Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1867-09-27
AarirnIturaI.
VKRMoNr srATE Fam.

There was e meeting on Tuesday evening.
Sept. 10th, at the Town Hail. Brattleboro, Tor
the purpose Of discussing the question, "What
lie the most profitable breed Of horses for Yer
mont and how shall they be bred and trainedi'
MIR. L. T. Tucker Of South Royalton com
menced the discussion by stating the great inn
pottance to every farmer and stock breeder IN
the State Of securing just such information as
was contemplated in the question proposed.
He supposed that fully one fifth Of the whole
money value of live stock in Vermont was in
vested in horses. OF the horses raised 10
Vermont, not more than one-fourth are used
in the State, the remaining three fourth being
sold for use out of the State. He regarded
the roadster as the best breed Of horses to-
be bred and raised in Vermont, and also the
most profitable. The Middle and Western
States can produce better draft horses thanVer-
mont can, but the soil and the water Of these
hily regions are just what are needed to pro-
duce feet and wiry horses for travel on the
road. Mr. Tucker was Of the opinion that
what may be called the Vermont breed OF hor-
ses are the best hortes to be raised ia theS tate
He deprecated the custom Of selling the best
stations and brood mares and keeping the
poorest ones. The very best maIes and stall
lions and brood mares and keeping the poorest
ones. The very best mares and stations
should be kept for breeding, but If the practice
of selling the best and keeping the poorest is
continued, the State will certainly lose her
prestige In the horse market.
He regarded any breed Of horses less than
fifteen and e half hands high and weighing less
than ne thousand pounds as fellow the present
market stand, and therefore unht TO be raised.
II people raise horses that do not come up TO
this standard they will have TO search after
customers. 1t was true that the Morgan breed
Of horses did not come up to this standard, but
that did not prove that increased height and
weight would not be an advantage. Attention
must also be paid in breeding to style and
speed. Within the last few years the demands
of the people in regard to speed had entirely
changed. There are very few men now who
care TO buy a horse at any p'ce that cannot
trot mile in four mnutes. More money is
annually paid for fast horses within a ten mile
radius Of New York than is realized for all the
horses sold in Vermont People who raise
horses and want to sell them must raise such
horses as people want to buy, aud, therefore,
speed must be regarded by breeders. A first
class ,rotter is always a first class horse, an d
the best trotting horse is the best horse for
Vermont men to raise. Flora Temple was for
meIly kept in q livery stable and was a avorite
speed, was so gentle that woman could har-
ness ner and drive her anywhere. The original
Morrill, horse was worked for two years in an
OK cart fitted up with shafts before he was
a trotter. Just as long as the American nation
is prosperous, American people will nave Il
fancy for trottng horses for outdoor recrea-
ton, and there need be no fear OF the market
running out. The three things necessary for
good trotter and good horse are energetic
disposition, gait, and docilty in harness.
Mr.. Tucker expressed his opinion that faster
and better horses can be raised in Vermont
than in Orange county, New York. or Long
Island, If the proper attention was only paid.
He himself once owned Draco Prince, and
sold him for $3.50 and few days ago his
owner was offered S35 900 for him. He ur-
ged the importance of forming an association
of horse breeders in Vermont, ar he believed
that by that means horses raised and trained |
here could be sold at as high figures as any
in the country. Unless some pains were taken |
to raise horses that could meet the demands of
the public. the money paid for frst-class horses
would go to some other place Than Vermont
Mr.. L. S. Stowell of Cornwall was the next
speaker and be made some statements showing
how it had been that the Vermont horse rais
ers rad lost the command Of the market. The
Morgan horses were good horses for stage
coaches, but railroads had superseded stages
and Morgan horses. The Black Hawks made
very good appearances in carriage, but they
were not fast enough to suit the city markets.
He believed that the Orange county Hamble-
tonian horse was the best horse for Vermont
to raise, and the only way to regain control
Of the market was to get the best horses pos
sible and Keep them and breed ON them.
Hewas opposed to trying to make trotters out
of young horses, for he thought they needed
to have strength and pluck before the severity
of that training could be safely resorted to.
He urged tie importance Of giving increased
attention to the subject Of breeding horses,
and expressed the hope that the people Of
Vermont would soon look to this subject as it
deserved.
Mr.. George C. Hall OF New York said he
had owned two Vermont horses Panic and
Rattlesnake--that had been faster thin any
Hambetcnian horses, except three. He was
decidedly in favor Of commencing to train hor-
sea when quite young, provided they were
trained inteligently. In regard to the temper
of the Hambletonian horses, he said that Dex-
ter was very unsafe horse to drive, and pro-
badly Mr.. Bonner would never pull rein
over him. Bruno has run away with all his
owners who ever attempted to drive him once
He thought that Vermonters had better look
for better tempered horses than these to
breed from.
Mr.. Stowel, who had advocated the
Hambletonian breed Of horses, thought that
perhaps the early training of those horses for
trotters had operated unfGvorably upon their
disposition.
The meeting was not very largely attend
ed, but those who were present generally ex-
crossed themselves as strongly impressed with
the importance of the question discussed, and
determined to do all In their power to make
Vermont the supplier of horses for the
world
For thaI