Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1854-05-25
AGRICULTURAL.
From the Iowa Farmer.
SELECTION OF HORSE STOCK.

SELECTION OF HORSE STOCK
In The transactions of the Wisconsin
State Agricultural Society for 1882, il
an excellent essay on the Rural Hus
bandry of Wisconsin by Geo. o. IF
fany. Of Milwaukee. On The subject
Of Horses he talks like book, as the
following extracts will show:
"The first consideration is, what kind
OF horse will pay besi? Railroads and
other Improvements in locoTotion, steam
power. &C., have given mankind at the
present age mania for jast conueyance,
whether on land or water, and slow
horses will NO longer nswer the expec-
taiions of purchasers of horse flesh. they
want good one TO go. Those who
a,e not particular about speed. never Do
ject to horse if he happens 10 have IL.
rhe fast horse is the horse for the Amer
lean farmer To raise with profit. All
nature presents to US the fact tina, like
begets like. and when this rule is varied
i, is an exception. In the breeding of
horses. this law is strictly carried out
In almos, every instance celebrated ,rot
Ting horses have sprung from fast stock
on both sides. Trustee, the only horse
which ever iro,,ed twenty miles in an
hour. was from a troiting mare, Fanny
Pullen, and by imported Trustee a fas,
race horse, who was also The sire OF that
fast mare, Fashion Black Hawks was
sired by Andrew Jackson, who was also
the sire of great number of 'rolling
horses. Black Hawk trot,ed mile in
2 m. 40 s. with wagon weighing two
hundred aud fifty pounds. a, that time
The hest heat ever made, considering the
weight dawn. Mack, he grea, CON.
peti,or with Lady Suffolk, is a Messen-
ger horse, and went in 2 IN, 26 g.; the
Lady herselfis is full bred Messenger,
for aught any one knows TO the contrary.
The AbGaiah stock are from the Messen.
ger blood, and all of them go-many
being remarkably fast. The fas,esr
Western tro,,ing horse, O'Btenis, is an
Abdailah Although Messenger was i'm,
ported into The u. States as early as
1871, sixty one years since, his descen-
danis at this day par,ake largely Of his
characteristics. Other stocks OF horses
could be cited to support this position;
the Morgan horse, for instance, is
striking exempllicaiion of our ,heory.-
That color, speed. longevity, vice. defec-
tive vision, and various malformations
in horses are inherited, no observing
man will deny.
In selecting brood mare. as much at
tention should be bestowed ormore than
IN selecting sire. About fifteen and
one-ha hands has been very neal the
heighi Of the most celebrated horses of
our day. They should have good lenp IN
Of body. with clear brigh. eyes, small
head, long neck. oblique shoulder, and
wi'Eers as high as possible. which posi-.
tion OF the shoulder blade allows extern
sIve and safe action. Such horses never
stumble; and if ihev trip will recover,
=alle an animal with an uprigh. shoulder
would come down entirely. High with
ers give room for the attachment aud
length Of muscle which an upright
shoulder canno. have. The oblioue
shoulder is Indispensable for rapi6k safe
and easy motion. The legs should be
and as long from The elbow
Join, to the knee and as short from the
knee to the hoof as possible, this will
also give extensive action TO the fore
parts, which horse could not have viii,
a length from the knee to The hoof equal
10 the length from the elbow to the knee.
The ches, should barrel out back of the
gir,h. aud be large and capacions, both to
give The animal COED health, aud Cause
II to keep easy, as the size OF the ches,
is Of great consequence to the health,
longevity and usefulness of the horse.-
This rar. is TOO specifically noticed by
purchasers in general. The loins should
be broad and we'll covered with muscle.
and 'he haunch-or as it is generally
called. hIp-should be long. to the place
of its termination. The old saying of a
'long- bodied horse. with a shor, back.
and long under belly being good one,
was not withou, truth, as long oblique
scapula. with long hip or haunch
would produce just thai conformation Of
body best suited for speed. Grea: length
from the hip to me eambrel. and shor.
from The gambrel to the ground is also
one Of the best indications Of speed
We see an example in the form Of the
rabbi. and GREYHOUND. By close and
attention to the anatomical con.
formation Of a horee, a person may soon
become better Judge oi capabili,y in the
horse than any one can, who ooes not
take into consideration The important
facts thai all animal mechanism is upon
The same principles that The weigh. To
be moved. and the facility with which
1t is moved. depends upon the length of
the lever and its advantageous position,
and the consequent length Of The mus
cles. which are the pulleys, and by their
action. contraction aud extension, propel
The animal over The ground.
That speed adds 10 and often cons,i
,u,es the sole value Of the horse, in the
estimation Of many, 10 well known.-
An instance now occurs to me: Mr.. S.
b. Davis, of Milwaukee. took to the
New York market last May, a number
OF horses; among which were one pair,
which he sold tor 1900, and single