Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1872-11-08
Stutk Raisin9.
ADVANTAGE OF BREEDING LARGE
HORSES.

Mr.. j. j. Parker, who has made one or
two importations of Percherous to this coun-
try, in the course OF recent letter to the
Practical Farmer aludes to this subject as
follows
Whilst 1t may be admitted that want ex-
lists for fast trotters and for the breeding of
English thoroughbrcds, there is evidently
greater want for this horse (the Percheron)
-"thc horse for all work, which combines
in more essential points the wants required
for general purposes, than most stock yet in-
troduced for breeding purposes. The fine style
and action, together with the disposition this
stock possesses, renders it very valuable for
crossing Having tried crossing with blood
cd mares | have found the result satisfactory,
particularly in giving size to stock without
diminution of the speed generally sought for
from blooded stock
The expense of breeding fast stock is 50
considerable, that it is beyond the reach of
most farmers; their interest is there fore
in the raising of an animal that will pay
Large horses are always saleable.
General farmers appear to have progress
ed far enough to understand that there is no
money for them in raising fast or fancy
horses. Very few of them indeed have tn c
mares necessary to go into this sort of bust
ness, or the capital to obtain them and
await results. Aud if they once in while
draw prize from the wheel which contains
so many blanks, they lack both the time aud
experience necessary to train and develop
the valuable qualities of a fine animal, aud
for this reason would be very little better
off if they had them. They have come to
understand this very WE'LL aud very few in.
deed are making further efforts to breed
trotters in opposition to those whose tastes,
experience, and capital enable them to make
it profession. But this is no reason why
they should fall back Oh the Scrubs" TAX.
ing scrubs or common horses as they run,
and their quality is so poor, the supply so large,
aud the price so low, that there is absolutely
no chance, as general thing, Of making ex-
penses in breeding and raising this descrip-
tion of stock. But there are other kinds Of
horses which can be bred with obvious ad-
vantage. If they have good mares Of fair
size they can by breeding to horses Of good
breeding secure colts of proper size, action
and style to meet with prompt sale at
remunerative prices as carriagu-horses, etc
Or if they employ stations Of almost any Of
the heavy draft breeds, they will obtain those
solid heavy animals which are in such de-
mand for express wagons and heavy teanng
all over the country. No one who has not
Investigated the subject can form an inteIli.
gent estimate Of the number Of such animals
which the country can absorb The demand
is everywhere greater than the supply, and is
steadily and rapidly increasing And it is a
demand which, for a great many years at
least, cannot be met. For, aside from the
natural increase in the demand for them,
those already in use are placed at such severe
labor, that they are soon used cp; hence the
old purchasers are soon back in the market
in search of fresh supplies There is nothing
Of the lottery in this sort Of ofbusness, every
horse Of this description which the farmer
can send to market will meet with ready sale,
and bring good round prices. Aside from the
stallion service, the cost OF raising such ami
mails is not particle greater ,han the cost Of
raising scrub which will not bring one-quar-
ter the price when brought to market and
their disposition is such, that they are less
liable to strain and injure themselves while
developing in the pasture, and are more readi-
ly broken aud trained to harness.-Am. Stock
Journal.