The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1863-01-24
agricultural.
W hat Horses we Need.

Inc HBTlcul ural cultOr OF the ClDcln-
natl Gazette is furnishing that paper
with series of articles upon the horse.
In regard to the kind Of horses needed
in the United States, he says:
/" The United States is pre- eminen.
for its trottcrs. But there is no breed
of trotters except the Morgans, and the
many names which have signalzcd the
trotting courses belong to the common
stock of the country. They are acct
dental tro tcrs, and their qualiics
developed by superior training. The
moral sentiment of the people is SO hos
tile to the gambling Of the race course,
thai running became unpopular. The
carriage and buggy having taken the
place Of riding on horseback, trotting
was a useful gait, and tro ting races
have been tolerated on account of it,
Hence our sports Of the turf are shown
in these, and the training skill of spor. s.
men directed to trotting horses. We
need skilful breeders to establish a
trotting stock. 1t is true that the
Morgans have much to claim our admira-
ton. For general usefulness they have
no supcriors. Their fast gait, medium
size, endurance and excellent DISPOSE
lion, point them out as the best for
family purposes. But sill, the more
snowy carriage horse, such as Conster-
nation, Messenger, Hamiltonian, High
landers, etc will often command a more
ready sale, and the breeding of these
should command greater attention than
they do. Our fault is too much mixing,
and it is too habitually setting at def
ance the adaptation of the points of the
mare and Stallion to each other. This
evil is facilitated by the numerous
classes Of horses that are here. Our
importations embrace every valuable
kind for every valuable purpose, and
their numerous crosses on The common
stock have given a diversity of forms
and blood that make breeding for
special purposes, such as for the carriage
and buggy, no easy matter. The forms
and blood of our stations generally have
so little 10 do with each oher, that n
Highlander bcgets Diomcdc colt, and
a Morgan shows an understood offspring
wi hout the qualities which are char
&C cr!stic of the breed. Even good
diverse qualities ncutralize each other,
ard the progeny exhibits either none of
The quail les of the parents, or so much
modified as 10 be of little value.
For farming purposes, heavy horses
are not needed. A foot walk in the
pillow is the most useful gait, for expert
mcnts show that the draft of the pillow is
not increased by speed hence it may be
run at the same dcp.h at three miles
an hour, as at two miles, without any
additional strength from lie horse. \
horse, therefore, that will walk three
miles an hour in the plow,..is worth a
third more than one that walks but
two.
A farmer, too, wants horse that will
trot his buggy eight miles an hour; and
fast walking and trotting, with cndur-
ancc, easy keep and kind dispositions,
are the qualities that all wan. y slow
poking plow horse is not desirable for
any purpose, save when the farmer is in
new ground vi h The pillow, and oxen are
better there. Our general breeding
should look to the higher qualities-.o
fast gaits, gentle disposition, nervous
energy and Intelligence, for there is as
great difference in the minds of horses
as in human race.
The two-Aorsc Yankee wagon has
superseded the four horse wagon, because
a quick trip to town, wi h thir y bushels
Of wheat drawn by two horses, is much
better than slow one Of fiji y bushels
with four horses and speed, now-a-dnys
is desirable, even of a Sunday, when the
wagon conveys the family to church.
This is fast age in all things, and a
slow, poking, dull, stupid horse is wanted
nowhere.
That the Government will need many
more horses than it has in past times, is
pretty certain For cavalry, the good
quail les | have particularizcd, are de-
handed. Whe her to rcconnoltre or to
cover retreat, or to pursue retreating
enemy, or to surprise guerrilla parties
for all the purposes Of war, a heavy cav
airy horse is not wanted. Greater
strength is needed for the artillery SER
vice, but even here, speed, too, is de-
manded, and the large, snowy and fast
trotting horse of the carriage, is more
desirable than the slower draft stock.
Even in the dray good walk is i'm
portant, although weight of body is alb
solutely necessary to resist by its mo-
mentum the jaring arising from the une.
ven surface of city pavcmcnts.
nfA :. That Niroiuia noyclrv co1nnol, Of