The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1874-12-19

Communicated.
Breeding Horses.

OOtsSso3 AAOSC Ccs
Under the heading of EAST Horses" is a state |
ment of the prices given for good and fine look
ing carriage horses, and from other accounts it |
appears to be true that fine stepping and styl-
ish horses are very ready sale indeed as also
are heavy, active cart horses, or draught horses
as the Americans term them.
When younger man was very fond of good
horses and used to purchase young ones which |
were bred in Yorkshire, for lived in England,
and that county produces more fine horses than
all the rest of England combined, and from
having resided and farmed in Maryland can
say without hesitation that there is no State
north of it so well adapted for the breeding Of
the equine race, the climate being as suitable
as possible, for horses when we'll fed require
very little shelter and there is no expense of
freight, &C., to reach the high priced markets.
l am now in Canada, and although the cold is
very severein comparison with Maryland, there
are thousands of brood mares and shame to say
great number of colts which lie exposed in
all weather showing what an exceedingly hardy
animal the horse is. But of course those treat
ed in this way are not the high priced animals
any enterprising breeder would produce, but
nevertheless costing so little to raise, for thous
ands sell at three years old from $50 to 500
only and very few of them exceed $40, unless
showing speed.
The breeder in Maryland would of course
give his colts nice warm yards with comforta-
BILE sheds around, where they would do we'll
in cold weather and his brood mares should
have yard too with straw to feed on and
a rough pasture to run over in the day, for it is
ridiculous to feed grain or any strong feed to
mares with foal, as they will suckle their colts
better if given little bran about th~ s;=1o Of
foafing than many other feed whatever. OF
course giving them after they have foaled some
nice green hay which was made from grass cut
young. But when grass comes nothing else is
required till the autumn when the colts should
have oats and bran, for the first winter starts
the animals safe through the rest of its colthood
if sensibly managed through that. This is the
time the Northern men ruin their colts. They
stable them and actually have them brushed
and dressed like horses in work, and a more
miserable, hollow coated looking set of animals
can scarcely be imagined, and this is said with
knowledge, for have seen colts in April and
May in Connecticut which had to be helped up
when lying down, and colts in Duchess county,
N. Y, kin to 1000 horses, which had been
groomed all winter, yet were rougher than
some of the Canadians which had been out all
winter, and these were full of lice, too, and had
to be washed, &c., time after time, while colts
well fed and treated naturally never suffer
from lice at all. Another matter in breeding
tending to prosperity is to have the colts come
early in the spring, for when colts can be wean
cd and be strong and accustomed to eat bran
and oats early in the autumn the chances are
all in favor of their growing and doing we'll
through the winter, then coming out healthy
and growing at the time grass comes there is
no more danger of misfortunes, for the animals
are safely landed on a sure footing to become
such horses as the breed of the mares and the
stallion warrant them to become.
The stallion ought to be selected with great
care and judgement, for his influence will be
felt on the whole of the colts, and supposing
there be fifty bred per year, or say only thirty,
just consider how it will pay to give a good
price for horse which is to sire the number
bred. good thoroughbred with fine knee ac-
ton and without white on his legs or face
would be well, and mares of a large frame and
ola fine stylish appearances as half bred between
heavy draught mares and pure breds would
give size and the thoroughbred stallion, which
of course should be from the English descend
ants of the Arabs, as they have been improved
1ti1I for 10 h.
who have seen the imported Arabians of the
present time will know, for although Arabia
and Turkey nave Deen searched carefully
through by English sporting characters with
out the slightest limit to the cost Of the animals
said to be the best in those countries, yet on
comparison in speed they are found to be def
cient and lacking in everything but the game
and indomitable pluck which is the character
istic of the race and all the descendats not al
Logged with common blood.
Maryland and Virginia might become ia
nous for breeding horses of great merit the
same as Yorkshire is in England, and although
in the run it is pretty certain the plan advised
above would prove to be the most profitable,
yet those who are fond of greater speculation
and think themselves favored by "good luck"
may, perhaps, be iorturate in raising some 500,
900 horses by using trotting stations and mares
that are thoroughbred, or very nearly 80, and
there is great inducement to breed trotters,
there being such chance and lottery kind of
influence throughout, for every now and then
some common mare will produce an extraordi-
nary luminary in the sporting world. How
ever, it is wise to buy mares having good blood
in them for admitting chance will sometimes
produce a wonderful good animal, it is perhaps |
only once in life time such a result follows |
the mating of mares without some really good |
breed in them.
Ifany gentleman should prefer another course
of breeding there are still other varieties which
will pay well for the heavy draught horse, such |
as the Clydesdale, Percheron and the English |
cart horse, all of which command O very re. |
munerating sum for breeding. Then there are |
ponies which are very small, two or three of
which could be produced ready for sale at
about the same cost as one large horse and any |
Of the varieties mentioned would pay quite as
well as mules, and everybody knows the breed |
ing of them must pay or Kentucky would not |
produce such numbers. Before closing these |
remarks it will be right to conclude with
caution that pastures should be grazed with at |
least an equal number of the bovine race, as
horses sicken of grass grown after their own |
dung and urine. ~
Common Sense IN PgOaUing.
Teams drawing loads on the road get breath |
inr.snall on the dascandinr nronnd ruhilo II, [