The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-10-25
Horses.


will hold LES bushels.
Horses.
The following is taken from an adj
dress recently delivered before the Cen
trail Michigan Fair Association. by Hon.
Zach Chandler, late Secretary of the
Interior:
The horse is said to be the most no
BILE of the domestic animals. He does
not feed man like the OK or the hog.
nor does he clothe him like the sheep:
but no man. particularly farmer. is
contented to be without horse. A man
driving a good horse. that he is proud
of as his own property, always reminds
me of a boy with his first pair of new
boots. There is real pleasure and en-
joyment in it. More attention has been
given generally to improving the breed
OF horses in this country than of other
animals, but there is still room for great
improvement
A large majority of the horses in the
country are of mixed blood. or of al
most unknown blood, and are wanting
in many of the qualities that horse
should possess. Among our most valued
horses we frequently find that strength
and endurance have been sacrificed to
secure mere hghtness and fleetness OF
limb. but a racehorse or fast trotter
of the type usually seen is not a profit
able horse for farmer TO keep. A
farmers work is principally on his
farm and not on the road, and the horse
that is most profitable for him TO keep
is one in which strength of limb and
muscle are predominant qualities. The
general system of premiums for horses
is not what it should be. and want to
see an improvement in it. do not re-
fer specially to the premiums offered
BY the Agricultural Society here more
than to those of other places. 1t is
often the case that the highest premium,
as at the late State Fair, is offered for
horse that will trot mile the quick
est with light sulky. Now. 1 ask. is
horse that can trot mile in 2:20.
with no load, worth any more to a
farmer than one that will trot in four
minutes? What YOU need is horse
that will walk off rapidly with ton, or
trot ten miles an hour with a light load
and continue the gait at that average
for FIVE or six hours, if necessary. Let
your system of premiums embrace
something of this kind, viz:
Offer the best premium for the horse
that win walk mile the quickest with
a load of two or three tons, or will trot
mile the quickest with load of one
ton
1t may not be practicable to offer
premiums for other actual work. like
blowing. ETC., but the class of horses
that would compete for the premiums /
have mentioned would win a premium
for any kind of farm or road work.
l repeat, that the highest premiums
should be offered for horses that can do
the best work in any useful occupation,
instead of for horses that are mere
highfiyers that no one would think of
putting before a load and here permit
me to say that farm horse does not
want to be all neck, chest and legs,
nor of breed that is always hungry
and never fat No. The farmer wants
a horse that is easy to keep and good
for work. powerfully built and well de-
veloped in every part A handsome
head. ears and neck can be found on a
good-sized, well-proportioned body,
with strong muscular legs. the animal
throughout presenting a picture of
strength and endurance and not want
ing in good and sufficient degree of
speed.
In England horse is generally con-
sidered worth but little unless he is
a rapid trotter, or good
hunter. Every other quality is consid-
cred subordinate to that of speed and
ability to clear five-barred gates, hedges
and bitches, in pursuit of the fox or the
hare. Adopting the English custom,
we understand that the most valuable
horse is thoroughbred animal, race
horse, or fast trotter with long ped
igree in the stud-book, as if the great
object, if not the only object, in improv-
ing horses was to insure greater speed
The horse surpasses in feetness all
animals that man has trained for use
in subduing the forces of nature, and
the time has been when the horse was
the only dependence of man in making
rapid journeys from one part of the
country to another: but to-day the rail-
road and locomotive engine have su-
perseded the horse as means of rapid
transit between the cities and large !
towns Of the country. and fast horse |
Is not now so much necessity as q !
strong and enduring one.
Rapid walking is a very desirable |
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