5. Hair Wash. — Dissolve in two quarts of boiling water 1 oz. of
borax and 2 oz. of camphor ; use to wash the hair, rinsing it well.
The Duties of the “ Sy(;e ” on Giioom.
The implements required by the ,«ycc are : —
2 Dusters.
1 Chamois leather.
1 Sponge
1 Burnisher.
1 Body Itrush.
1 Mane comb.
1 Set blacking and harness brushes.
The stable may seem outside the domain of the mistre.ss,
but as a matter of fact, so many Englishmen in India are over-
Housekeeper and Cook 89
busy, that, unless the mistress keeps an eye on the horses,
the animals are apt to be neglected. Now, if the good
house-mother’s proudest boast is that not even '“"the cattle
within her gate ” fail to feel her kindly care, she will often find
it necessary to take an active part in teaching the syce his
duty, and seeing that the horses receive proper attention.
It will, in the authors’ opinion, be invariably found a good
plan to limit the number of servants employed in the stable
as much as possible. The old plan of a syce and a grass-
cutter to each horse is a thing of the past, and the number
of syces or grooms should have reference merely to the
amount of harnessing and out-work necessary during the day.
If one grass-cutter be given to each horse, one syce to
every three horses will, as a rule, be found sufficient. The
syce should be made resjjonsible for the horses under him,
and any complaints he may make about the grass-cutters
should be attended to at once. He is thus placed in a
position of responsibility, and for the extra work involved
may be given a small increase of wage. His duties also
become those of an English groom. Every morning after
breakfest he will come for orders, and again after dinner at
night ; since, if a horse is to be taken out early in the morn-
ing, a good syce will wish to know it, in order that he may
arrange that the animal gets its feed in good time.
The routine of an ordinary Indian stable should be as
follows : At daybi'eak the horses should receive quarter of
their daily allowance of corn, and in hot weather this may be
preceded by a limited drink of water. In cold weather this
is not necessary ; a light grooming should then be given,
night clothing removed, the bedding gathered to one corner,
and the stall cleaned. After this the grass-cutters should go
out for their daily bundle of grass, under orders to return by
twelve. It is not by any means necessary for grass-cutters to
go out every day for grass, as they can quite well cut a double
quantity in the time allowed. In fact, in large stations they
invariably do so, and sell one bundle before returning home.
Supposing, then, six horses are kept, it will only be necessary
for at most four grass-cutters to go out, so that two can
remain to help the two syces.
The syce must be ready at the door to take over the
horses which have been ridden, and he should invariably have
90 The Complete Indian
Page 61
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
5. Hair Wash. — Dissolve in two quarts of boiling water 1 oz. of borax and 2 oz. of camphor ; use to wash the hair, rinsing it well.
The Duties of the "Syce" on Groom. The implements required by the ,«ycc are : —
2 Dusters.
1 Chamois leather. 1 Sponge
1 Burnisher.
1 Body Brush. 1 Mane comb.
1 Set blacking and harness brushes.
The stable may seem outside the domain of the mistress, but as a matter of fact, so many Englishmen in India are over-
Housekeeper and Cook 89
busy, that, unless the mistress keeps an eye on the horses, the animals are apt to be neglected. Now, if the good house-mother’s proudest boast is that not even '“"the cattle within her gate ” fail to feel her kindly care, she will often find it necessary to take an active part in teaching the syce his duty, and seeing that the horses receive proper attention. It will, in the authors’ opinion, be invariably found a good plan to limit the number of servants employed in the stable as much as possible. The old plan of a syce and a grasscutter to each horse is a thing of the past, and the number of syces or grooms should have reference merely to the amount of harnessing and out-work necessary during the day.
If one grass-cutter be given to each horse, one syce to every three horses will, as a rule, be found sufficient. The syce should be made resjjonsible for the horses under him, and any complaints he may make about the grass-cutters should be attended to at once. He is thus placed in a position of responsibility, and for the extra work involved may be given a small increase of wage. His duties also become those of an English groom. Every morning after breakfest he will come for orders, and again after dinner at night ; since, if a horse is to be taken out early in the morning, a good syce will wish to know it, in order that he may arrange that the animal gets its feed in good time.
The routine of an ordinary Indian stable should be as follows : At daybi'eak the horses should receive quarter of their daily allowance of corn, and in hot weather this may be preceded by a limited drink of water. In cold weather this is not necessary ; a light grooming should then be given, night clothing removed, the bedding gathered to one corner, and the stall cleaned. After this the grass-cutters should go out for their daily bundle of grass, under orders to return by twelve. It is not by any means necessary for grass-cutters to go out every day for grass, as they can quite well cut a double quantity in the time allowed. In fact, in large stations they invariably do so, and sell one bundle before returning home. Supposing, then, six horses are kept, it will only be necessary for at most four grass-cutters to go out, so that two can remain to help the two syces.
The syce must be ready at the door to take over the horses which have been ridden, and he should invariably have
90 The Complete Indian