The complete farmer: or, a general dictionary of husbandry ... in which everything valuable from the best writers on this subject will be extracted ... / By a society of gentlemen, members of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce.

Date:
1766
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The complete farmer: or, a general dictionary of husbandry ... in which everything valuable from the best writers on this subject will be extracted ... / By a society of gentlemen, members of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    AGE AGE fometimes not till after a horfe is full four years old: they are curved like the tufties of other beafts, only in a horfe they have a ftiarp edge all round the and oil both fides, the infide being fomewhat young top grooved and flattifh, inclined to a hollownefs. When a horfe’s tufties do not appear for fome time after the foal teeth are cafl: out, and the new ones come in their room, it is generally owing to their foal teeth having been pulled out before their time, by the breeders or other dealers in horfes, to make a colt of three years 6ld appear like one of four, that he may be the more faleable ; for when any of the foal teeth have been pulled out the others foon come in their place ; but the tufties having none that go before them, can never make their appearance till their proper time, viz. when a horfe is about four, or coming four; and therefore one of the fureft marks to know a four year old horfe, is by his tufties, which are then very fmall, and ftiarp on the top and edges. Whdh a horfe comes five, or rather in the fpring be¬ fore he is five, the corner teeth begin to appear, and at firft but juft equal with the gums, being filled with flefti in the middle. The tufties are alfo by this time grown to a more diftinft fize, though not very large : they likewife continue rough and ftiarp on the top and edges. But the corner teeth are now moft to be remarked ; they differ from the middle teeth in being more fleftiy on the infide, and the gums generally look rawifli upon their firft {hooting out, whereas the others do not appear dif- coloured. The middle teeth arrive at their full growth in lefs than three weeks, but the corner teeth grow leifurely, and are feldom much above the gums till a horfe is full five; they differ alfo from the other fore¬ mouth. It muft, however, be remembered, that fofns horfes have but indifferent mouths when they are young, and foon lofe their mark; others have their mouths good for a long time, their teeth being white, even, and regular, till they are fixteen years old and upwards, to¬ gether with many other marks of frefhnefs and vigour ; but when a horfe comes to be very old, it may be dif- covered by feveral indications, the conftant attendants of age, viz. his gums wear away infenfibly, leaving his teeth long and naked at their roots : the teeth alfo grow yellow, and fometimes brownifli. The bars of the mouth, which in a young horfe are always flefhy, and form fo many diftindl ridges, are, in an old horfe, lean, dry, and fmooth, with little or no rifing. The eye-pits in a young horfe (except thofe come of old ftallions) are ge¬ nerally filled up with flefh, look plump and fmooth j whereas, in an old horfe, they are funk and hollow^ and make him look ghaftly, and with a melancholy afpe£l. There are alfo other marks which difeover a horfe to be very old, viz. grey horfes turn white, and many of them all over flea-bitten, except about their joints. This, however, happens fometimes later, and fometimes fooner, according to the variety of colour and conftitution. Black horfes are apt to grow grey over their eye-brows, and very often over a good part of their face, efpecially thofe who have a itar or blaze fringed round with grey when they are young. All horfes, when very old, fink more or lefs in their backs, and fome horfes, that are naturally long backed, grow fo hollow with age, that it is fcarce polfible to fit them with a faddle. Of this kind are feveral Spanifti and Barbary horfes, and many of the Danifti and Flanders breed. Their joints alfo grow fo ftiff' with old age. teeth in this, that they fomewhat refemble a {hell; and I and their knees and hocks bend fo, that they are apt to thence are called the {hell teeth, becaufe they environ the fle{h in the middle half way round ; and as they grow, the flefh within difappears, leaving a diftindf hol¬ lownefs and opennefs on the infide. When a horfe is full five, thefe teeth are generally about the thicknefs of a crown piece above the gums. From five to five and a on. trip and ftumble upon way be fmooth, and no they can be of little ufe to the owner. Horfes. Age of neat cattle.^ viz. the ox, cow, and bull. The age of thefe animals is known by the teeth and horns. the leaft defeent, though the ways rugged. After which Gibfon half they will grow about a quarter of an inch high, or I At the end of ten months they fhed their firft fore-teeth. more; and when a horfe is full fix, they will be near half an inch, and in fome large horfes a full half inch above the gums. The corner teeth in the upper jaw fall out before thofe in the under, fo that the upper corner teeth are feen be¬ fore thofe below ; on the contrary, the tulhes in the under gums come out before thofe in the upper. When a horfe is full fix years old, the hollownefs on the infide begins vifibly to fill up, and that which was at firft fleftiy grows into a brownilh fpot, not unlike the eye of a dried garden bean, and continues fo till he is feven j with this difference only, that the tooth is more filled up, and the mark, or fpot, becomes faint, and of a lighter colour. At eight the mark in moft horfes is quite worn out, though fome retain the veftiges of it a long time; and thofe who have not had a good deal of experience, may fometimes be deceived by taking a horfe of nine or ten years old for one of eight. It is at this time only, when a horfe is paft mark, that one can eafily err in knowing the age of a horfe j for what pradfices are ufed to make a very young horfe or colt ap¬ pear older than he is, by pulling out the foal teeth before their time, may be difeovered by feeling along the edges where the tufties grow, for they may be felt in the gums before the corner teeth are put forth ; whereas, if the corner teeth come in fome months before the tulhes rife in the gums, we may reafonably fufpedl that the foal teeth have been pulled out at three years old. It will, perhaps, be needlefs to mention the tricks that are ufed to make a falfe mark in a horfe’s mouth, by hollowing the tooth with a graver, and burning a mark with a fmall hot iron ; becaufe thofe who are ac¬ quainted with the true marks, will eafify difeover the cheat by the fize and colour of the teeth, by the round nefs and bluntnefs of the tulhes, by the colour of the which are replaced by others, larger, but not fo white ; and in three years all the incifive teeth are renewed. Thefe teeth are at firft equal, long, and pretty white ; but as the creatures advance in years, they wear, be¬ come unequal, and black. They alfo fhed their horns at the end of three years; and thefe alfo are replaced by other horns, which like the fecond teeth continue. The manner of the growth of thefe horns is not uniform, nor the fliooting of them equal. The firft year, that is the fourth year of the creatures age, two fmall pointed horns make their appearance, neatly formed, fmooth, and to¬ wards the head terminated by a kind of button. The following year this button moves from the head, being impelled by a horny cylinder, which lengthening in the fame manner, is alfo terminated by another button, and fo on; for the horns continue growing as long as the creature lives. Thefe buttons become annular joints, which are eafily diftinguilhed in the horn, and by which the age of the creature may be eafily known ; counting three years for the point of the horn, and one for each of the joints. Buffoon’s Hijloire Naturelle, torn. IV, Age of Jheep. Thefe animals in their fecond year have two broad teeth ; in their third year they have four broad teeth before ; in their fourth year fix broad teeth, and in their fifth year eight broad teeth. After which none can tell how old a flieep is while their teeth re¬ main, except by being worn down. Ellis on Sheep. At the end of one year, rams, ftieep, and weathers, lofe the two fore-teeth of the lower jaw; and they are known to want the incifive teeth in the upper jaw. At eighteen months the two teeth joining to the former, alfo fall out; and at three years, being all re¬ placed, they are even and pretty white. But as the creature advances in age, they become loofe, blunt, and afterwards black. The age of the ram, and all falfe mark, which is generally blacker, and more impref-I horned {heep, may alfo be known by their horns, which fed than the true mark, and by many other vifible tokens, I {hew themfelves in their very firft year, and often which denote the advanced age of a horfe. I at the birth, and continue to grow a ring annually to After the horfe has paffed his eighth year, and fome- I the laft period of the creature’s life. Buffon's Hijloire times at feven, nothing certain can be known by the j Naturelle, tom, V, Age