The Portland daily press., 1868-07-06
A HOrse Ralr.

When we recommend horse-fair we mean
such an exhibition as shall tend to improve
our breed of horses and not that kind which
is too frequently attached to the tail end of
agricultural fairs for the purpose of betting
on the trials of speed and encouraging spe-
cies OF gambling which is very far from doing
any good. The less we have of such exhibit
tions the better for the State and Tor the mo-
rails OF the people. The sole object of horse
fair ought to be to improve the breed of that
noble animal and to impart information to
those who are engeged in breeding stock
Our farmers are interested to know the best
means of improving the breed so as to raise
good roadsters, valuable work, carriage and
saddle horses as well as fast trotters or racers
Such is the information needed and such
knowledge horse fairs may be made to give to
all who are really seeking for it.
In taking this view OF the subject we throw
out of the account all horse jockeys and those
who compose what is called the Ring" Such
characters have never done much to improve
our breed OF horses and never viii. They
generally have other fish to fry and other OBJ
jects to obtain. We stand aside and let them
pass. Maine has raised some valuable horses
and has the means of greatly multiplying
them. There are some gentlemen in our
State who have done much to improve our
breed of horses and cattle, and to them we
owe debt ofgratitude Col Thomas s. Lang
of North Vassalboro has done great deal in
this direction and is not yet weary in well do
ing. This gentleman has written letter to
the Maine Farmer in which he recommends
the holding of an exhibition of Maize horses
at some central point in our State the coming
autumn. We trust his proposition will be
adopted and hope we shall have such an ex-
hibition as will give fresh impulse 10 this
subject. We have all the facilities for raising
as good horses as any portion of the world
And we are glad to know that our farmers
are beginning to feel the Importance of pay
ing more attention to the breed of their cat
tie, horses, sheep and hogs than they have III
years past. BLOOD tells" and cur stock
breeders are beginning to find it out. 1t costs
no more to rear valuable COW or sheep, a
good OK or horse, than it does poor ones, and
the profit in the one instance is far greater
than in the other. But there is yet much to
be done before the standard of our domestic
animals is raised as high as it ought to be.
In travelling about the country in Lower
Canada we have often felt sorry when look
ing at their cattle, such poor breed! They
are very small and the same breed brought
over two centuries ago. The French Canadians
work hard in their way, and live very eco
nomically, saving everything and making
the blood of their animals into puddings so
that they can support their priests, the heav-
lest taxes they annually have to pay. True
their coarse wooled sheep make better
mutton than ours. Some of our merino
lambs are little better than woodchucks-
And we can well remember when the domes-
tic animals of our State were not half SO
good as they are now. Our stock is grad
ually improving, and yet there is much room
for further improvement. If our stock
breeders follow up the suggestions of Col.
Lang, we feel quite sure our breed of horses
may be improved. Our people have great
confidence in Col. Lang and well they may
have; for no gentleman has been more in
dustrious and hard-working for. the inter-
ests of the State than he has. And t,.is
horse fair which he recommends, we have
no doubt, will be conducted on fair and hon
orable principles. The object of the propos-
ed Iair is not to make money directly but to
give stimulus to the enterprise of fuIther
improving our breed of horses. Col. Lang
puts the following questions to those who
can look back twenty years to the value of
the best horses of that time as a class and
the value of the same at the present time:
1st. Can beautiful, intelligent, powerful
| horses be produced as a matter OF certainty,
| or nearly so-or are they The chances tor
| which we cannot account?
ID Are you satisfied that fine size, fine col
or, and thorough physical qualifications, for
whatever purposes they are bred, whether
| as gentlemen's carriage horses, runners or
trotting horses, or work horses. are the satis-
| factory characteristics attached to the major
| ity of the horses bred in Maine, and that
| there is no need of study to keep our place
among the breeders OF other localities?
Sd. Has the price or value OF fine horse
or fast one been increased, doubled or more,
by the increased facilities to compare at our
tairs, and is not this influence Enthusiastically
| felt by breeders?
4th. Are not the results sufficient iDcen-
tive to induce every honest breeder and deal
erin spite OF the difficulties in the way, and
the ob,oquy thrown upon horse fairs, an many
cases 1 doubt not justiy)-to Persevere in
their efforts, which IS equally as legitimate as
the fair OF the mechanic, the cattle breeder OF
sheep breeder, or the higher works of art +?
To this end let me refer to one OF the inter
esting features connected with the vast efforts
of the French Government to improve every
branch OF industry within her limits This is