Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million: Containing Four Thousand Five Hundred and Forty-five Receipts, Facts, Directions, etc. in the Useful, Ornamental, and Domestic Arts
John Stuart Mill · en
Whilst the horse is feeding, _dress_ him: first, curry him all over
with the currycomb, to loosen the dirt and dust on his skin; then
remove the dust with a whalebone brush; next, smooth and cleanse the
coat with a wisp of straw; and again use the brush and currycomb, to
take off what dust may remain; after which, whisk him again with a
damp lock of hay; and, finally, rub him down with a woollen or linen
cloth.
Then turn round the horse in the stall, brush his head well, and wisp
it clean and smooth with a damp lock of hay. Then wipe the dust and
filth from the inside of the ears with a damp sponge, and draw the
ears through the hands for a few minutes, until they are warm. Wash
out the sponge, and with it cleanse the dust, &c., from the eyes;
sponge the nostrils, and then rub the whole head with a cloth, in the
same manner as the body.
Next, turn the horse round into his proper situation, put on the
head-stall, and with a sponge wash the dirt and filth from under the
tail. Then, clean and lay the mane with a comb and water-brush, used
alternately with both hands; again wipe over the head and body, put
on the body-clothes, and fasten them with a surcingle.
Examine the heels, pick out the dirt from the feet, and wash the
heels with a brush and plenty of water. If the horse has bad feet,
they should be dressed and stuffed.
Lastly, shake hay into the rack; and then the horse will be
completely dressed.
784. _Horse Flies._--To prevent horses being teased with flies, take
two or three small handfuls of walnut leaves, upon which pour two or
three quarts of soft cold water; let it infuse one night; pour the
whole next morning into a kettle, and let it boil for a quarter of an
hour: when cold, it will be ready for use. Nothing more is required
than to moisten a sponge with the liquid, and, before the horse
goes out of the stable, let those parts which are most irritable be
smeared over with the liquor, namely, between and upon the ears, the
flank, &c.
785. _To milk Cows._--A cow should be milked _clean_. Not a drop, if
it can be avoided, should be left in the udder. It has been proved
that the half-pint that comes out _last_, has _twelve times_, I think
it is, as much butter in it, as the half-pint that comes out _first_.
The udder would seem to be a sort of milk-pan, in which the cream is
uppermost, and, of course, comes out last, seeing that the outlet is
at the bottom. But, besides this, if you do not milk clean, the cow
will give less and less milk, and will become dry much sooner than
she ought.--_Cobbett._
RAISING POULTRY.
786. There is scarcely any branch of farming operations more
productive than the raising of poultry for market; and yet, with a
large majority of our agriculturists, it is considered of but little
account. The proximity to a great market, and the facilities for
reaching it possessed by many of our farmers in this country, should
make the rearing of poultry an object of attention.