishing of food. Cob Horses, 15 hands and under, are
as a rule, more hardy and better constitutioned than bigger
Horses, and will do more work for their size and cost less
to keep.

In conclusion, let me say a few words respecting that most
vile and cruel harness appendage called the bearing-rein. To
say that it is useless is to say little or nothing; it is not only
useless, but cruel in the extreme. I have never yet seen a Horse
that either went better, or looked better, with it than without
it. It is praetically impossible for a horse to draw with any
freedom or comfort when reined up tight with this abominable
strap. No better proof of its uselessness, nay hindrance, can be
given than the fact that before a Horse can pull a heavy load

* I may here remark that a small piece of tobacco, the size of a small
nut, is an excellent thing to give to a Horse that is taking a long journey,
or doing any hard day's work. It ia wonderfully strengthening and sus-
taining to the stomach.

up a hill, it is necessary to unfasten the bearing-rein bef ore the
animal can utilize his full strength !!

In the present enlightened (?) age, surely none theu, but the
most prejndiced and ignorant can continue the nse of that
which all authorities are agreed is both useless and cruel in the
extreme. Horses, as a rule, have quite enough hardships to en-
dure, without man exercising his ingenuity to add to them.

EOR THE DOMESTIC USE OF

AMATEURS AND COTTAGERS.

When we consider the great demand that exists for milk in this
country, as well as the cost and dimculty of obtaining it in a
pure and unadulterated state, it appears strange that the Goat
is so seldom kept by cottagers and others for the purpose of
supplying the limited quantity of milk that may be daily
required for family use.

We, as a nation, are a large milk-consuming people. A cup
of tea or coffee without milk, even in the poorest households, is
seldom seen; and as for children's puddings, they are a standing
dish, no nursery dinner being complete without one. Milk may
also be considered as essential in the rearing of young children,
and it is sad to contemplate the many hundreds, if not thou-
sands, of poor children who die prematurely from the lack of it.
We also know too well, from experience, that a large proportiou
of milk sold in villages, as well as in towns, is more or less adul-
terated, and those only who keep their own cow or goat can be
sure as to the purity of the article sold under the name of " milk."

The milk of the Goat is far richer, more nourishing, and more
easily digested than cow's milk; and although it is true that the
quantity from a single Goat is comparatively small, yet it would in
very many cases be ample to supply the requirements of small
families, and most cottage homes.

Although the Goat can never be brought into general com-
petition with the cow as a milk producer, yet the Goat possesses
certain advantages over the cow. She may be kept by those
who are utterly unable to keep a cow, or supply the necessary
fodder, shelter, and attendance for so large and important an
animal.

The Milch Goat may be kept and stall-fed by any family or
cottager who may have a small outhouse or stable wherein to
confine and feed her, and also such small area of garden ground
upon which to grow the necessary green food and root crops for
her support. Very much the same system must be adopted in
the feeding and general management of a stall-fed Goat as thut
described for the cow, only on a very much smaller and more
limited scale. A variety of succulent fodder plants should be
grown for her use throughout the summer, as well as clover, rye-
grass, or meadow-hay, roots, and corn, for winter use.
Carrots, parsnips, swedes, are all relished by the Goat, and
encourage the secretion and flow of milk. The general cultiva-
tion of all the necessary crops, as well as the preparation of the
food, have already been so fully entered into in the " Amateur's
and Cottager's Cow," as well as in the "Garden Ground," that
it will not be necessary in this short essay to enter again into
minute details. Suffice it to say that much the same treatment,
as to cropping and feeding, should be resorted to both through
the winter and summer months.

Goats are of ten somewhat dainty about their food, and at
times refuse to eat up the chaffed prepared food as readily as the
cow does. This is especially the case with those that have been
taken from mountain runs, where they have had their liberty to
browse the sweet herbage, and piek " tit bits " here and there.
Goats, however, that have been bred in confinement, are not so
fanciful, and such usually prove the most tractable and best
milkers.

Cottagers who live upon the outskirts of commpns, or in the
neighbourhood of green lanes and waste lands, are particularly
well-cireumstanced for Goat-keeping. In the former case the
aniinal may be allowed her liberty to run at large to find her own
living, at no cost and but little trouble to the owner ; returning
home in the morning and evening to be milked, and receive some
sweet hay, corn, or dainty meat as an encouragement. In the
latter case (upon road-sides and waste lands), it would be neces-
sary to tie or tether the Goat, removing her to a fresh spot
once or twice daily. In such places it would be impossible to
allow her greater liberty, as the Goat is well known to be most
destructive lo trees, both by barking and browsing them; besides,
being as nimble as a deer, she is much given to trespass,
making short work of such hedges or ditches as would suffice to
confine other stock.

A good milch Goat, with a kid by her side, may be purchased
in most localities (where they are to be had at all) at a price
varying from �1 to �2, according to her age and milking
qualities. A Goat is at her prime between the age of two or
three years and eight. It is not desirable to pnrchase one
younger than two years, otherwise the yield of milk will be very
small, and when older than eight the milk becomes poor in
quality, and the animal apt to prove barren. A good Bnglish
Goat will give from one and a-half to two quarts per day (some
give three), whilst the best Spanish and Maltese Goats give very
much more. The period of gestation with the Goat is five
months, and if well fed she will continue to give a good flow of
milk for three or four months after kidding. At this lapse of
time she should be allowed access to the male (when she next
comes in season), and during the period of her pregnancy her
yield of milk will gradually decrease, and all milking must be
discontinued at least a month or so before kidding. Goats kept
in confinement and upon high feeding will breed twice in the
year. but this is not desirable. In the ordinary way she has two
to three kids at a time, in warmer climates even four, and some-
times five at a birth; two, however, in this country, is most
common, and Goats usually continue to have the same number at
a birth year after year. The Goat passes through the stages of
parturition with comparative ease and safety, and should not in
any way be interfered with during the birth of her offspring.
An hour or so after the delivery, she should be supplied with a
warm bran mash to refresh her. The kids may either be reared
to maturity or allowed to suck their mother, and so fattened and
killed for the table whilst on the milk. Pat kid is a delicious
dish, almost equal to lamb; many people would be prejndiced
against the dish, because it is uncommon, or because they have
never tried it; such prejudices, however, are usually soon over-
come by those who keep them, and whose interest it is to prefer
and appreciate it. To cottagers, however, and people of small
means, who are unable to indulge often in butehers' meat, a
fine fat kid will prove most acceptable, and will be admitted to
form a considerable item in the benefit and profit derived from
keeping a milch Goat.

Goats have but two teats. They are sometimes milked from
behind, and sometimes from the side (as with the cow). , They
do not give their milk as readily or as freely as the cow, and
require coaxing. To induce the Goat to let down her milk, it is

also necessary, duriiig the operation of milking, to continually
jerk the closed fist against the udder, imitating the butting
action of the kid or calf when sucking.

As the capacity of the Goat's udder is small, it is desirable
that for the first three months after kidding she should be milked
three times daily�morning, noon, and evening; and after this
time, or so soon as her milk begins to fall off, twice will suffiee.
It is of the utmost importance with the Goat, as with the cow,
to milk very clean�that is, to draw the udder dry, and clear it
of the strippings; and this will always be found the richest
portion of the milking. Goats that are not milked clean soon
drop off their milk, and will eventually run dry. The milk of
the Goat is highly nutritious, and a surprising quantity of cream
rises upon it when allowed to stand any length of time. Medical
men commonly recommend Goats' milk for infants and delicate
people, as being more easily digested, and less likely to curdle
on the stomach.

As Goats vary very much in the quantity of milk they yield,
it is necessary to be very cautious in your purchase. A good,
prominent, capacious udder denotes a large yield, as well as the
size and condition of the kid she is rearing. It is always well
to purchase a Goat with a kid by her side, as she is then in full
profit, and you can judge for yourself of her milking powers by
actual measurement. Large droves of Goats from Wales,
Ireland, and Scotland are periodically driven through many
parts of Englaud, for the purpose of sale in the chief
towns and villages. They may aiso be often seen standing in
small droves for sale in the open spaces of our large towns.
These animals are also common at most of our seaside re-
sorts, where they are used for drawing small carriages, as
well as for milking.

If more attention were paid to the breeding and rearing of
Goats, especially for milking purposes, I believe their yield of
milk might be very much increased, so as to become a really
valuable acquisition to our dairy. As with cows, the offspring
of good milking Goats almost invariably inherit their mother's
good qualities, for which reason it is desirable to rear to
maturity all she Goats that are bred from good milking
mothers.

The advantages to be derived by cottagers who may be able
to keep a Goat are very great. It will give pleasure and occu-
pation to children to attend and feed them, and encourage and

train them to be kind and gentle to animals. The actual profit
to be derived from a single Goat is not, of course, worth con-
sideration, except in places (towns) where there is a ready
sale for the milk at a high price (2s. per quart being commonly
charged for it, when required for rearing delicate infants).
Although, as I hare said, the profit is small, the convenience in
very many cases will be found to be very great, especially in
places where there is a difficulty in getting pure and unadulterated
milk. A quart or quart and a-half of really rich milk daily,
and produced at little cost, is an acquisition to any household,
and more particularly to the cottager, who, unless so produc-
ing it himself, would be obliged to do without it altogether.

In conclusion, I would say to all who are consumers of milk,
and are in a position to produce what they require, " Keep a cow
if you can; if you can't keep a cow, keep a Goat."

FINIS TO PAKT II.

W. J. JOHNSON PRINTER, 121, FLEET STREET, LONDOK, E.C.



	14
	14	THE HORSR.
		THE HORSR.

Although chaffing should be carried out when practicable, it is not a sine qud non in the soiling systera, and where only one Horse is kept it will be seldom found practicable, as the chaffing involves cost and labour, two hands being necessary. I do not niyself chaff my green crops, but give them as cut and carried from the field, a small qnantity of hay being given twice or three times a-day after the green food, regnlating the quantity of the latter by the state of the excrements and general appearance of the Horse, and more particularly regulating the quantity of hay and corn by the work the animal is doing at the time. There is really no practical difficulty whatever in carrying out the system here advocated, and it will undoubtedly prove the most economi- cal that can be practised, and adapt itself to the circumstances of those who really desire to study economy. After you have once laid down your crops, and they become establislwd in the ground (being perennial), there is little or no labour or expense afterwards, beyond periodically mannring the ground, and keep- ing it free from weeds. The manure that is made from the crops consumed should be annually returned to the soil, and this will be suffici�nt to keep your land in high cultivation, pro- vided it was in good heart when laid down. It is of the utmost importance that all manure made, liquid or otherwise, should be stored in such a way as to convert the whole as far as possible into a semi-liquid state. The most valu- able properties of manure (carbonic acid and ammonia) are stored and preserved by the liquid element being present, and prevented from taking flight and being lost in the atmosphere, which is the case with all manure that is exposed and allowed to dry. Many may think, at first sight, this treatment will involve considerable labour, but in practice it will not be found to do so when once the system is understood and systematically carried out. It will, of course, be necessary that the cultivated patch should be within easy reach of the stable; if it be directly adjoining, the forage may be cut with a common field-hook, and carried in by the boy under his arm, say, twice a-day ; but if the ground be at a greater distance, a wheel-barrow will be the more convenient way of carrying. In either case the labour of cutting and carrying is only the question of five minutes in the day, and it will take this time to cut the usual quantity of hay from a riek, fear of griping. �his especially applies when they are given whole and unmixed with chaff.



	22
	22	THE MILOH GOJT.

also necessary, duriiig the operation of milking, to continually jerk the closed fist against the udder, imitating the butting action of the kid or calf when sucking. As the capacity of the Goat's udder is small, it is desirable that for the first three months after kidding she should be milked three times daily�morning, noon, and evening; and after this time, or so soon as her milk begins to fall off, twice will suffiee. It is of the utmost importance with the Goat, as with the cow, to milk very clean�that is, to draw the udder dry, and clear it of the strippings; and this will always be found the richest portion of the milking. Goats that are not milked clean soon drop off their milk, and will eventually run dry. The milk of the Goat is highly nutritious, and a surprising quantity of cream rises upon it when allowed to stand any length of time. Medical men commonly recommend Goats' milk for infants and delicate people, as being more easily digested, and less likely to curdle on the stomach. As Goats vary very much in the quantity of milk they yield, it is necessary to be very cautious in your purchase. A good, prominent, capacious udder denotes a large yield, as well as the size and condition of the kid she is rearing. It is always well to purchase a Goat with a kid by her side, as she is then in full profit, and you can judge for yourself of her milking powers by actual measurement. Large droves of Goats from Wales, Ireland, and Scotland are periodically driven through many parts of Englaud, for the purpose of sale in the chief towns and villages. They may aiso be often seen standing in small droves for sale in the open spaces of our large towns. These animals are also common at most of our seaside re- sorts, where they are used for drawing small carriages, as well as for milking. If more attention were paid to the breeding and rearing of Goats, especially for milking purposes, I believe their yield of milk might be very much increased, so as to become a really valuable acquisition to our dairy. As with cows, the offspring of good milking Goats almost invariably inherit their mother's good qualities, for which reason it is desirable to rear to maturity all she Goats that are bred from good milking mothers. The advantages to be derived by cottagers who may be able to keep a Goat are very great. It will give pleasure and occu- pation to children to attend and feed them, and encourage and



					28
		THE MILOII GOAT,			28
		THE MILOII GOAT,

train them to be kind and gentle to animals. The actual profit to be derived from a single Goat is not, of course, worth con- sideration, except in places (towns) where there is a ready sale for the milk at a high price (2s. per quart being commonly charged for it, when required for rearing delicate infants). Although, as I hare said, the profit is small, the convenience in very many cases will be found to be very great, especially in places where there is a difficulty in getting pure and unadulterated milk. A quart or quart and a-half of really rich milk daily, and produced at little cost, is an acquisition to any household, and more particularly to the cottager, who, unless so produc- ing it himself, would be obliged to do without it altogether. In conclusion, I would say to all who are consumers of milk, and are in a position to produce what they require, " Keep a cow if you can; if you can't keep a cow, keep a Goat."

			FINIS TO PAKT II.

	W. J. JOHNSON PRINTER, 121, FLEET STREET, LONDOK, E.C.

				~ LRii?



Tho whole of the Sixpenny publications advertised on back of corei are complete in cmepart, although in some cases there is a Second, and in others a Third Part foUowing. For example : Part I. Eabbit Book, treats upon the breeding and profitable management of rabbits in every detail, and is so far complete ia itself; wbilst Part II. is devoted to illustratiocs, designs, plans, kc, for rabbit hutches, courts, pits, inclosed warrens, and other crections, with deacriptive letterpress.

	BIBLIOTHEEK UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT

		2855 992 4



	CONTENTS.

PART I. THE HOESE. FASE Content»........................................................................... , 3 General Treatment ............................................................ 5�16 PART II. THE GOAT. General Management ............................,............................ 17�23 APPENDIX, OR PART III. "Garden Ground," treating upon the Cultivation of Forage Plant* generally, and Prickly Comfrey in particular.

		V



*

		PRICKLY COMFREY. {Symphytum Asperrimtm.) A NEW EODDEB PLANT, PEODTTCING ANNtJAlIT, IN IOUB OK PIVE COT- TINGS, UPWABDS OP 80 TO 100 TONS 'WEIOHT TO THE ACEE.

	No plant ever before introduced into this country so rapidly gained public recognition, and, by common consent, established itself upon our soil as an agricultural forage erop. It is much relished by all kinds of stock, and especially Horses, and when once planted it will last for ever. Tor full particulars respecting the culture of this plant, see " Garden Ground," price 6d., advertised on back of cover. i



		THE HOKSE;

	AND HOW TO KEEP ONE AT A COST OF �10 TO �12 A-YEAR.

That Horse-keeping is an expensive luxury, few, I think, will deny; and especially those who know what it costs to keep them in town. There is no domestic animal so commonly kept that returns so little in proportion to the cost of its keep ; and there is certainly no animal kept with more unnecessary extravagance, or with less regard to economy, than the Horse. Corn and hay generally forni his staple, if not entire, food throughout the year; while the prices these articles command, especially in towns, make the Horse one of the most expensive luxuries that can be indulged in. Feeding wholly upon corn and hay may be a necessity to those who keep Horses in large towns, where cheaper food is not to be had; and it may also be indulged in by those who can afford it, whether they live in town or country, cost being of little object. But such people form a very small pro- portion of the whole community, and there are thousands upon thousands who are obliged to keep Horses from necessity�for trade and professional purposes, as well as the many who would keep them, were it not for the very great expense incurred by so doing. It is very generally believed, and broadly stated by those who keep Horses in large towns, that the cost per head in corn, hay, and litter for the twelve months is not less than 3s. per day, or �54 a-year, and I believe this sum is often exceeded in gentle- men's stables. If this costly expenditure in the feeding of Horses were confined to the rich, and to those who keep them in towns



	6
	6	THE HORSE.
		THE HORSE.

and cannot help themselres, I should have little or nothing to say on the subject; and to such my remarks do not pretend to apply. But is it not a fact, that this expensive system of feed- ing is not at all confined to those to whom I make exception, but is, to a great extent, very generally adopted by all Horse- keepers, rich and poor alike, whether they reside in town or country ? People of moderate means will readily admit that �54 a-year, or even �30, is a considerable slice to take out of a limited in- come, especially if it be for the pleasure of riding or driving alone�and this exclusive of the consequent and additional ex- penses of attendance, stabling, shoeing, taxes, &c. The conse- quence is, that few keep Horses except the rich, and those who ure obliged to keep them for trade purposes; and but few in- deed, in a small way of business�however much they may re- quire one,�can afford any such heavy outgoings. My object in the present treatise is to show that a Horse may be kept�at least by those living in the country or town suburbs� at about one-fourth the cost before mentioned, by following a different treatment�rational and economical, and such as shall be withiu the command of all who may possess a small area of garden-ground, npon which to grow a certain quantity of fodder. If it can be satisfactorily shown that an average-sized Horse can be kept in good working condition at a cost of from �10 to �12 n-year, such information cannot fail to benefit a large section of our working community, many of whom are obliged to keep Horses, but who are at the same time obliged to study economy to the utmost. Although, as I have said, Horse-keeping is an expensive luxury as commonly practised, it is equally true that a Horse may, under certain circumstances, be so economically fed as to be within the reach of people of the most moderate means; and this has been proved by many who have been obliged to practise economy in this particular, and who have successfully carried out what may be called the sta�-feeding and soiling system�the ad- vantages and economy of which I am about to call your atten- tion to. The theory upon which I base the system I am about to reconi- mend isthis: Firstly�If we take nature as our guide, it is clearly unnatural, and therefore unnecessary, that the food of a Horse should be confined to such high stimulating food as hay and corn to ensure its keeping in health and working condition





		THE H0R3E. 7 Secondly�The same area of ground that will be required to provide hay, to fodder a Horse for twelve months, will, under arable or garden culture, raise such a quantity of eseulents as will suffice to feed six or eight Horses for that period of time; or. in other words, forty square yards of cultivated ground, properly cropped, will provide keep for a Horse during the twelve months, whereas one and a-half to two acres are required to provide suffici�nt hay for the same length of time. Both hay and corn are undoubtedly necessary in the feeding of a Horse, but not to the extent generally used; they are both costly, and should be made the auxiliary, rather than the staple food. It is well known that no Horses are more liable to ailments of all kinds than those kept in gentlemen's stables, where hay, corn, beans, &c, form the sole diet. A periodical dosing or cleaning out is of ten necessary to work off the effects of such high feeding. In considering the question in its pecuniary aspect, it is per- fectly clear that keeping land in pasture, either for the purpose of grazing or for making hay, is not an economical way of pro- viding food for a Horse. Grass loses five-sixths of its weight when converted into hay; an acre of land that produces seven tonS of grass, will only give one ton of hay, and whether this be grazed or converted into hay, itwill be wholly insuffici�nt to keep a Horse for twelve months. Although it is true that pasture land will only raise on an average about one ton of hay, it is equally true (to quote the words of Mr. Milman) " that the capabilities of arable land to grow green crops are almost unlimited; it is scarcely possiblc to overrate the productiveness of a small area of land;" and it is by cropping and soiling from a small plot of arable or garden land with certain eseulents and arti- licial grasses, that suffici�nt forage may be raised to enable you to provide the necessary fodder at a really trilling cost. Certain plants have been introduced into this country from abroad, which yieldan immense weight of forage throughout thesummer, suited to and much relished by horses. Comfrey, introduced from the Caucasus, and Lucerne, from Switzerland, are found to be the two best for this purpose ; the former will yield eiglity tons of forage to the acre, and the latter upwards of forty. Now, when we consider that a Horse can only consume about ten tons of dry and green food in the twelve months, it is readily seen that a very small area of garden land will suffice to provide the neces- sary supply, and that something over one quarter of an acre of til-



		9
	THE HORSE.	9
	THE HORSE.

enduring the fatigue of a long journey better than they are. I ha ve myself, on more than one occasion, ridden in the saddle from sixty to seventy miles in one day, the " guacho," or attendant, driving a herd of thirty or forty Horses in front for the entire journey, these being driven for the purpose of change. The whole journey is performed at a hand gallop ; and I was in- formed that 100 and 120 miles at a stretch is not of uncommon occurrence. The journey is, of course, across the grass plains, and not over roads; the Horses are unshod, and know the taste of no other food except grass. I just mention this fact to show that there is nothing in green food to make a Horse useless for work, as is commonly supposed; but, on the other hand, I am far from saying that a Horse fed solely on grass can compete with one, in the long or short run, that is either fed wholly upon hay and corn, or upon what I maintain to be the best of all feeding�a proper proportion of hard and soft food. As I, however, said before, it is not my intention to advocato grass (pasture) in any shape as fodder, inasmuch as it is far from being economical, and comparatively few people have the command of an acre or two of pasture to devote to this purpose, and still less eau they afford to purchase hay and corn at retail prices. A Horse, if he is to be constantly used, and expected to work with any spirit, will undoubtedly require something more than green food, and that of a stronger and more binding charaeter; green food must form part of the whole, and the whole, and each part, must be varied, to obtain the best results. Although but few people, as I say, may be able to command an acre or two of pasture for the use of their Horses, even gupposing it were desirable, there are comparatively few, I think, living in the country or town suburbs, who cannot command a small plot of garden ground, say thirty to forty yards square, and it is to those who can command such a patch that I say, " You can keep a Horse at a cost of �10 to �12 a-year in good condition to ride and drive." We now come to the all-important point of how to cultivate this plot to the best advantage, as well as generally to consider the necessary quantity of corn and hay that will be required, and the estimated cost of �10 to �12 a-year. I will now take it for granted that the proposed Horse-keeper is possessed of, say, one-third of an acre of ground (about forty yards square) upon which to grow his crops, and point out how it may be most advantageously cropped for the purpose to which



		10
			THE HOIiSE.


	it is infcended to devote it. Of the many crops tliat may be cultivated for this purpose, Comfrey and Lucerne, as I have said, are, perhaps, the two best; both plants are of most luxuriant growth, and afford an abundance of forage throughout nine raonths of the year, rauch relished by Horses, and upon which they are found to thrive and do well.* The former (Comfrey) is only used in a green state ; it is fattening, and less flatulent and softening than tares or clover, and Horses are found to work better on it than on any other green food. It is very hardy, will grow on any soil, comes in earlier, and lasts longer thau any other green erop, and affords a greater weight of forage per acre, and when once planted it will last for ever.f Lucerne is better known in this country, having been in use and established with us for many years ; it is also very largely used and highly prized on the Continent as food for Horses. It may either bc used green, or it may be converted into excellent hay. It will continue in the ground unimpaired for from se ven to ten years. Of the root crops, either carrots, parsnips, or mangolds may be grown, all of which are excellent winter keep for the Horse. One-third of the area to be set apart may be laid down with Comfrey, and one-third with Lucerne, one-third being retained for either carrots or mangolds, or for a few of each of them. This will allow thirty-six perches for the soiling crops, and seventecn

* Mr. Mechi says : " I object in toto to permanent pasture, as a positive individual and national loss. Lucerne and sainfoin are my favourites, and you can grow them anywhere if kept clean, supplied amply with lime drain (where necessary) very deep, and protected from frost in winter by a strong coating of manure, with a dust of guano in summer. Tares (vetches) and rye are also profitable. All these will grow on any land, however boggy, sandy, or grarelly, if thoroughly drained, properly manured, and deeply cultivated." t I have lately received a letter from a neighbour who grows Comfrey largely, and in it he says : " I have fed three cows and two horses during the past summer on the produce of three-quarters of an acre of Comfrey." My own experience of this valuable plant is that it will pro- duce doubl� the quantity of fodder that can be raised from any other plant known, not excepting Lucerne, which probably comes next. 2,000 plants or small cuttiugs, that I planted three feet apart early this spring, produced during the tollowing nine months upwards of 50 tons of forage to the acre, and I am confident that next year I shall obtain up to 80 tons. The Bishop of Kildare, who grew it largely at Glasnevin, when asked what produce it would give, replied, " Sir, it will produce 300 tons to the acre." The Rev. Henry M--------, who grew it, obtained from three cuttings upwards of 82 tons. (Hollkr.) Martin Doy'.e speaks of it highly, and gtates that its weight per acre is fabulous.



	12
		THE HOK SE.


power of the animal, and this especially when a Horse is required to work hard and go at any speed. Other grain except oats is seldom given to a Horse. Indian corn, however, is excellent, and more economical; and buck- wheat may also be substituted, for a change.* A.s variety has been found to be an important element in the feeding of al! stock, so is it with the Horse. Taking one season against another throughout the year, it will be found that an average allowance of five pounds weight of grain per day (over one bushei per week) is suffici�nt for any ordinary-sized horse. If we take the average price of oats and maize at a trifle less than ld. per pound, this will entail a cost of 4d. per day, or �6 2s. a-year, leaving, say, �5 for rent and labour of cultivating the plot of ground, and �1 for any oaten straw that may be required to cbaff up and consume with the hay roots and green forage during the twelve months. It will, therefore, be seen that �10 to �12 is suffici�nt to cover all cost, so far as food is concerned, and this without stint in any way. There is another article that may be used with very great advantage where it is to be pro- cured, and that is furze or gorse. This is a most valuable and economical food for Horses during the winter months, when all kinds of keep are short, and expensive to purchase. Horses are found to do remarkably well on furze, and are said to look better in the coat and more sleek than when fed on any other food. In very many places furze can be cut in any quantity from commons and wastes, at no expense whatever beyond that of cutting, and ten minutes will suffice to bruise suffici�nt to supply an animal for twenty-four hours.'f Comfrey and Lucerne will both be ready to soil from early in * Buckwheat is a very profitable erop to grow, and the grain is much nsed abroad to feed Horses and poultry. I have on two successive years obtained (without manure) over forty bushels to the acre, on poor sandy soil that would not have produced eighteen bushels of oats. It is planted the same time as swedes, and comes to harvest shortly after wheat harvest. The straw is excellent to chaff up for horses ; it may also be cut green to soil from, as Comfrey and Lucerne. jt Although I have only mentioned Comfrey and Lucerne, there are many other esculents and artificial grasses that may be cultivated with advantage for the purpose of soiling from. Sainfoin, which makes the best of all hay, Ital�an rye-grass, clover, tares, rap�, &c.,�all these are valuable in their way, yield very heavy crops, and afford an_aendless variety as change of food for all stock. Full particulars of the cultiva- tion of these several plants will be found in the Second Part of this treatiae.



			THE HORSE. 13

		April (indeed, my Comfrey is at this moment, 25th March, in full leaf and ready to cut), at which time the roots should be gradually discontinued, and replaced by either one or the other of these crops. The soiling from these green crops may be con- tinued until late in November, at whieh time all growth is sus- pended, and it will then be necessary dnring the next four (winter) months to depend wholly upon hay, straw, corn, and roots. Where several Horses are kept, it will undoubtedly pay well to resort to that which has been found to be by far the best and most economical way to administer all food to Horses, and that is feeding upon chaffed food. A certain quantity of hay and straw should be chaffed up and mixed through the chaffed green food, and the bruised oats, or Indian corn meal, may be also added, the whole being mixed together. It is found that a Horse will consume chaffed food in a much shorter space of time than when unchaffed, and there is consequently more time for rest�a very important consideration with Horses that are much out of the stable at work. There is also the advantage of being able to consume a certain quantity of straw, and which the Horse would refuse to eat in any other way. Administering chaffed food undoubtedly entails extra labour, and, as I have before said, it cannot be so advantageously practised as where more than one Horse is kept.* In winter, when roots have to take the place of green food, chaffing becomes all the more essential. After the mangolds or swedes are passed through a pulping-machine, they must be mixed with chaffed hay and straw; otherwise they would prove washy, and too cold to the stomach, unless given in very small quantities. There is, however, no root so good for the Horse as the carrot�in fact, it is found, when given in suffici�nt quantity, quite equal to corn. f * A chaff-cutter and pulping machine may be very economically worked by a small turbine wheel, by which much labour may be economized, if not dispensed with altogether. There is no house having anything of a supply of running water that should be without one of these wonderful little wheels. They can be put up at a very trilling cost in the corner of any shed or out-house, and can be used to turn a lathe, cireular saw for cutting wood, pulping or slicing roots, chaffing hay, straw, cleaning and grinding knives, scythes, &c. A small 3-inch pipe of water, with a good fall, will give the requisite power. They only require to be better known, I think, to be more generally used. t JTeither carrots nor mangolds should be given in too cold a state. They should be stored in the stable or some confined place, for a few hours, to reduee their temperature before use; otherwise there may be



		PART II.

THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF TM MILCH GOAT EOR THE DOMESTIC USE OF AMATEURS AND COTTAGERS.

	KINARD B. EDWARDS.



			THE HORSE. 15

		where soiling is not practised. As 1 have said before, and again repeat, a Horse, fed as I have described, will be fit for any ordinary work, either to hack, drive in a carriage, do cart- work, or light field-work ; but I do not profess, by such feeding, to keep a Horse in such condition as to fit him for the hunting- field, or for fast carriage-work in town, or severe farm-work. Such can only be performed by Horses fed upon an unlimited qnantity of corn and the best hay; bnt for such work as nine- teen Horses out of twenty are required to do, mixed feeding, such as already mentioned, will be found all that is necessary ; and a Horse so fed will be found far more healthy, and as well able to perform all ordinary work as when fed upon four times the quantity of hay and corn, and possibly at four times the cost.* It must, however, be remembered that Horses, like all other animals, differ much in constitution, and consequently it is im- possible to lay down fixed rules that shall be applicable to all. Some horses will by nature do more work and keep in better condition when poorly fed, than others which are comfortably stabled, seldom worked, and with ample supply of the best and most nourishing of food. Cob Horses, 15 hands and under, are as a rule, more hardy and better constitutioned than bigger Horses, and will do more work for their size and cost less to keep.

	In conclusion, let me say a few words respecting that most vile and cruel harness appendage called the bearing-rein. To say that it is useless is to say little or nothing; it is not only useless, but cruel in the extreme. I have never yet seen a Horse that either went better, or looked better, with it than without it. It is praetically impossible for a horse to draw with any freedom or comfort when reined up tight with this abominable strap. No better proof of its uselessness, nay hindrance, can be given than the fact that before a Horse can pull a heavy load

* I may here remark that a small piece of tobacco, the size of a small nut, is an excellent thing to give to a Horse that is taking a long journey, or doing any hard day's work. It ia wonderfully strengthening and sus- taining to the stomach.



	16
	16	THE HOHSE.

up a hill, it is necessary to unfasten the bearing-rein bef ore the animal can utilize his full strength !! In the present enlightened (?) age, surely none theu, but the most prejndiced and ignorant can continue the nse of that which all authorities are agreed is both useless and cruel in the extreme. Horses, as a rule, have quite enough hardships to en- dure, without man exercising his ingenuity to add to them.



			THE GOAT AS A MILK PRODUCER.

		When we consider the great demand that exists for milk in this country, as well as the cost and dimculty of obtaining it in a pure and unadulterated state, it appears strange that the Goat is so seldom kept by cottagers and others for the purpose of supplying the limited quantity of milk that may be daily required for family use. We, as a nation, are a large milk-consuming people. A cup of tea or coffee without milk, even in the poorest households, is seldom seen; and as for children's puddings, they are a standing dish, no nursery dinner being complete without one. Milk may also be considered as essential in the rearing of young children, and it is sad to contemplate the many hundreds, if not thou- sands, of poor children who die prematurely from the lack of it. We also know too well, from experience, that a large proportiou of milk sold in villages, as well as in towns, is more or less adul- terated, and those only who keep their own cow or goat can be sure as to the purity of the article sold under the name of " milk." The milk of the Goat is far richer, more nourishing, and more easily digested than cow's milk; and although it is true that the quantity from a single Goat is comparatively small, yet it would in very many cases be ample to supply the requirements of small families, and most cottage homes. Although the Goat can never be brought into general com- petition with the cow as a milk producer, yet the Goat possesses certain advantages over the cow. She may be kept by those who are utterly unable to keep a cow, or supply the necessary fodder, shelter, and attendance for so large and important an animal.



	20
	20	THE HILCH GOAT.
		THE HILCH GOAT.

The Milch Goat may be kept and stall-fed by any family or cottager who may have a small outhouse or stable wherein to confine and feed her, and also such small area of garden ground upon which to grow the necessary green food and root crops for her support. Very much the same system must be adopted in the feeding and general management of a stall-fed Goat as thut described for the cow, only on a very much smaller and more limited scale. A variety of succulent fodder plants should be grown for her use throughout the summer, as well as clover, rye- grass, or meadow-hay, roots, and corn, for winter use. Carrots, parsnips, swedes, are all relished by the Goat, and encourage the secretion and flow of milk. The general cultiva- tion of all the necessary crops, as well as the preparation of the food, have already been so fully entered into in the " Amateur's and Cottager's Cow," as well as in the "Garden Ground," that it will not be necessary in this short essay to enter again into minute details. Suffice it to say that much the same treatment, as to cropping and feeding, should be resorted to both through the winter and summer months. Goats are of ten somewhat dainty about their food, and at times refuse to eat up the chaffed prepared food as readily as the cow does. This is especially the case with those that have been taken from mountain runs, where they have had their liberty to browse the sweet herbage, and piek " tit bits " here and there. Goats, however, that have been bred in confinement, are not so fanciful, and such usually prove the most tractable and best milkers. Cottagers who live upon the outskirts of commpns, or in the neighbourhood of green lanes and waste lands, are particularly well-cireumstanced for Goat-keeping. In the former case the aniinal may be allowed her liberty to run at large to find her own living, at no cost and but little trouble to the owner ; returning home in the morning and evening to be milked, and receive some sweet hay, corn, or dainty meat as an encouragement. In the latter case (upon road-sides and waste lands), it would be neces- sary to tie or tether the Goat, removing her to a fresh spot once or twice daily. In such places it would be impossible to allow her greater liberty, as the Goat is well known to be most destructive lo trees, both by barking and browsing them; besides, being as nimble as a deer, she is much given to trespass, making short work of such hedges or ditches as would suffice to confine other stock.



		21
	THE MILCH OOAT.	21

A good milch Goat, with a kid by her side, may be purchased in most localities (where they are to be had at all) at a price varying from �1 to �2, according to her age and milking qualities. A Goat is at her prime between the age of two or three years and eight. It is not desirable to pnrchase one younger than two years, otherwise the yield of milk will be very small, and when older than eight the milk becomes poor in quality, and the animal apt to prove barren. A good Bnglish Goat will give from one and a-half to two quarts per day (some give three), whilst the best Spanish and Maltese Goats give very much more. The period of gestation with the Goat is five months, and if well fed she will continue to give a good flow of milk for three or four months after kidding. At this lapse of time she should be allowed access to the male (when she next comes in season), and during the period of her pregnancy her yield of milk will gradually decrease, and all milking must be discontinued at least a month or so before kidding. Goats kept in confinement and upon high feeding will breed twice in the year. but this is not desirable. In the ordinary way she has two to three kids at a time, in warmer climates even four, and some- times five at a birth; two, however, in this country, is most common, and Goats usually continue to have the same number at a birth year after year. The Goat passes through the stages of parturition with comparative ease and safety, and should not in any way be interfered with during the birth of her offspring. An hour or so after the delivery, she should be supplied with a warm bran mash to refresh her. The kids may either be reared to maturity or allowed to suck their mother, and so fattened and killed for the table whilst on the milk. Pat kid is a delicious dish, almost equal to lamb; many people would be prejndiced against the dish, because it is uncommon, or because they have never tried it; such prejudices, however, are usually soon over- come by those who keep them, and whose interest it is to prefer and appreciate it. To cottagers, however, and people of small means, who are unable to indulge often in butehers' meat, a fine fat kid will prove most acceptable, and will be admitted to form a considerable item in the benefit and profit derived from keeping a milch Goat. Goats have but two teats. They are sometimes milked from behind, and sometimes from the side (as with the cow). , They do not give their milk as readily or as freely as the cow, and require coaxing. To induce the Goat to let down her milk, it is