Chapter 6

Wash the surface of the wood with weak alum-water, after being well sand-papered; then go over it with linseed oil, coloured with murat amber and red lead. It is better to have this colour rather light, and renew the application; when this has sufficiently dried, go over the surface with a strong sizing of transparent glue, and then use two castors of copal varnish. Any good grained pine will bear a very close resemblance to walnut, and the surface will be nearly as hard.

NOTE

For mixing the foregoing paints it is impossible to lay down any particular rule as to quantity, as each person mixes them of a shade to suit his own taste. They are mixed with oil and a little turpentine, and sometimes a little japan is added to assist in drying. When they are not mixed in this way the particular mode is mentioned.

297. RULES FOR MAKING PICKLES

Select the best vinegar, for on this will depend the quality of your pickles; use glass bottles or stone jars for your pickles, never use earthenware glazed; use wooden knives and forks in making; leave the jars three-fourths full of the articles to be pickled; then fill the jar or bottle with vinegar. If you add alum at all let it be very little; look your pickles over occasionally and remove any that may not be doing well. Small cucumbers, beans, green plums, tomatoes, onions, and radish pods, may be used for assorted pickles; one red pepper for forty or fifty cucumbers is sufficient; if the vinegar on pickles becomes white or weak, take it out and scald and skim it, then return it to the pickles.

298. ASPARAGUS PICKLED

Cut and wash the heads of the largest asparagus; place them in cold water for two hours; scald carefully in salt and water, then lay on a cloth until cool; make a pickle of salt and vinegar and boil it; to one gallon of pickles put a quarter of an ounce of mace, two nutmegs, a quarter of an ounce of whole pepper, and pour your pickle hot over them, cover tight with a cloth, and let stand a week, then boil the pickle, and let stand a week again, and boil again, when cold, cover closely.

299. BEANS AND FRENCH BEANS PICKLED

Lay them in salt and water for nine days; then add a little vinegar and boil them in the liquor; when they become green strain them, wipe them dry, and put the beans into the jar; boil some vinegar, ginger, mace, pepper, cloves, and mustard seed, all bruised, and while hot pour it on the beans; cover them close when cold.

300. TO PICKLE RED CABBAGE

Take the quarter of a purple head of cabbage, cut out the stalk, then slice it down endways, put them on a drying sieve, sprinkle each layer of cabbage with salt, which let lay and drain for two or three days, then put into a jar, boil some vinegar with spice tied up in a muslin bag, cut a beet root of good colour into slices; the branches of cauliflower cut off after it has lain in salt will look and be of a beautiful red; put it into a stone jar and pour boiling vinegar over it.

301. TO PICKLE CUCUMBERS

Lay them upon dishes, sprinkle salt over them, let them lie a week, drain then off, and put them into stone jars, pour boiling vinegar over them, place them near fire, cover them well with vine leaves, and if not a good green pour off the vinegar and boil it again; cover them with fresh vine leaves and continue doing so until they are a good colour; as, to make a better green, you must use a mettle stew pan or brass kettles, which are very poisonous; use wooden spoons with holes to dish all pickles, keeping them always well covered and free from air.

302. TO PICKLE ONIONS

Peel the onions till they look white, boil some strong salt and water and pour it over them; let them stand in this twenty-four hours; keep the vessel closely covered to retain the steam; after this wipe the onions quite dry, and when they are cold pour boiling vinegar, with ginger and white pepper over them; the vinegar must cover the onions.

303. TO PICKLE MUSHROOMS

These are pickled in salt water and brandy, but they are of little advantage.

304. RAILROAD SYSTEM OF HORSE TRAINING

This excellent and very simple method of horse training is nearly all accomplished by what is called the persuader or bit; which is made as follows: take a piece of strong rope eight or ten feet long and a quarter of an inch thick, then part the horse's mane in the centre, turning one half towards the ears, and the other towards the back of the horse; next tie the rope by one end in a hard knot that will not slip--not too tightly--round the horse's neck in the place at which the mane is divided, having the knot on the right side of the neck; then pass the loose end of the rope forwards, along the right side of the neck, into the horse's mouth and back along the left side of the neck to that part of the rope which surrounds the horse's neck, and underneath which it is passed; than take the loose end of the rope in your hand, and you have the persuader or bit completed. By pulling on the end which you now hold, you draw his mouth up towards his throat, and can thereby inflict the most excruciating torture that is possible for a horse to undergo, and the beauty of it is, without the least injury to the animal. One pull on this persuader is more dreaded by the horse than a whole day's flogging with raw-hide. In fact he cannot stand it; no matter how ugly his tricks may be, such as kicking, balking or anything else, if you use the persuader on him at the time, you can conquer him at once; make him as meek as a lamb, and glad to do anything to escape the torture inflicted by the persuader. A few times is all you will have to use it, even on the most sulky animal, until you will see no more of his tricks, and he is completely conquered.

305. TO HALTER WILD COLTS

How to approach and halter the wildest colt of any age without danger, and lead him quietly, is as follows: choose a large floor, that of a wagonhouse answers well, strew it over with straw two or three inches deep, turn your colt into it, follow him in with a good whip, shut the door, and he will clear to the furthest corner, follow him, and whip him well on the hips, he will clear to another corner, follow him, treat him in the same manner, and he will soon begin to turn his head towards you, then stop and bid him come to you, if he does not come, lay on the whip again, being always careful not to touch him about the head or shoulders, but always about the hips, in a short time he will come to you when you bid him, then rub his ears, nose, neck, chest, &c., and pet him all you can; halter and lead him about the floor; it at any time he clears from you, pay the whip well on his hips until he comes to you again; after a little use him the same way in a small yard, and after this you can do as you like with him in any place.

306. HORSES WITH TENDER EARS

How to make a horse, that is afraid of his head or ears, easy to bridle or halter, is as follows: if your horse is very fractious and wild, you will need to treat him according to receipt No. 305, first: at all events you will want the floor well covered with straw, then raise the left fore leg and strap it so that your horse will stand on three legs, then tie a strap just above his right fore foot, and standing on the left side of the horse, holding the strap in your hand, chirp to him, and the moment he attempts to move forwards, he is on his knees; you may then fasten the strap to that on the left leg, or hold it in your hand, as you please; then after the horse gets done struggling and working, rub his nose and ears gently, and put the halter on and take it off repeatedly, to show him that it may be done without hurting him, and in a short time he will not mind the halter or bridle.

307. HOW TO CONTROL A VICIOUS HORSE

How to acquire the most perfect control over the most vicious and wildest horse, in a short time, without the use of drugs or charms, is by going according to receipts No. 305 and No. 306, and sometimes you may have to use the persuader.

308. TO BREAK A WILD COLT

How to break the wildest colt in a short time, so that a boy of 14 years old can ride or handle him in perfect safety. This is done by means of the persuader receipts No. 305 and No. 306, and if the boy is to ride him, after the horse is on his knees, as directed in receipt No. 306, and the horse is tired out by struggling, then let somebody get on his back, sit there for a while, then move on to his shoulders, and back unto his hips, and so work round the horse until he does not mind it, and has no fear from it. When he has a few lessons like this, any lad may ride him in safety.

309. TO MAKE A STALLION LIE DOWN

How to make the worst stallion lie down and allow you to perform any surgical operation on him that you wish, without the assistance of any one. If the horse is very ugly, you may need to follow, first, receipt No. 305, and perhaps, use the persuader, but it is principally done by receipt No. 306, with this addition: when you have the horse on his knees, you standing on his left side, and holding the strap which is attached to his right fore foot in your hand, as taught in receipt No. 306, then put a headstall on him, and to its ring on the left side of his mouth, tie firmly a stick about an inch and a half thick, which, let run up on the left side of his neck, to the top of his shoulders, then tie the strap, which is attached to the right foot, to this pole; now pull the horse over on his left side, and you have him powerless, his fore feet are drawn up, and on account of the pole he cannot raise his head, so that you have perfect control over him to do as you please.

310. PULLING AT THE HALTER

To break a horse from pulling at the halter. This is done by means of the persuader; if he pulls once on this, he will never try it again.

311. WILD STALLIONS

How to break the wildest stallion in a short time, so that a boy can lead him in perfect safety. This is done by putting the horse through a regular course of training, according to receipts No. 305 and No. 306, and the use of the persuader.

312. BALKY HORSES

How to make the worst of balky horses pull true. Whenever your horse balks, if you there and then, openly and publicly make use of the persuader, and jerk him well with it, he will be glad to go, and in a short time you will have to use it no more; but as long as this system is kept secret, and when a horse balks, you do not then use the persuader, you will never break the horse from balking.

313. SHOEING HORSES

How to make a horse stand to be shod. This is accomplished by having the persuader fitted on, and whenever the horse makes an attempt to be ugly, pull on the persuader, and he will very soon be glad to stand as quiet as a lamb.

314. "WHOA"

How to make a horse understand the word "whoa" so perfectly, that he will always stop when spoken to, no matter what may occur to frighten him. This is done by having the persuader fitted on, and whenever you sat "whoa", in a loud and stern tone of voice, pull on the persuader, and it is impossible for a horse to fear or dread anything else as much as this, he will stop instantly, no matter what may occur to frighten him.

315. THROWING

How to break a horse off the habit of throwing his rider. This is accomplished by means of the persuader, and receipt No. 308.

316. SCARING

How to break a horse off scaring at umbrellas or buffalo robes, so that you may toss them at him without disturbing him. To accomplish this you want to get the horse on his knees, according to receipt No. 306; then bring your robes and umbrellas near him, let him smell them, toss them at him, and throw them over his head carefully, and so continue to work, showing him that they do not harm him, until all fear of them is lost.

317. KICKING HORSES

How to break the worst class of kicking horses. To accomplish this, you will want to put the horse through a regular course of training, according to this system, until you have him well conquered; then keep the persuader on, and if he should ever attempt to kick, at that moment jerk well on the persuader, and he will think of everything but kicking; when he attempts it a few times, and you check him in this manner, he will quit it altogether.

318. TO BIT A HORSE

How to bit a horse more perfectly, in ten minutes, at a cost of ten cents, that can be done with any other bit and rig, at a cost of five to ten dollars. This bit is what is called the persuader, and it is the best bit that ever was used for bitting colts. It puts a most beautiful curve in the neck, and leaves the colt at ease while wearing it. When it is used for this purpose, the end that you hold in your hand in other cases, is now to be tied to that part of the persuader which surrounds the neck of the horse or colt.

319. JOCKEY TRICKS--TO PRODUCE FOUNDER

How to make a horse appear as if he was badly foundered in one night's time. Take a fine wire, or any substitute, and fasten it tightly round the castor tit, the back side of the pasture joint at night; smooth the hair down nicely over it, and by morning he will walk as stiff as any foundered horse.

320. FOOD AND STARVATION

How to make a horse stand by his food and starve to death. Grease the front teeth and roof of the mouth with common beef-tallow, and he will not eat until you wash it out; this, in conjunction with the above, will consummate a complete founder.

321. GLANDERS

How to make a horse appear as if he had the glanders, in one night's time. This is done by melting fresh butter and pouring it into his ears, not too hot.

322. BALKING

How to make a true pulling horse balk. Take tincture of cantharides 1 oz., and corrosive sublimate 1 drachm; mix and bathe his shoulders at night.

323. TO COVER UP HEAVES

How to cover up the heaves so effectually, that you may work, ride, or run him, and they cannot be detected. This will last from twelve to twenty-four hours, long enough to trade off. Drench the horse with one-fourth pound of common bird shot, and he will not heave until they pass through him.

324. THE COUNTENANCE

How to put a young countenance on a horse. Make a small incision near the sunk place over the eye, insert the point of a blow-pipe or goose-quill, and blow it up; close the external wound with thread, and it is done.

325. THE CRIB

How to cure a horse of the crib, or sucking wind; saw between the upper front teeth.

326. QUESTIONS

To teach a horse to answer questions. This is done by pricking him with a pin; for instance, you may say to the horse, is your name Tom? and at that moment prick him with a pin so that he will squeal; then ask him is your name Sam? don't prick him and he will not squeal. Then say again is your name Tom, prick him again, and he will squeal; so continue, and after a time he will squeal without being pricked when you ask him the first question, &c.

327. TO NERVE A HORSE

How to nerve a horse that is lame. Make a small incision about half way from the knee to the joint on the outside of the leg, and at the back part of the shin bone; you will find a small white tendon or cord; cut it off and close the external wound with a stick, and he will walk off on the hardest pavement, and not lame a particle.

328. A HORSE'S AGE

The following rules will enable any man to ascertain with tolerable certainty the age of any horse. Every horse has six teeth above and six below; before he arrives at the age of three he sheds his two middle teeth by the young teeth rising and shoving the old ones out of their place. When he arrives at the age of three, he sheds one more on each side of the middle teeth; when four years old he sheds two corner and the last of his fore teeth; between four and five he cuts his under tusks, and when five will cut his upper tusks, and have a mouth full and complete, and the teeth will have hollows of a very dark brown colour. At six years old the grooves and hollows in a horse's mouth will begin to fill up a little and their tusks have their full growth, with their points sharp, and a little concave. At seven years old the grooves and hollows will be pretty well filled below. At eight the whole of the hollows and groves are filled up, and you see the appearance of what is termed smooth below. At nine years old, the point of the tusk is worn off, and the part that was concave begins to fill up and become rounded. Between nine and ten years of age a horse generally looses the marks of the mouth. After nine years old a wrinkle comes on the eyelid at the upper corner of the lower lid, and every year thereafter he has one well defined wrinkle for each year over nine. If, for instance, a horse has three wrinkles, he is twelve; if four, he is thirteen, &c.

329. HEAD, NECK OR LUNGS

How to tell by looking at a horse whether there is anything the matter with his head, neck or lungs. A knowledge of this is as useful as it is simple. If there is nothing the matter with the head, neck or lungs of a horse, the nostrils will have a clean, healthy, and bright appearance, but if there is, they have always a dirty, muddy, or in some way an unhealthy appearance.

330. PROF. MANDIE'S HORSE TAMING

Take finely grated horse caster, or the warty excrescence from the horse's leg, oils of rhodium, and cumin, keep these in separate bottles well corked; put some of the oil of cumin on your hand and approach the horse on the windy side that he may smell it; he will then move towards you, then rub some of the cumin on his nose; give him a little of the castor on sugar, salt, or anything he likes, and get 8 or 10 drops of the oil of rhodium on the point of his tongue; you can then get him to do anything you please. Follow up your advantage by all the kindness and attention possible towards the animal, and your control is certain. This is only fit for nervous horses; but the railroad system is certain. In all kinds of ugly horses it is the best of methods.

331. BOTTS IN HORSES

This may be relied on as a certain and safe remedy for botts in horses. When the horse is attacked, pound some common glass very fine, sift it through a fine piece of muslin, take a tablespoonful, put it inside a ball of dough, (not mixed with the dough,) then put it down the horse's throat, and in from two to five minutes the horse will get up and feel and will be well. The moment the glass touches the botts though they may have eaten their way into the coats of the stomach, so that but a small portion is exposed, they will let go their hold, will pucker up and be driven off by the bowels. This remedy is perfectly safe, and is the only certain cure for botts under the sun. Try it.

332. RING BONE AND SPAVIN

Take of sweet oil, 4 oz.; spirits of turpentine, 2 ozs.; oil if stone, 1/2 oz. Mix and apply three times a day. If the horse is over four years old, or in any case where there is not sufficient, in addition to it, you will fit a bar of lead just above it, wiring the ends together, so it constantly wears upon the enlargement, and the two together, will cure nine cases out of every ten in six weeks.

333. POLL EVIL AND FISTULA

Take 1 lb. common potash dissolved in 1/2 pint of water. Add 1/2 oz. extract of belladona and 1 oz. gum-arabic dissolved in a little water; work all into a paste with wheat flour, and box or bottle up tight. In applying this, the place should be well cleansed with soap-suds, (castile soap is best) then tallow should be applied all around by the paste dissolving and running over it. Now this paste must be pressed to the bottom of all the orifices; if very deep it must be made sufficiently thin to inject by means of a small syringe, and repeated once in two days, until the callous pipes, and hard fibrous base around the poll evil, or fistula, is completely destroyed. Sometimes one application has cured cases of this kind, but it will generally require two or three. If the horse cannot be kept up, you will put a piece of oiled cloth over the place. The advantage of this caustic over all others is that less pain and inflammation is induced. The sores may be cured by the following or Sloan's ointment: ceder oil is to be applied to the tendons, to prevent them stiffening, in pole evil, or other cases.

334. DeGRAY, OR SLOAN'S HORSE OINTMENT

Take of rosin 4 oz., lard 8 oz., honey 2 oz., mix and melt slowly, gently bring it to a boil, and as it begins to boil slowly, add a little less than a pint of spirits of turpentine, stirring all the time it is being added, then remove from the stove, and stir till cool. This is an extraordinary ointment for bruses in flesh or hoof, broken knees, galled backs, bites, cracked heels, &c. or when a horse is gelded, to heal and keep away flies.

335. NERVE AND BONE LINIMENT

Take of beef's gall 1 quart, alcohol 1 pint, volatile liniment 1 lb., spirits of turpentine 1 lb., oil of origanum 4 oz., aqua ammonia 4 oz., tincture of cayenne 1/2 pint, oil of amber 3 oz., tincture of spanish fly 6 oz., mix and shake well. Uses too well known to need description.

336. TO CURE FOUNDERS IN 24 HOURS

Boil or steam oat straw for half an hour, then wrap it round the horses legs while quite hot, cover up with wet woollen rags to keep in the steam: in six hours renew the application. Take 1 gallon of blood from the neck vein, and give a quart of linseed oil. He may be worked next day.

337. TO CURE COLIC IN TEN MINUTES

Bleed freely at the horse's mouth, and take 1 oz. of oil of juniper, 1 oz. of laudanum, and 2 ozs. of sweet spirits of nitre. Mix in a pint of gruel, and drench him with it.

338. GARGLING OIL

Take of tanner's oil 1 quart, oil of vitriol 2 oz., spirits of turpentine 1 oz. Mix all together, leave the bottles open till it stops working, then it is ready for use.

339. MERCHANT'S GARGLING OIL

Take of linseed oil 2-1/2 galls., spirits of turpentine 2-1/2 galls., western petroleum 1 gall., liquor potass 8 oz., sap green 1 oz., mix all together, and it is ready for use.

340. PURGING BALLS

Take of aloes, 3 oz.; anise seed, 3 oz.; pulverise and mix with castile soap. This makes one ball for a horse.

341. URINE BALLS

Take of white resin, 1/2 lb.; castile soap, 1/2 lb.; venice turpentine, 1/2 pint; mix well together; make the balls the size of butternuts. Give the horse three the first day, two the second day, and one the third day.

342. FOR THE HEAVES

Give the horse 1/2 drachm of nitric acid, in a pint of sweet milk. Repeat once in two days, once in three days, and once in four days. This receipt is highly prized, and is good; but the best remedy for heaves is so simple that scarcely any one will try it; it is to take fresh sumack tops, break two or three bunches of them up in the horse's feed, three times a day. This will actually cure the heaves unless, they are very bad.

343. INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS

The symptoms of inflammation of the lungs in the horse is as follows: it is usually ushered in by a shivering fit, the horse is cold all over, reaction soon takes place, the body becomes warmer, and the extremities extremely cold. The breathing is quick, he refuses to lie down. If when wearied out, he lies down, it is but for a moment.

Treatment--This may be commenced by a good bleeding, which is to be followed by a drachm of emetic tartar, and three drachms of nitre, every eight hours, rubbing the extremities, and giving bran-mashes; throw warm blankets over the animal, hanging down to the floor, and place vessels of hot water in which put hot stones or bricks, and sweat freely, also, give one scruple of opium, and two of calomel, twice a day. The sides of the chest may be thoroughly blistered. This is the proper treatment.

344. STOMACH AND BOWELS

Inflammation of the stomach and bowels in the horse, resembles colic in its symptoms, except in colic the pains pass off at times, and return again, whereas in inflammation, the pain is constant, and the animal is never easy; after a time the eye acquires a wild haggard, unnatural stare, and the pupil, or dark spot in the eye, dilates.