The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-08-29
Interesting Chapter about Horses.

RICHMOND, August -. 1872
Editors Dispatch Aproros ol your af'i-
rIe in the WsDottt of yesterday upon fancy
rn,iccs for horses, / take pleasure i'll giving
The following information, which nope WIFI
20 little way in correcting II popular
error: ,,,
The prices arc not fancy. AZ rule. horses
i'm every grade are bought and soltt H. near
what they are worth us can be asceitlthea-
lust rs real estate, merchandise, stocks, anu
bonds are bought. Let me illustrate: A "'
in Wall street, New York, Is sold for Sloo,
uU0-which is ut the rate of 81 ,Guu,oOo per
acre. What al Uncomfortable price Is this Tor
mere land agricutlrally considered! But
its agricultural value is not i'll any part I'LL
element of its value. 1t has simply CONNER
cial uses. and these commercial uses make
the land cheap. So cutlery Tan be wrought
so fine and of such high temper that IL
scarcely bears relation to the crllde iron
out of which it was wrought. Diamonds
are but pure carbon. But civilization anu
its necessities have given definite value To
diamonds, and cutlery, and city real estate,
and every other understandable article and
production that marks the progress AND IT,
linclnents of the times.
AT the sale of the Middle Pnrk stud Blair
Athol sold at about s65, Zoo. Was this more
than his real value? As Il mere pecunialy
transaction | should say not. Blair Athols
earnings approximate yearly ST. 1000. -Four
years of these earnings will cXtlnGulsll the
cost, and thencctorward all his earnings Will
be profit, besides the chances OF producing
his successor, and perhaps his superior. I'D
this latter event he has preserved the capllai
In TACT ind his entire net earnings may De SCI
down Us profit.
In this country Lexington las been worm
a net sum of Sl50.OO0 to Mr. AieNahusi'
bennington is equal to fortune 'oi Ml.
WEIGH, and the same may be said OF .Il"llt
BasSett and Longteow and Kentucky n,'o
Bonnie Scotland, ETC., to their fortunate pos
SCISSORS. IL any Of these owners sold their
valuable property for less than their COM
mercial values it would be an act of lunacy.
And the same rule holds in regard to trot-
tiers. You say $4,000 for Dexter was indeed
Z fancy price. Not at all. His owners knew
his value, and Mr.. Bonner drove hard baI-
gain and got d cheap horse. Dexter was
then king OF the trottlng turf, and for four
wears his record stood invincibe; and DUR
ing these four years his winnings upon the
turf, in first or second money, would doubt
less have approximated $4,000. Gold
smith Maids winnings have exceeded tins
figure since Dexter was withdrawn. tn this
bear in mind that the trottlng
race is broader and deeper American pas
sion aud pastime than the running race. AT
all the large cities, nearly all the larger
towns, and in nearly all the counties. trot-
ting meetings are held, and ANNUALLY over
81 100000 is distributed in purses to first,
second, third and fourth horses. The peo-
pie Of the United States yearly pay over TWO
and u half million dollars to witness these
races, which goes TO uphold the park grounds,
pays interest, profit, and expenses, and holds
up large sums to be distributed to tue OWN
ers Of The tleet-footed animals.
Besides his value ~ a racer, the American
trotting horse has vast utility for carriage,
park, saddle, and road purposes. Let any
observant person spend q dry at the Central
Park and The adjacent drives in New York
and Westchester, apd one Of the wonders
that he will see will be over s., 100000 worth
OF 1iect, beautiful horses-American trotters
in every stage of perfection and develop
lnent. These will pass in review, and the
spectacle win be such as never blessed the
human gaze until this age, for they nSe the
fastest, and gamcst, and bandSomest of all the
generations OF equine flesh since tho begin
ming sfreeerdeS time; and what may be Heen