Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-02-03

When 1 was a boy, living in New
England, there was significant
phrase in familiar use there, and
applied to old, broken-down horses,
''He is good old has-been." Here
i'll New York there might be intro
duced an equally significant phrase,
''He is a good to-be." l have heard
Of good many horses that were
going to beat Dexter's time. This
one, that, and the other were going
to do it. Notwithstanding these
portentious announcements, the sim:
pie fact remains indisputable that
at the close of the trotting season,
and in the closing month ofthe year
1870, no horse has beaten Dcxter's
time. The best judges say that
there are several horses in my sta
BILE more likely to do it, if it ever be
done, than any other horses known.
see that you have an account by
your New York correspondent of
one of these multitudinous going to-
be prodigies, that are going to do,
or are about to do, the thing that
ever as yet remains undone. The
colored people of the South have
habit of saying "W:.ite man very
unsartin." Now, horsemen pretty
generally understand that timing
quarters with white handkerchief,
as was the case in this instance, is
"very unsartin" also. 1t is some
thing like the printing in the old
fashioned alnanacs, stretched along
opposite to three weeks date,
"Rainy, weather about this time"
Besides, it is very convenient kind
of timing for breeders to sell colts
by. l would give almost as much
for it as l would to see colt trot
loose in an open field. Moreover,
this method of timing is admirably
and peculiarly adapted to timing
colts out of Clay mares-and that is
the breeding of the one your CORES
pendent writes about-because, to
make the Clays appear very fast, es-
peclally after they trot one quarter,
which generally eXhausts them, the
more uncertain the mode of timing
them is the better. When your
correspondent states that Mr.. Back
man has "the fastest horse liz the
world" he shows how egregiously
he has been misintormcd. Mr..
Backman himself would laugh At
the absurdity Of such an idea. He
makes no pretensions to anything of
the sort. He has, it is true, 4 SUI
perior collection of brood mares;
and fortunately for him but few OF
them have any Clay blood-so def
cient in lasting qualities-in their
veins.
Speaking of this Clay blood,
correspondent of the .7"rf, F1eh
md Earm tells the following story
as 0propos to it:
''Now it is with the Clay blood
a good deal as it was with the old
farmer who recommended sawdus'
and meal to tatten hogs. you don,
say So exclaimed an eager skintlin'
listener. why, how do YOU mix it:
oh replied the farmer, Il am not
very particular, l generally mix
mine half and half. 1t don't matter
much, only the less sawdust the
better"
1t seems to me-and no well-in
formed horseman can question the
correctness OF the opinion-that
YOU want to breed horse that will
90 mile at the highest rate OF
speed, it will not do to have an,
blood notorious for quitting in him,
and that the old farmers rule fol
mixing sawdust-namely the less
sawdust the better-applies perfect
ly to the Clay blood.
In conclusion, let me predict that
if ever DeXter's time is beaten, ii
will be by one of my own horses.
Joe Elliott, who has made the fast
est mile, with full weights, this sea
son, and Of whose breeding Como
dore Vanderbilt himself thinks so
highly.
ROBERT BONNER.
Boston Journal.