HISTORY OF THE HORSE.

to it and the cheese is returned into the press. Here it continues one night; and the next morning it is turned in the vat, and continues till the succeeding morning, and the curd is taken out and placed on the dairy shelf; here, they are turned every day, or every other day, as the weather may be. If it is hot and dry, the windows and doors are kept shut; but if wet or moist, the doors and windows are kept open night and day.

Cleaning the cheese.-The cheeses having remained about ten days after leaving the press, are to be washed and scraped in the following manner; a large tub of cold sweet whey is placed on the floor, the cheeses are immersed in it, where they continue one hour, or longer, if necessary to soften the rind. They are then taken out and scraped with a common case knife, with great care, so as not to injure the tender rind, till every part of the cheese is smooth; they are after the last operation rinsed in the whey and wiped clean, with a coarse cloth, and pla ced in an airy situation to dry, after which they are placed in the cheese

room.

The floor of the cheese room is generally prepared by rubbing it with bean or potatoe tops, or any succulent herb, till it appears of a black wet color; on this floor the cheeses are placed and turned twice a week, their edges are wiped hard with a cloth once a week, and the floor is cleansed and rubbed with fresh herbs once a fortnight. They must not lie too long or they will stick to the floor. This preparation of the floor gives the cheese a blue coat, which is considered of great consequence.

Skippers in cheese.-Wrap the cheese in thin brown paper, so thin that the moisture may strike through soon-dig a hole in good sweet earth about two feet deep, in which the cheese must be buried about 36 hours, and the skippers will be found all on the outside of the cheese; brush them off immediately, and you will find your cheese sound and good.

To prevent cheese having a rancid nauseous flavor.-Put about one table-spoonful of salt to each gallon of milk, when taken from the cows in the evening, for the cheese to be made the next day; put the salt at the bottom of the vessel that is to receive the milk; it will increase the curd, and prevent the milk from growing sour or putrid the hottest nights in the summer.

SECTION III.

ON THE BReeding, reaRING, AND MANAGEMENT OF HORSES.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HORSE.

Although the native country of the horse cannot with certainty be traced, it seems probable that he was first domesticated in Egypt, but the precise period it is difficult to settle. 1920 years before the birth of Christ, when Abraham, having left Haran, in obedience to the divine command, was driven into Egypt by the famine, which raged in Canaan, (Gen. xii. 16), Pharaoh offered him sheep and oxen, and asses and camels. Horses would doubtless have been added, had they then existed, or had they been subdued in Egypt,

DIFFERENT BREEDS OF HORSES,

When fifty years afterwards, Abraham journeyed Mount Moriah, to offer up his only son, he rode upon an ass; which with all his wealth and power, he could scarcely have done had the hoise been known. Gen. xxii. 3.

Thirty years later, when Jacob returned to Isaac with Rachael and Leah, an account is given, Gen. xxii. 14, of the number of oxen, sheep, camels, goats, and asses, which he sent to appease the anger of Esau, but not one horse is mentioned.

It was not until twenty-four years after this, when the famine devasta. ted Canaan, and Jacob sent into Egypt to buy corn, that horses are first heard of. Wagons," probably carriages drawn by horses, were sent by Joseph into Canaan, to bring his father to Egypt. It would seem however, that horses had been but lately introduced, or not used as beasts of burden; for the whole of the corn which was to be conveyed some hundred miles, and was to afford sustenance for Jacob's large household, was carried on asses. Gen. xiv. 19.

About the year 1749 before Christ, is the period when horses appear to have been used first in Egypt. They appear, however, to have rapidly increased and spread abroad; for when the Israelites returned into Canaan, the Canaanites went out to fight against Israel, with chariots and horsemen very many.

The sacred volume seems, therefore, to decide the important point, that the first domestication of the horse was in Egypt. Another point also decides, that Arabia, by whose breed of horses those of other countries have been so much improved, was not the native place of the horse. 600 years after the time just referred to, Arabia had no horses. Solomon imported silver, gold, and spices from Arabia, 2 Chron. ix. 14; but all the horses for his own cavalry and chariots he procured from Egypt. 2 Chron. i. 17. In this place, it is mentioned that a horse brought from Egypt cost 150 shekels of silver, which, at two shillings threepence, and one half farthing each, amount to about £17 2s. sterling, an enormous price for those days.

The horses of Arabia itself, and of the southern parts of Europe, are clearly derived from Egypt; but whether they were there bred, or imported from the southwestern regions of Asia, or as is more probable, brought from the interior or northern coasts of Africa, cannot with certainty be determined.

DIFFERENT BREEDS OF HORSES.

It has been stated in the preceding section, that the earliest records of the horse trace him to Egypt, as the country where he was domesticated; but as it is probable that he was derived from the neighboring and interior districts of Africa, in giving an account of the most celebrated and useful breeds of different countries, it is natural to begin with those of Africa.

BARB. At the head of the African breeds, and, perhaps, at the head of all other breeds, may be placed the Barb, from Barbary, and particularly from Morocco and Fez, an animal remarkable for its fine and grace. ful action. It is rather lower than the Arabian, seldom exceeding fourteen hands and an inch. The shoulders are flat, the chest round, the joints inclined to be long, and the head particularly beautiful. The

DIFFERENT BREEDS OF HORSES.

Barb is decidedly superior to the Arab in form, but has not his spirit or speed, or countenance.

The Barb has chiefly contributed to the excellence of the Spanish horse; and when the improvement of the breed of horses began to be systematically pursued in Great Britain, the Barb was very early introduced. The Godolphin Arabian, as he is called, of whom we here present our readers with a cut, and who was the origin of some of the best English racing blood, was a Barb; and others of their most celebrated turf-horses, trace their descent from African mares.

As to the manner in which the above horse was introduced into England, different accounts have been given. According to one writer,* his introduction was by means of a Col. Coke, an Englishman of fortune and education, who, on account of several crimes, was obliged to flee from England, and during his absence, travelled into Syria, and thence into Arabia.

In this latter country, he accidentally heard of the above horse, which it was stated, belonged to a certain "Sheik." He visited the Sheik, but was unable to purchase him on account of the great value put upon him. He contrived, however, to steal him-made his escape-reached Dami. etta, a seaport near the mouth of the Nile, whence he sailed with the horse, and took up his residence in France, until he could appear in England, and be restored to his family.

The Earl of Godolphin was, at this time, prime minister of England. To him Coke addressed several letters, but his Lordship paid no attention to them. At length, by some means, Coke discovered that his lord. ship, at that season of the year, was affected with the gout, and daily took an airing in his carriage, in Hyde Park, London-he wrote to his

*American Farmer, vol. 9, p. 134.

DIFFERENT BREEDS OF HORSES.

Lordship, that at a particular time and place in said park, he would see a man, (describing his stature and dress, riding a beautiful brown horse, which he also described, having his off heel behind white,) who had no designs whatever on his person, but, on the contrary, a great friendship for him, who wished to have an interview with him, and that when his Lordship in his next ride saw him, he, the said Coke, would take it as a particular favor, if his Lordship would direct his outriders to withdraw, so that the interview as aforesaid, might be effected.

The next day Lord Godolphin took his usual jaunt-at the place and time appointed he saw Col. Coke, who, after the withdrawal of the outriders, rode up to his Lordship's carriage, and after making his obeisance asked him respecting the receipt of his former letters; his Lordship answered in the affirmative.

Col. Coke immediately dismounted, and made his Lordship another low bow, and in a very condescending manner told him, that from hear. ing of his Lordship's very great partiality for being possessed of the finest horses in the kingdom, he, after travelling several years in Arabia, had brought over the very finest and best bred horse in the whole world, as a present for him.

Lord Godolphin very politely refused the present, alleging that it would be entirely inconsistent with his dignity and station, to accept of so very valuable a present, (which must have cost an immense sum to procure,) from an entire stranger.

His Lordship, after a minute inspection of the horse, pronounced him to be the very finest and best looking Arabian horse, he ever saw, or had been brought into England, and if Col. Coke, as he styled himself, at that time, would part with the horse, he would give him a blank check upon the bank of England, which he, Coke, might fill up with any sum he pleased.

Col. Coke told his Lordship that he never would sell the horsealleging, at the same time, that he, with great difficulty, labor, and expense, and after travelling in Arabia upwards of three years, procured the horse for the express purpose of presenting to his Lordship, on his arrival in England-he further said, that if his Lordship would not accept him, he would not part with him to any other person. Lord Godolphin was inexorable.

Col. Coke solicited his Lordship again and again, without success, until Coke's entreaties, after a very considerable time, became so very urgent, that at length Lord Godolphin accepted of this very Arabian as the greatest present of the animal creation in the world.

After his Lordship had presented his compliments to Coke, he told him if he could in any way whatever, serve him, he would do it with a great deal of pleasure.

About this time, by means (it was supposed) of the servants of Col. C.'s relations hearing his name frequently mentioned in their respective families, and no doubt with a view of receiving a reward of "150 guineas," which government had formerly offered for his apprehension, they lodged information against him, and he was arrested for his former offences, and committed to prison; he wrote to Lord Godolphin (dis. covering to him who he was, and his real name) to intercede in his behalf with his majesty, who ordered a writ of "nolle prosequi" to be

DONGOLA HORSE-ARABIAN HORSE.

issued, saying that Col. C. was an innocent man, and could not be the same person who committed the felonious acts, for which he fled from England.

Colonel Coke was immediately restored to his former rank, and his family.

It will be perceived that if the foregoing account were true, this celebrated horse could not be a Barb. It seems probable, therefore, from the testimony of others, that the above writer labored under some mistake, for we find it asserted by high authority, (American Farmer, Vol. VIII. p. 215) that he was in reality a Barb-a horse of the desert. His color was entire brown bay, with mottles on the buttocks and chest, ex. cept a small streak of white upon the hinder heels. He was imported into France from some capital or royal stud in Barbary, whence it was suspected he was stolen, and said to have been foaled in 1724. So little was he valued in France, that he was actually employed in the drudgery of drawing a cart in the streets of Paris. Mr. Coke brought him over from France, and gave him to Williams, Master of St. James' Coffee House, who presented him to the Earl of Godolphin.

From still higher authority, (Library of Useful Knowledge, Farmer's Series, No. 2, p. 48,) we learn that he was picked up in France, where he was actually employed in drawing a cart, and when he was afterwards presented to Lord Godolphin, he was in that nobleman's stud a considerable time before his value was discovered. It was not until the birth of Lath, one of the first horses of that period, that his excellence began to be appreciated. He was then styled an Arabian, and was in higher estimation than even the Darley, the founder of the modern thorough-bred horses. He died in 1753, at the age of 29.

To this account, it is added, that an intimate friendship subsisted between him and a cat, which either sat on his back when he was in the stable, or nestled as closely to him as she could.. At his death the cat refused her food-pined away and soon died. Mr. Holcroft gives a similar relation of the attachment between a race horse and a cat, which the courser would take in his mouth' and place in his manger and upon his back, without hurting her.

The DONGOLA HORSE. The kingdom of Dongola and the neigh boring districts of Egypt, and Abyssinia, contain a horse not at all like any other oriental.

The Dongola horses stand full sixteen hands high, but the length of the body, from the shoulders to the quarter, is considerably less. Their form, therefore, is opposite to that of the Arabian or English thoroughbred, which are longer by some inches than they are high. The neck is long and slender, the crest fine, and the withers sharp and high, giving a beautiful fore-hand; but the breast is too narrow, the quarters and flanks too flat, and the back carped. They constitute excellent warhorses, from their speed, durability, and size. Several of them have been lately imported into Europe, but they are little valued.

The ARABIAN. Going farther eastward, we arrive at Arabia, whose horses deservedly occupy the very highest rank.

There are said to be three breeds or varieties of Arabian horses :the Altecki, or inferior breed, on which they set little value, and which