The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-02-01
Aarifultural department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
HORSES FOR BREEDING.
Advice for the Vermont Breeding
AssociOtiOn.


Associotion.
notice in the Rural Of Dec. 1lth, an
article from the New England Farmer,
stating that Horse Stock Company is to
be formed in Vermont. | am very glad
that move of this kind is being made.
In most of the Northern States horse
breeding has always received far too little
attention. Nothing is more important
than that good horses should be bred, and
nothing which the farmer can do is
more renumerative than breeding good
horses. In Vermont and Northern New
York there is so little good blood to be
found, and, as it is expensive to procure
it, think Horse Stock Company with
a capital of from 100000 to $3.50, 900
is just "the one thing needful." Judging,
however, from the article referred to, l
fear that our Vermont friends are in dam
ger of starting wrong. l have spent
much time, not only in the study, but in
the practice of horse breeding, and have
visited some of the largest and most sue
cessfull managed breeding establishments
in this country and ifthe "Green Noun
tain Boys" will allow me, l will give
them-what believe to be-a little good
advice. | am deeply interested in their
scheme, because, if successful, they will
be benefactors not only to the people of
Vermont but to those of other States.
First, [ would advise them to purchase
farm of one thousand acres instead of
three hundred then purchase no horses
of questionable pedigree, no matter how
great their individual merits may be for
all intelligent breeders, both in this coun-
try and in Elrope, give their testimony
to the fact that horses of pure blood be
longing to fast running or trottng fami-
lies even ifthey do not possess these fam
lily characteristics, are far more likely to
be progenitors of fast stock than are very
fast horses Of inferior blood. | take it
for granted that it is not the purpose of
our Vermont friends to breed stock for
running purposes, but fine looking horses
for fast trotting, for the carriage and the
plow.
Now, the question naturally arises,
what breed is best calculated to serve all
these purposes? answer, combination
of different breeds. Our friends need not
import stock from England because as
good blood can be found in the State of
Kentucky and in the counties of Orange
and Westchester, New York, as the Old
World can produce, and can be bought
for much less. On the celebrated Wood
burn farm in Woodford county, KY,
owned by Mr.. Alexander, and on other
farms in the same locality, can be seen
some of the finest thorough. bred and trot.
ting stock in the world. l would 20 to
Kentucky and purchase the thorough.
bred and some of the trotting Stock
the Mambrno Chiefs to Iowa and pur.
chase other trotters-the Bashaws to
Orange or Westchester county, N. Y, to
find still another breed of trotters-the
Hambletonians. These are the three
great trotting families of the world, and
from them have sprung Lady Thorne,
American Girl and Dexter.
The Mambrino Chiefs are large, six.
teen-hand horses, rather coarse in the
head and neck active and cat.like in their
movements, limbs clean and blood. like but
with plenty of bone. The Hambltoniaus
are smaler-about fifteen and one.half
hand horses-and finer boned Both of
these families are descendants of Messen.
gers great son Mambrino. The Bashaws
are about the size of the Hambletonians,
but coarser and more "stocky" Take
stations from these three families and
cross them with thorough bred mares, and
you have three kinds of trotting horses,
all frst-class, which will suit every pur-
chaser.
Now about your thorough bred mares.
as they put the Finish" on your stock,
and give them style and endurance.
would tell our friends to select from two
breeds, viz Lexington and bennington.
! think the latter little the better for
their purposes, as they are larger and
more elegant in form, bennington being
sixteen and one-half hands high. The
American Stars are too small and too
light boned, generally and as all horses
bred for trottng do not make trotters, we
must have an eye to the substantial as
well Lastly, let ME say let "Vermont
breeding mares" and vermont stations"
severely alone
If they will purchase three stations
Mambrino Chief, Bashaw, and a
Hambletonian, and, keeping clear o!
American Stars and other small, light
boned breeds, get thirty mares by Lean.
ington aud ten by Lexington, and give
their business the attention it demands
Vermont will at no very distant day rob
Kentucky of her prestige as the greatest
Of horse breeding States.
VETERAN.
Cambridge, ~ y
We publish by request the above article
from the Rural New Yorker Wepresumt
the gentleman who compose the stock
holders Of the Vermont Horse Breeders
Association. or at least those who are tc
manage its operations, are capable oil
conducting its affairs without great
deal of advice from outside parties. L
not they had better employ some one that
has made some mark as a breeder, to ad.
wise and manage their concerns. But We
venture to predict that if they follow the
advice volunteered by Veteran, they viii
ar surely be beaten by the Vermont
breeding marcs, and Vermont stallion,
they are to let 50 severely alone. W,
very well remember following the advice
of n veteran" from Cambridge, n. Y.
To breed a Messenger mare, owned in ou
family, to eclipse, then kept in our coun
ty but owned in Cambridge, and we alst
have a very lively recollection of thu
trouble we experienced in trying to breal
aud the failure to make anything out o
the produce that was either useful or or
namental and we also remember omit
soil th.t tha p.oJuaa r.ac, tha q, ~