Description

Stories in this issue:

• Case Study – Cedar Mountain Farm: Stephen Leslie reports on Eric Nordell’s updated study of the economics of using horse power for farming, author Stephen Leslie uses his own Cedar Mountain Farm as a case study. The article looks at gross vs net income, horse expenses, teamster hours in work
• Plow Photos Parsed: Eric Nordell discusses details of his plowing techniques, which were capture in a photo that ran with his Dec14/Jan15 article. Topic include the left-hand plow, two furrow horses, line driving and hip backer harness.
• Using the Forecart: Stephen Leslie includes a report from a teamster who uses a Barden cart, from farmers who have made their own carts and arguments for choosing to walk behind implements.
• Heading South: Jenifer Morrissey shares diary entries of her great-great grandparents, Dan and Kate Glenn, who took a horse-drawn drip from Ashland, Ore., to southern California in 1902.
• Ox Yoke Refurbished: Refurbishing a used yoke may be an economical alternative to buying new ones every time your oxen grow. Rob Collins takes you through acquiring a used yoke, disassembly, hardware, bows, finishing and reassembly.
• See What the Ears Say: Bethany Caskey provides illustrations and a discussion of how a horse communicates through the placement of its ears.
• Tapping Into Knowledge: Ralph Rice passes along the knowledge of maple sugaring that he gained from his grandfather.
• To Pad or Not to Pad: Jenifer Morrissey provides an examination of the benefits and pitfalls of using collar pads including: pads and collar sizing, strategies for adjusting collar size after purchase, types of collar pads, pads and age, pads as shims, the importance of cleanliness and collar pads
• Western Road Building: A look at the role of horsepower in building roads in the 19th century. Particularly, the author looks at the US Army’s efforts to build roads during the 1840s-50s.
• This Old Hat: A poem by David Feltenberger
• Starting a Working Steer: Excerpts from the Ray Ludwig’s seminal book, “The Pride and Joy of Working Cattle.” Includes selecting a breed, starting training, grooming, basic commands, and teamwork.
• Barn Quilts: Joe Mischka takes a look at some of the beautiful barn quilts created as part a 4-H project.
• Wood is a Winter Tradition: Anna Knapp-Peck describes her family’s winter tradition of cutting wood, with the help of oxen