Chapter II: Part 2

5. They draw loads of grain and fruit to market, and bring back what is needed on the farm. They draw in the hay in summer and bring up the wood in winter. They take to market the things which we raise on the farm, and bring back the goods which we buy at the store.

6. They will work from morning till night, in all kinds of weather, and are ready to get up and be off whenever they are needed.

7. When they have a heavy load, they walk along slowly; when a light one, they trot along quite rapidly. But if the doctor is needed, somebody jumps on the back of a horse, and off he gallops like the wind.

8. Then we harness the horses to a light wagon and take a ride; sometimes we go on a visit, sometimes to mill, sometimes on a picnic, and on Sundays we go to church.

9. In the winter, when snow is on the ground, horses draw sleighs instead of wagons. The sleigh makes but little noise in slipping over the snow, and a string of bells is put upon the horse to let people know that the sleigh is coming, so that no one need be run over.

10. When we go out sleigh-riding, all wrapped up in blankets and robes, the horses scud along, the bells jingle, and we have a gay time.

LESSON XXVI.

_WHAT THE HORSE CAN DO._

1. Horses, when they do not work too hard, love to play and have fun. They will race after each other, kick up their heels, and have a merry time. Here are two stories which a man tells of the kind of fun that the horse seems to enjoy:

2. “One of our horses, ‘Billy,’ used to give us a great deal of trouble, he knew so much. He had found out how to untie his halter, and open the stable-door, and so would get out when the door was not locked. One day Billy came out, and found little Harry in the yard. He did not attempt to hurt the child, but drove him into a corner, and kept him there by shaking his head whenever the little fellow tried to get away.

3. “I heard Harry cry, and led Billy away; but he gave a parting shake of his head to the boy, as much as to say, ‘Next time I will look after you closer.’

4. “Coming home one evening, I heard a couple of horses running and frisking about in the farm-yard at a great rate. The wall was high, and I could only see their heads, and once in a while a whisk of their tails.

5. “I found a hole to look through, and saw that the horses were amusing themselves by chasing a pig around the yard.

6. “They would drive it into a corner, and fling their heels into the air with great delight. They would not give the poor pig a moment’s rest.

7. “They would rest for a few minutes, and the pig would settle down to his cabbage-leaf, when they would rush at him from different sides, so that he had not the least idea where to run to get away from them.”

LESSON XXVII.

_HOW THE HORSE SHOULD BE TREATED._

1. We see, from what Charlie has told us, how useful the horse is. We now would like to have him tell us how we should take care of horses.

2. I will do so by telling a story. Last Saturday Uncle William hitched old Major and Ben to a big wagon, and took a load of boys to Oak Hill, to pick berries and have a good time.

3. I tell you uncle knows what boys and horses want, if anybody does. Pretty soon Bobby Jones wanted to drive. So uncle gave him the reins.

4. Bobby wanted the whip, too; but uncle said that we should not whip the horses, as they went fast enough. He carried the whip just to touch them up when there was any danger.

5. Then Bobby began to jerk the reins; but uncle showed him how the horses would move one way or the other by pulling the rein a little, and he told Bobby that jerking hurt their mouths.

6. When we went down Stony Hill, just before we came to the long bridge, uncle took the reins, and drove slowly, because, he said, it would make the horses lame to drive fast down hill.

7. As we were crossing the bridge, uncle jumped out to see what was the matter with old Major, who was limping a little, and he found one of his shoes was loose. Uncle pulled the shoe off, and threw it into the wagon, and then walked the horses until we came to the blacksmith’s shop, on the other side of the bridge.

8. Then they took old Major into the shop, and the blacksmith pared the hoof and set the shoe. In nailing on the shoe, he said he must be careful not to drive the nails too far in where the hoof was tender, or it would make the horse lame.

9. In going up Oak Hill, uncle would stop the horses every little way to let them rest. They would pant for a minute or two, then take a deep breath and go on. There was a cool spring close by, where we stopped to go into the berry-field, and here we hitched the horses in the shade.

10. They were very warm and thirsty, but uncle would not give them any water until they had time to cool. The flies were awful, but our horses switched them off with their long tails.

11. Near by was a little bob-tailed horse turned out to pasture; and, as he could not switch off the flies, they bit him so he could hardly get time to eat. If the man who owned that horse could have the flies bite him so for a few days, I don’t think he would cut off the tail of another horse.

12. We just filled our baskets with berries, and ate our dinner under the shade of some big trees that stood by the spring. Then we came home.

13. Uncle’s horses are steady, because he uses them well. He never jerks them, or whips them, or yells at them. When he goes near them they rub their noses against him, they are so glad to see him.

14. In winter he puts blankets on them when they stand still, for he says their coats are not thick enough to keep them warm. Then he gives them a good bed of dry, clean straw to lie on, and plenty of hay and grain to eat.

LESSON XXVIII.

_HOW THE DONKEY LOOKS._

1. On the other page we see a boy on the back of a donkey, taking a ride. The donkey looks kind and steady, but look below and see what has happened!

2. We will call upon Harry to tell us something about the donkey—how he looks, and what he can do.

3. The donkey is much like a horse, only smaller. His head is larger and more clumsy than that of the horse, and his ears are much larger.

4. His nose is blunter than that of a horse, and his legs are shorter. He has some long hair between his ears, but no mane on his neck. His tail is long and slim, with long hair only on the end of it.

5. His feet have hoofs like those of a horse, but they are smaller, and he can travel in many places where a horse can not.

6. His coat is longer and thicker than that of the horse, and he can get along with much less care. He goes along with his head hanging down, as if it was too heavy for him to hold up, and he looks very awkward beside the horse.

7. He has teeth like those of a horse, so that we can put a bit in his mouth when we drive him.

8. In color, most donkeys are brown, or a dirty white, with a black stripe along the back, from the head to the tail, and also a black stripe across the shoulders.

9. When the horse neighs, his voice is very pleasant; but the donkey’s bray is loud and harsh, and when he opens his mouth his voice is heard above all others.

10. I read the story of a man riding a donkey in the West, when the Indians caught him. As they were about to carry him off, the donkey gave an awful loud bray, which scared the Indians, so that they ran away and left the man to go on his journey.

LESSON XXIX.

_WHAT THE DONKEY DOES._

1. Poor, old donkey! In some countries he is made to do all kinds of hard and dirty work, and he is driven about with many blows and kicks.

2. The rag-man, in the city, picks up a load for him out of the gutters; and the tinker, who goes about mending old pans and kettles, loads him down with heavy tools.

3. There are people that have no homes, but rove about and drive donkeys in queer little carts, and camp by the way-side, and sleep out-of-doors.

4. For them a donkey is better than a horse, for he can live upon coarse food. He eats thistles and weeds that a horse will not touch; and he will pick up enough to eat where a horse would starve.

5. In places by the sea-side, or among the mountains, where people go to stay in hot weather, donkeys are kept for ladies and children to ride.

6. In the morning, long rows of them will stand waiting for ladies to come and hire them. They are so kind and steady, that there is no danger to the little children who ride them.

7. The donkey is very sure-footed, and will carry his rider safely over steep and stony places where a horse can not go. Poor, old donkey! He looks stupid, and he is slow. But, when treated kindly, he is a very willing and faithful servant.

LESSON XXX.

_WHAT THE DONKEY CAN DO._

1. The donkey is not as stupid as he looks, and he has often shown that he knows what he is about, and that he is able to take care of himself.

2. In the picture we see a little girl with a donkey going to market, and as Dick is always treated kindly, he is ready to do all he can for her.

3. A man who bought a donkey for his children, tells this story of him: “I did not allow him to be pounded, and he got something better to eat than thistles. My donkey proved to be no fool; but, like others, who have more wit than good manners, he was forever getting into mischief, and leading others into it.

4. “He could open all the gates, and climb all the fences; and many a morning he woke me by braying in the midst of my field of wheat. I was obliged to sell him, as he knew too much about doors and gates, and was too cunning to be kept.”

5. A man once set his bull-dog to attack a donkey that was grazing near the river. For a while the donkey kept his heels toward the dog in such a way that the dog could not get at him.

6. Watching his chance, the donkey turned and seized the dog by the nape of his neck, so that he could not use his jaws, then dragged him to the river, plunged him in, and lay down upon him, keeping his head under water until he was drowned.

Fiddle-de-dee,
The cat was at tea,
The rabbit was taking snuff,
The dog and the pig
Were dancing a jig,
And the donkey put on a lace ruff.]

LESSON XXXI.

_HOW THE COW LOOKS._

1. Among our four-footed friends the cow comes next, and we wish to find out something about her. Will, do you think you can help us?

2. Yes! Since we began these lessons I have watched our cows, and have found out some things that I did not know before.

3. The cow has a heavier body and shorter legs than a horse. She has a short neck, and a long tail, with a bunch of coarse hair on the end of it. Her head is larger than that of a horse, and her nose is wider. Her ears stand out on each side of her head, and above them she has a pair of horns that spread out.

4. Her hoof is not round, like that of a horse, but is split into two parts, and is called a cloven hoof. She has a thick coat of coarse hair, which keeps her warm in all but the very coldest weather.

5. In front, the cow has six teeth on her under jaw, but none on her upper jaw. In place of teeth is a ridge hard as a bone. In the back part of her mouth she has six broad, flat teeth on each side of each jaw, with which she chews her food.

6. Cows are of different colors. Some are red, some are black, some are white, and some are spotted or striped. I have seen one kind that looked like a black cow with a white blanket on.

7. When the cow eats grass, she swallows it without chewing. When she has enough, she stands still or lies down, and the grass comes up into her mouth in little balls, and these she chews fine and swallows again.

8. The ball she chews is called a “cud,” and she will chew one cud after another, until she has chewed up all the grass she has eaten.

LESSON XXXII.

_WHAT CATTLE DO._

1. The ox is very strong, and can do work like a horse. When oxen are used, two are put together with a wooden yoke on their necks.

2. Oxen can draw large loads, and can work a long time without being tired; but they are so slow that they are not used much, except on farms.

3. In summer, cattle run in the pasture and live upon grass. They gnaw it off close to the ground, and they feed most of the day.

4. In the middle of the day, when the weather is hot, they lie down in the shade, or stand up to their knees in the water, to keep cool.

5. At night the cows are driven to the farm-yard and milked, and in the morning they are milked again and driven back to the pasture.

6. In winter, cattle are kept in the stable, or in the farm-yard where there is a shed that they can go into when it storms or is very cold.

7. They are fed with hay; but cows that give milk, and working-oxen, are fed with grain also. Beets and turnips are sometimes fed to cattle.

8. When cattle stand in the shade chewing their cud, there is no other animal that looks so mild, and pleasant, and happy.

9. The cow is very fond of her calf, and licks it over several times a day. If anybody hurts the calf, he must look out for the old cow’s horns.

10. I have heard of a little lamb that had lost its mother, and was put into a lot with six cows. After a time he was taken out and put with the other sheep. But they all fought him, and he was sent back to his old pasture.

11. The cows all rushed up to meet him, and he ran to each in turn. Then one cow licked him all over, and he was passed to the next, and so on until all had done the same thing.

LESSON XXXIII.

_WHAT CATTLE ARE GOOD FOR._

1. Cattle do not hunt rats and mice like the cat, nor watch like the dog, nor do we ride them as we do a horse or a donkey; but in some ways they are more useful to us than any of the others.

2. When Johnny sat down to breakfast this morning, a cow gave him that bowl of fresh, rich milk, which he ate with his bread. Then, when we drank the nice cup of coffee that mamma had made, the cow gave us the cream which we put into it.

3. When the dinner was put up for school, the cow gave the cheese and the butter that was spread upon the bread. In the nursery rhyme “Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating the curds and whey” which the old cow gave her.

4. This morning Johnny’s hair was in a snarl, and mamma got it out with the help of the old cow, who gave the horn to make the comb.

5. When we go out in wet weather, the cow gives her hide to be made into the leather out of which our coarse boots are made; and the calf gives its hide for our fine boots and shoes.

6. When our new room was plastered, a little while ago, the cow gave the hair to mix with the mortar, so that the plaster would stick together and stay on the wall.

7. Before we get our chairs and tables, the cow takes off her hoofs and gives us the glue with which they are put together. Then Santa Claus could not bring Johnny his white-handled knife till the old cow had given a bone for the handle.

8. “Sleepy-head goes to bed” at night, and the candle he carries is another present from the old cow. The flesh of grown cattle that we eat we call beef, and the flesh of calves, veal.

LESSON XXXIV.

_HOW THE SHEEP LOOKS AND LIVES._

1. We will now take a look at our friend, the sheep. See it stand there, looking so kind, and harmless, and innocent!

2. The sheep is much smaller than a cow, and in size is like a large dog. Its nose is more pointed, and its ears are smaller, than those of a cow. It has small, cloven hoofs, and it eats grass and chews its cud in the same way that a cow does.

3. Its jaws are like those of a cow, with no teeth in its upper jaw in front, and with broad, flat chewing teeth back. Like a cow, it feeds upon grass in the summer, and upon hay and grain in the winter.

4. The rams have large horns that twist about in a very curious way. Lambs are playful, like kittens, and they hop and frisk about, and they sometimes have great games with old Rover or with the cat.

5. Sheep are covered with a thick coat of wool, and this keeps them warm, so that they can live out-of-doors in the coldest weather. In summer their “fleece” of wool is sheared off. The wool is made into cloth, and the cloth is made up into clothes for folks to wear, so that the coat of a sheep makes the coat for a boy.

6. Besides our clothes and blankets, the sheep gives us fine, thin leather to bind books and make gloves, and tallow to make candles and soap. The flesh of sheep, which we eat, is called mutton.

LESSON XXXV.

_THE WAYS OF THE SHEEP._

1. Sheep appear very helpless, but when they run wild they know how to take care of themselves very well.

2. They butt with their heads, and the large, old rams will run very fast, and strike a fearful blow.

3. When a flock of wild sheep is feeding, one is placed at some distance out on each side, to keep watch.

4. If an enemy is seen, the guards give a kind of whistle, and the whole flock scuds away to the rocks on the mountain.

5. If they can not get away, they place the lambs in the center of the flock, and the old sheep face outward, the biggest rams in advance.

6. When the fox or the dog is within a few yards, the rams rush at him, and they are nearly always successful in killing or driving him away.

7. The ewe has so strong a love for her lamb, that she will face any danger to protect it.

8. One day a shepherd saw a fox in a high, rocky place, trying to get a young lamb; but the old ewe kept her head toward the fox, and gave him no chance.

9. At last the fox made a spring and seized the lamb, and at the same time the ewe struck him with her head, and they all went over the rocks and were killed.

10. There are sheep in South Africa which have tails so large and fat, that the people tie them to small carts so that the sheep can get about. The fat is used for butter.

LESSON XXXVI.

_ABOUT GOATS._

1. In many ways the goat is like the sheep. It is about the same size, and has the same kind of teeth and hoofs, and it eats the same kind of food. It has a thick coat of hair. Some goats have fine hair that is made into cloth and nice shawls.

2. All the goats have spreading, sharp horns, and the billy-goat has a long beard, which hangs down almost to the ground. The kids are playful, like lambs, but they are shy, and do not like to come near folks.

3. The goat is more active than the sheep; it can run faster and jump higher, and it climbs rocks where a sheep can not go.

4. The billy-goat is apt to be cross, and then he runs and butts anything he meets.

5. Like the cow, the goat gives us milk, and butter, and cheese. It also gives fine leather for ladies’ shoes and for binding books, and the kid gives us soft leather which is made into gloves.

6. Goats do not live in large flocks like sheep, but they go about three or four together, and will pick up a living where a sheep would starve.

7. They are so sure-footed that they will climb up the sides of steep rocks, wherever they can find a place to put their little pointed hoofs.

LESSON XXXVII.

_ABOUT PIGS._

1. The hog is about as large as a sheep, but its legs are shorter. It has a cloven hoof, but it does not chew a cud like the sheep.

2. It has a long, blunt nose called a snout, and this it can move about to smell something to eat. It can use its snout, also, to root up the ground for seeds and other food.

3. Its ears are large and lop over; and it has a queer little curly tail. It has four large pointed teeth, called tusks, and with these it can inflict worse wounds than a dog.

4. It is covered with coarse hair called bristles. Brushes of nearly all kinds are made of the bristles. The hog is kept warm not by its hair, but by its fat, which lies just under its skin.

5. Swine eat almost all kinds of food, and they eat a great deal and very often. When feeding at a trough, they root each other out of the way, and seem in a great hurry to get all they can.

6. When a pig is caught, or is hungry, it sets up a fearful squeal, which is worse to bear than the bray of a donkey.

7. When the pig runs out in a pasture, it roots up the ground so much that a ring is put through the thick edge of its snout; then, when he tries to root, the ring hurts so he stops.

8. It is not best to meddle with little pigs, and make them squeal, when the old sow is about, for she is ready to fight for them at any time.

9. The flesh of swine is called pork, and when salted and smoked it is bacon.

_THE LITTLE PIGGIE WIG._

There was a little piggie wig,
So fat it couldn’t run:
With eyes that twinkled merrily,
And tail that curled with fun.

This piggie had a little trough,
Which was always filled with food,
Bran and broth, and turnips too,
And everything that’s good.

Its little bed was made at night
Of lovely meadow hay;
There, covered up all but the nose,
It snored till break of day.

With sleeping and with eating,
The piggie grew so fat,
That at last it couldn’t walk or run,
So on the straw it sat.

At length it grew so _very_ fat
It really couldn’t see;
But the fatter, still the jollier,
And so it laughed “He! he!”

At last, one day, a strange man came
Alas for piggie then!
For all at once it went away,
And was never seen again.