The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1879-11-06

- - 1l&ss II ~ 40:
A. The EAGLE cifcnlates largely among the
fhrnsrs permit - = litt,e space ~ ssynspsis
Of ~ discusuioa beSors the fansS' club
Lat Saturday. The question "Whst style Of
horse l. most desirable for the sedgwfek
.seunty Shsnss to raissr' vas spsaed ~ +.
70. Fouts. His ideal was horse absut six
teen or sixteen and half hands high, weigh
ing less than 100. Railroads he said had
superseded TIE heavy draft horse. As an
illustration Of this fact he drew an amusing
picture OF the manner Of freighting in vogue
between Louisville and Nashville, thirty or
thirty-6ve years ago. They used the old
fashioned Pennsylvania wagons with bed
pitching up front and rear. Six rses,
weighing about 1,600 each, and wearing
nearly - much harness - would stock >
Wichita saddler's shop, was the propeiling
power. The kreeching passing over the rump
er less than six inches wide. A man six feet
high could stand erect inside the wagon with
the cover on. The driver on the nigh wheel
horse could ride dry from rains under the
front projection, while that in the rear oaers
ample shelter for man on horseback. Those
big DRAFT horses were very necessary there
and lnen, but the iron horse had now driven
them from the track.
Mr.. Williams, the next speaker, endorsed
Fouts' idea OF general purpose horse, and
claimed that draft horses while too heavy and
clumsy to put on the road were also short
lived. He thought the Hambletonian and
Messenger were far more desirable.
Mr.. Ransom thought that the general pur-
pose horse for the average farmer should be
heavier than the speakers recommended. He
would say not less instead of not more than
1900. A grade Norman with good blood Of
some Of the lighter breeds on the other side
pretty well filed his idea Of the horse he
would like to farm with. Where imported
Normans had been patronized by good hardy
mares very useful horse had generally been
the result. The farmer who was breeding to
tast horse with a view to speed only was on
the road 10 ruin and was not generally 1T to
to haze the care Of farm. The man who
owned two or three trotters and runners was
much in the same situation as one with law
suit on his hands, full OF business without
anything else.
Mr.. Thurman had been entertained by the
different opinions expressed; he had heard
much about the kind of horse suitable to
drive to town, ride after the doctor or draw
OF the products of the farm, but there was
something before all this-and that was rails
ing the products. He had been farmer ever
since he was large enough, and had learned
that deep blowing made good crops, and that
good heavy horses made excellent teams for
deep plowing-1,3 $50 or LOO was none too
heavy tor him. A spar. Of horses weighing
two thousand would do teaming on good
roads, or make good time to light wagon or
carriage. A span of two thousand six hun
bred pounds, with good action, would accom-
plish this kind Of work nearly If not quite as
well. while the latter would beat the former
about one half at heavy blowing. He also
drew the attention OF MIR. Williams to the
history of the imported draft horse, Louis
Napoleon, said horse having been in active
service twcnty-0ne years.
Mr.. Platt did not claim to be ycrsed in
horscology, but thought the Morgan horse
was about good enough for anybody.
Mr.. Steenrod said the Morgan was the ia
vorite horse with the farmers in the Eastern
States.
Mr.. Editor, in summing up the above we
can almost tally one for the draft horse.
The noble horse is held in high repute, but
the COW is more useful brute, and Mr.. c. S.
Eicholtz will lead off in pleading her merits
at the next regular meeting OF the club.
REPORTER.