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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 100, 28 April 1881, Page 4

Saya a Melbourne journal: Retrenchment is not confined to the Berry Government, the Bank of Victoria being reported to hava dispensed with a dozen of its oldest officers. A writer in tbe "Western Rural gives the following advice upon the treatment of horses: — "A horse cannot be screamed at and cureed without becoming less valuable in every particular. To reach the highest degree of value the animal should be perfectly gentle and always reliable, but if it expects every moment that it is in the harness to be jawed at and struck it will be in a constant state of nervousness, and in its excitement as liable through fear to do something which is not expected as to go along doing what you started it to do. It ia possible to train a horse to be governed by the word of mouth almost as completely as it is to train a child, and in such training the horse reaches its highest value. "When a horse is soothed by the gentle words of his driver — and we have seen him calmed down from great excitement by no other means — it may fairly be concluded that he is a valuable animal for practical purposes, and it may be certainly concluded that the man who has such power over him is a humane man and ajsensible one. But all this simply meana that the man must secure the animal's confidence. Only in exceptional cases is a horse stubborn or vicious. If he understands his surroundings and what is required of him he gives no troublf. As almost every reader must know, if the animal when frightened can be brought up to the object he will become calm. The reason is that he understands there is nothing to fear. So he must be taught to have confidence in the man who handles him, and then this powerful animal, which usually a man could not handle if it were disposed to be vicious, will give no trouble. The very best rule, therefore, which we would lay down for the management of the horse is, gentleness and good sense on the part of the driver. Bad drivers make bad horses."