The Rural Voice, 1979-10, Page 19Farming in the past
No better beast in the world than a horse.
"There is no better beast in the world
than a horse, nor any one which, though
often cruelly misused by man, so well
deserves, and so amply, by his services,
repays the best usage."
So wrote John Read in 1880 in his
handbook for farmers "Farming For
Profit."
He told how the West could not have
been won without the help of the horse, for
who could imagine people doing the task of
turning over the prairie soil with a spade?
When he gave his advice on how to
select the best horse for the job, many of
his arguments could be used today in the
selection of a tractor.
"A poor horse is not suitable for a farm.
Only the best horse for the job that needs
doing should be employed on the farm."
He advised not to buy the most expensive
horse but"....those that are really good
and useful. If he can afford to keep a horse
of any kind, he can afford to keep a good
one. If a good one cannot be made to pay
the expenses of his keeping, a poor one will
BY ADRIAN VOS
be almost sure to involve his owner in an
actual loss."
Mr. Read stressed that it is essential that
a good farm horse has a good disposition.
"If he hasn't got that, he is not only fairly
useless but outright dangerous."
Tht newspapers reported frequently
how dangerous ,'.mous horse could be by
telling the readers about the killing and
maiming of people by horses. He gave as
the only remedy for a vicious horse to get
rid of it.
Some of those horses got along fairly
well with their owner, but would take their
bad temper out on strangers and on
children. Read advised to sell those horses
to a stagecoach or car route, where they
can do less harm.
Strength was needed for a horse to do a
day's work. For plowing, harrowing,
cultivating, cutting and drawing the har-
vest to the barn or stack, required a strong
and rather fast team. If the horses were not
strong enough, a third horse might be
needed, but not only the purchase price
had to be considered but also the extra cost
of harness and shoeing, and interest,
beside the consideration that the tied up
capital could often be better used in other
farm business.
A problem for a farmer was that the
horses were not employed year round.
After a winter with very little exercise they
would be required to pull the plow all day.
Then, after the plowing was done and the
muscles had regained their strength, they
would go back in the barn for another two
weeks before they were needed again. A
horse could easily be injured because of the
weakened muscles.
Some horses were too active for their
own good. Read said: "We know a pair of
horses, which, with an ordinary plow, can
plow two and a half acres of land in a day.
These horses walk steadily but very fast.
They do too much. They are neither very
large nor very strong and ought never to
plow more than two acres in a day.
taut very tew tarmhorses who work steadily
work too fast. The great majority are
THE
RURAL VOICE/OCTOBER 1979 PG. 17