GROOMING HORSES BY MACHINERY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1920, 4 December 1890, Page 8

GROOMING HORSES BY MACHINERY.

To the farmer who has never seen a horse cleaned except by hand, with the good old currycomb and brush, it would be quite a sight (says the Boston Journal of Commerce) to visit some of the large city barns of the car or express companies or large livery establishments, and see the horses cleaned, so to speak. Should he visit the Palmer house livery stables, Chicago, remarks a contemporary in that city, he might see any day a horse undergoing his toilet— in stahle parlance, "gettin' cleaned and carried." In exactly 40 seconds the animal is turned over to his keeper aB bright as a new pin — not a speck of dirt nor a turned hair to bo seen on his sleek, shiny coat. In two hours' time no less than 150 horßes, big and little, reoeive their daily clean up, and are made ready to prance out into society. This revolution in the art of borßß cleaning, rubbing down, and currying, all in one, is caused by a Bimple contrivance, a movable shaft, at one end of which is a circular brush composqd of fairly stiff bristles. The brush, which is run by steam, revolves many hundred times a minute, and is guided by the cleaner. Two cleaners, operating with the brushes on one animal at the same time, can accomplish more in a minute than can four men with the old brush and ourryoomb in 20 minutes. Ab Boon as the brush touches the body of the horse the dirt and dead hair fly in all directions, and it needs only a second "going over" to have the animal so clean that a glove would not be soiled rubbing in over the hide. At first the horse appears frightened at the noise of the revolving shafts, but as soon as he feels the touoh of the brush he edges up closer to the cleaner and gives every indication of pleasure. The harder the pressure on the brush the harder will be the rubbing, of course, and when the sensation becomes uncomfortable the horses move away. In this way the cleaners are easily informed how bard a rubbing the animal will stand.