The school and farmA treatise on the elements of agriculture . t will be some time before electrical power cantake tbe place of the horse on the farm, though steamplowing has been practiced in Europe and some partsof the east for years. Nor is it likely that even withthe general introduction of steam and electrical powerthe horse will be altogether displaced. It is a fairestimate to put the sum total of horses in this coun-try at not less than 15,000,000. Most of these areused on farms. Wliile the farmer need not be a breeder of fasthorses, it is as much his business, if he can afford it,to br
The school and farmA treatise on the elements of agriculture . t will be some time before electrical power cantake tbe place of the horse on the farm, though steamplowing has been practiced in Europe and some partsof the east for years. Nor is it likely that even withthe general introduction of steam and electrical powerthe horse will be altogether displaced. It is a fairestimate to put the sum total of horses in this coun-try at not less than 15,000,000. Most of these areused on farms. Wliile the farmer need not be a breeder of fasthorses, it is as much his business, if he can afford it,to breed the kind of horses he needs on the farm as todo the same for his cattle. There are several breedsmore or less adapted to the farm. The Clydesdale^ ofEnglish breed, and the Percheron, French, are typesof the best and heaviest draft horses. The Hamhle-tonian and Cleveland are types of lighter and moreactive horses, especially well adapted to carriages. Much depends on the lay of the land, the nature ofthe roads and the amount of hauling, in determining lOQ. Eosa DoaheuFo Type of a Fine Horse 102 ANIMALS ON THE FARM. the choice of the kind of horse most useful for a givenlocahty. A good sire of established reputation shouldbe chosen. The mare should be of a gentle disposi-tion, with ample girth of body, sound legs, a broadforehead, clear eyes and a good, rapid gait. If horsesare raised for sale it may be laid down as a rule thatlarge horses alone should be produced, as they fetchthe best prices. To compete with breeders of fasthorses is not the business of the average farmer, al-though where the attempt is seriously made it mayprove very profitable. In buying a horse one should look w^ell at the headand the teeth, but more particularly at the legs of theanimal. The hoofs should be perfect. There shouldbe no sign of weakness in the legs, as there would beif the horse, standing still, puts one front hoof beforethe other. A horse very long in the body is apt to befast, but may no
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