Management of Animals.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 170, 18 September 1886, Page 1

Management of Animals.

It often occurs to mo that misapprehension exists as to the disposition of. animals, their 'treatment, and training, owing to which losses occur, accidents take place, and' the owners "do not reap the full beriefit th£y might do from the animals of the farm. This is a subject to which "I have given a good deal of attention for many years past, mnd one which; I think, 1 ' would result in benefit to agriculturists if you would open your columns to its discussion. I claim that the disposition of an an mal at birth is like a piece of soft clay, 1 to be moulded at 'will into any shape the skill and knowledge of the trainer can give it. We frequently tear people speak ot hereditary vices. From this I dissent. Like men, animals are born with different temperaments, some lively, some sluggish, but whenever I see an animal develop vice, I place such to the credit in training. Thus, a lively, playful bull is said to be wicked. The old axiom "that you may thrash the devil in but never out is strikingly applicable. ' In something like thirty years' experience of a Shorthorn -herd, in which the bulls were reared for sale and into which sires were drafted from various herds, I have never known a vicious bull, if I except the following case, which goes to prove the truth of my contention. One young bull was what I call a lively one, playful, and simply needed that you kept your eye upon him when he was loose, or in his gambols he might have upset you. One day, when he was chafing at his strap, owing to the flies, a visitor, a friend of the owner, struck him several blows with bis stick-, remarking that he needed correction. Had the bull been loose the correction would have been reversed, for so long as the bull remained in the herd, whenever he heard the ■voice of the footsteps of the man who had struck him, he made desperate effort* to release himself. In proof that his rage was reserved for this one man I may mention that one night he was heard in the farmyard. One of the men went down, and found the bull loose in the yard. He walked up to it, took it by the nose ring, *nd led it as quietly as a lamb to its .stall. In this herd the animals were always kindly but firmly treated, anil kept in constant contact, with human beings. Up to a year old they were let out daily in the yard for exercise. Before being sold a ring was put in the nose and affixed to a head stake with a movable ring to the latter, regularly led out for exercise and kept in touch with the human attendants. Whenever I heard of a vicious Lull I came to the conclusion that he had been badly trained in youth. Whenever I hear of a bull attacking a human being, I am convinced that he is but l-epaying previous brutal treatment. When a cow kicks on being milked she is either suffering from sore teats or has been abused. Whenever a cow holds, her milk it is a sign that her attendant has ill-used her. Whenever I see a kicking, unmanageable, or .stupid hor?e, depend upon it that he has been in the hands of an imcompefent breeder or trainer, or both. Either he has been unskilfully treated ai a foal or badly broken. How often do we hear people speaking of exhibition dogs i\* ut-eksh collies useless for tending hheep, teriiera for vermin, or sporting dogs in the Held. Tiie reason is not far to seek. They have simply not been trained to the work 2s ot long ago I had to destroy an English terrier According to his breed he ought to have been death upon all kind "Of vermin. Ho would run from a mouse, play with a rabbit or hedgehog, but would tackle every" clog he met in fcue street, big or little, and he met with his death throtigu an encounter with a dogtivetimes his weight. He had been bred ana reared for the sliow bench. Look at our sheep-dog trials'. I have attended the annual meetings of the Nurth Western Counties Association, and I have found thatwhereasone owner has ever clever skilful dogs, not all of the same breed, but picked up as puppies here and 'there ; others never possess a really clever dog, the difference consisting in the training. One trainer is gentle, kind and firm in his treatment, and the dog will do his best to please him. The other is baivh and brutal. The dojr is frightened if doing wrong, sulky or timid, and is anxious only to get away from his task. Some years ago I knew a Yorkshire cattle dro>er. He had a most J intelligent collie. At an inn in Lancashire, where the drover put up at, the dog was kindly treated. In his cups the drover ■was quarrelsome, and at such times, when no other object presented, the dog received bad treatment. When this occurred and the dog was beaten, ife invariably-left him, and returned to the inn, covering distances -of fifty or sixty miles. Does not this example show a ,true appreciation of good and bad treatment ? At the present time, the huntsman to the Kendal otter hounds has an otter, caught when a baby. It will now follow its master through the streets, heedless of dogs, and will play with the hounds. In another instance, a cat was trained, in a stable yard; it would respoud to, a whistle, or a call by its name, but Avas utterly oblivious to "chit-chat." I could adduce many instances of the results of , training, but am afraid the editor will grudge me the space, and conclude with the assertion that farmers, and others will find their animals tractable or untractahle, useful or useless, just according ( to the ' amount of intelligence and skill they bring to bear upon ih'eir training and treatment. A sapling may be trained to grow, into any position other than its natural one ; but after it has attai?ied maturity, and you remove the fastenings that have held it in the unnatural position, it, does not return to the natural perpendicular growth, nor can all your efforts induce it to do so ; and 30 it is with animals. , And, ' I might add, further, so it is with Human beings, for the fame 1 Jaws apply to all.— Correspondent Scottish Agricultural Gazette.

Little Willie prayed long and ineffectually ' fora little brother.' At laathe gave- it up «8 Mno use." Soon after * his mother had the pleasure of showing' > hind '■ twin babies. He looked at them a moment and then ex* " clainaed :•« How lucky it w«B,that I stopped v praying,! There anight- have' beon - threo 1"«- -. , - „ ' -(*», i , -, <