ELEPHANTS AT PLOUGH.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 464, 24 March 1909, Page 7

ELEPHANTS AT PLOUGH.

• CAMELS CHAFF-CUTTING. Three miles from Horloy, in Surrey, th« romarkablo Eight of elephants ploughing a fifty-acro field, and doing it extremely well, has lately been daily witnessed. ■ Nor is this tho only unusual sight to be seen there, for closo by camels—real camels —aro frequently hard at work cutting chaff. A representative of the "Daily Mail" visited Burstow Lodge, where tbo animals, which aro tho property of "Sanger's Circus," hibernate for four months on tho 400-acro farm of Mr. Lord John Sanger. In bright sunshine, though tho ground was white with frost at midday and all oxposed water was covered with ico, Tiny, whoso chief claim to her namo appears to rest on tho fact tint sho is far the largest of tho four elephants at Burstow Lodge, ploughed her lonely furrows merrily, her particular friend, Annie, looking on and encouraging hor at intervals with jovial snorts. Annio also can turn a good furrow, but sho is a beginner, being only about sixty years of age, while Tiny is seventy or eighty at least. Annio was led out a few mornings ago alone to tho fields, but resented tho "new-fangled notion," as sho regarded the plough, and trumpeted furiously. Sho further i showed n disposition to sit on the plough, which would have done her hide- no good and certainly spoiled a useful agricultural implement. So -sho returned to the farm, and was ordered to clasp tl;o tail of Tiiiy with hor trunk. Then, in dignified procession, the two elephants marched to tlio fields, and Avinio i was yoked to tlio plough, Tiny standing by'to enconrngo her, Sho did very well, considering. Afterwards Tiny took her place, and showed what a really smart and experienced elephant could do. The plough did through the heavy soil as if it were slicing butter. lliero .ire two other elephants in the social circle at Burslow I/odge. Their names are ltrise and Ida. They aro eager to learn tho plough, but they aro rather young as yet, neither of them much over fifty, and there'is plenty of. time. finch of the four elephants cats a hundredweight or two of hay daily. If they havo a long march or heavy duty in the fields beforo them they nro rlvc-.j ;<?n quar 7 tern loaves of broad apiece- for breakfast, as an extra tit-bit. Altogether tlio animals at Burstow Lodgo coiieuino considerably over two .toils' of chaff daily,' besides hay that lias not boon cut, and'tho chaff-cutting is almost ontjrely dono by camels, i An elderly "ooiit" named M'Goo is tho foreman, aiid his "mate." as a rulo. it. Sammy, a juvenile dromodnry. who tnk<» .1 very great delight in his work, and fills tho humps of all tho other camels and dromedaries with hitter jealousy. Oil this uniquo form thoro arc 150 circus horses and'a complete menagerie, including lions, tigers, wolves, hyenas, and monkeys.