Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-08-04
Horses.

the spring
SEES. He says:
DTn London there are three general
classes of horses to be seen IN the
streets. The omnibus and cab horses
average, in weight, from ten hundred
and fifty to eleven hundred pounds.
The draft horses are immense crea-
tures-some of them elephantine In
proportions. They were originally
Of Flemish blood, and were so large
as to render it necessary to cross the
breed with the English horses. The
result is somewhat smaller, but every
way a brighter and better horse
What the original Flemish horse
could have been am at loss to con-
lecture, for, really, some of the Lon
don horses would quite place the Her
ring safe mans ponies in the shade.
The third class is made up Of breed
of ponies, or small horses, weighing
not more than five hundred to five
hundred and fifty pounds.
have had no opportunity to learn
what breed of horses they belong to,
but they are too numerous, and too
much alike, not to be of distinct blood.
They have none Of what is known in
America as the "pony build but are
simply small horses, neatly made and
as nimble as foxes. Now, with all
these horses the rule follows that eve
ry pound Of muscle does Just as
much work on the road as two pounds
do in America. The cab and omnibus
horse does twice as much as the same
horse does in America. The draft
horse does as much at the dray as
two ordinary dray horses in America,
and the little horses, which are driven
mainly in butchers carts and grocers'
carts, will tire a cob horse to follow
them with no load at all.
In connection with these statements
it should be recorded that the speed
of all vehicles in the streets of Lon
don, whether the localities be crowd
ed or not, Is at least a third faster
than it is in corresponding streets in
American cities. The ordinary speed
of vehicles in London, in which pas
sengcrs or light loads are transport.
ed, is one which is considered not
entirely safe in Main street, Sprint.
field, Mass, and one which, in some
streets Of Boston or New York,
would be at once checked by the po-
lice. A man who sits in a Hanson
finds himself driven at an unprece-
denied pace through crowded thor
oughiareS, and Yankee though he may
be, he will often wonder whether he
is going to bring up at last without a
broken neck.
| mention this matter of speed,
particularly, because it shows that
even more work is done by one horse
in London, than by two in New York.
He not only draws as large a load,
but he travels with greater rapidity.
The streets Of London present such
spectacle of headlong activity as no
American city can show, in conse-
quence Of the rapid passage Of all
sorts of vehicles through the streets.
| might add to this statement touch.
ing the super or speed Of the London
horses, a word about the greater
weight of the carriages which they
are obGed to draw behind them. All
carriages are built more heavily in
Great Britain than in America. They
are built to last, and many Of then
seem to me to be superhuouSly heavy
The point which | wish to impress
upon my American reader is simply
this that the English horse, employ
ed in the streets Of a city, or on the
roads of the country, does twice as
much work as the American horse
similarly employed in America. This
is the patent undeniable fact. Nc
man can fail to see it who has his
eyes about him. How does he do it
Why does he do it? These are most
important questions to an American
Is the English horse better than the
American? Not at all. Is he over
worked? | have seen no evidence
that he is. | have seen but one lame
horse in London. The simple ex
PLANTATION is that the Englishman ha.
invested in perfect and permanen
roads what the American eXpends il
perishable horses that require to b.
tGd. We are using to-day, in the lit
tie town Of Springfield, just twice u
many horses as would be necesSar,
to DO its business if the roads al
over the town were as good as Mai
street is from Ferry to Central. w
are supporting hundreds OF horses t
drag loads through holes that ough
to be filled, over sand that should b
hardened, through mud that ought nc
to be permitted TO exist. We hay
the misery Of bad roads, aud are a,
tuaIly OF practically called upon I
pay premium tor them. IL wJui
be demoustraDly cheaper to have goo
roads than poor ones. IL Is 50 ncr,
n road well built Is easily kept In T.,
pair. y mile OF good macadamizc
road is more easily supported than
poor horse
Nor BAD.-The New York Time
says: The following are among tn