The Republican journal., 1881-09-08
NUMBER 36.
A Half Million in Horses.

The Fashion stud farm, situated about
a mile and a half east of this city, on the
State street road and opposite the coal
| ing station of the Pennsylvania railroad,
| it is believed, has not an equal in this
country, 1t was purchased about ten
years ago by the we'll known horsemen,
Budd Doble, and Charles II. kerncr, for
! II. \. Smith, the prominent New York
banker, amt was not visited by the latter
till nearly a year after it became his
| property. Since that time contiguous
lands have been purchased by Mr., Smith,
until his farm now contains something
over }65 acres, nearly all of which is un-
der the highest condition of cultivation
and through which runs a nevcr-tailing
stream OF water. 1t was not at first Mr..
| Smiths purpose to establish an extensive
| stock farm, but, owning the celebrated
Goldsmith Maid and other fine blooded
horses, he bought the farm on which to
keep and breed them. Becoming more
and more infatuated with stock raising
and breeding, Mr.. Smith has increased
his stables and improved the establish
ment until they now represent a monieG
| value OF about halt Il million dollars, his
| horses alone being valued at 5000, 900
| With the single exception Of Robert Bon
ner, Alr. Smith has probably spent more
| money for horses than any man i'll the
| nited States
With view to laying before our read
ers description of this interesting stock
farm, a reporter of the State Gazette re
| Gently made i visit thereto. The first
thing to which the reporters attention
was directed was the spec ling Of Ebony,
4 handsome Knox colt, al Il Dutch Girl,
on the mile track. Then the large square
building used for offices, harness and
carriage rooms etc, adjoining the grand
stand, was visited On the ground tIoor,
facing the track, is the reception room,
whose tinenc>s OF finish almost beggars
description. Its ceiling is very high and
the whole is finished in oak. The walls
are covered with heavy English leather
| paper. The elaborate mamtel Is Of oak
with unique tiling, and the furniture is
rich, heavy and antique, and upon the
floor is a gorgeous Wilton carpet Just
back OF the reception room is the office
and harness room. finished in oiled pine
amt handsomely furnished. In the rear
OF this room is the large carriage rep0sj-
tory, also finished in oiled pine The
second story contains large hall which
will be fitted up for Il billiard ROOM and
ten bedrooms elegantly furnished for the
accommodation Of invited guests. ON this
IlOor IS also the room of the veterinary
surgeon. In the cupola ot this building
is a tank, made Of bOilcr-iron, with ca
| paclty of $500 gallons, which is kept fill
ed by q steam pump in the basement,
which has a capacity Of $50 gallons per
minute. The water is obtained from a
we'll - feet deep and 9 feet in diameter,
and holding 5000 gallons To further
guard against fire, five lire plugs are
| contiguous to the stables and are supplied
| with about 400 feet of hose Iu addition
\ to this, the Trenton fire department. could
/ be summoned by telephone. In the eel
lar OF the carriage house, besides the force
4 pump, is steam engine and boiler, which
| heats the building and cooks the food for
/ the horses, Besides this structure there
are the following Main barn, with ~
box and 10 single stalls the colt barn,
with u box stalls, capable Of holding l.
colts: the training stable, with 81 box
stalls; the grand stand barn, with II
! box stalls. for brood mares and colts; the
stallion stable, Withtiye box and siN single
stalls; the grain barn, recently built by
! Cubberlv y kattey, and probably the
| largest barn in this section; the COW
! barn a barn tor the farm work horses
and mules; q barn for farming nipple
mcnts the blacksmith shop; grand stand
/ with seating capacity Of 2.OOO AIr.
! Smiths residence near the race track.
/ which he occupies about three months
| each year: General Manager Riddles
I residence near the entrance and tCuI
/ other residences for employees. Inside OF
the large square formed by the Stock
barns are large and substantial paddocks
| in which to exercise the horses in the
| winter. Inside Of the square formed by
the paddocks is 4 manure pit six feet
| deep and l30 feet square. with 4 cement
1 bottom, Into this pit ali the manure is
/ deposited daily. The proprietor ot This
/ grand establishment, II. \. Smith, as we
| said before, is Il prominent New York
/ banker, and except in the summer re-
sides 1T Fifth avenue and Folty-liltll
street in the city named He N in the
prime Of life and his wealth is estimated
at over a million dollars. lie is d thor
ough lover Of horses, and while he spends
hundreds Of thousands Of dollars iii de-
| VelOping superior stock, he is in no sense
a gambler or jOcky. Thus far bis stables
are believed not to have been sclt-sus-
tanning, but they are now rapidly be
coming 50. Among the horses many of
which have a world wide reputation, are
four service stallions, twenty-one Year
ling colts and iillies, sixteen 2-yclr-olds,
thirteen 3-year- oIds and thirty-hye brood
mares, altogether, with number OF
boardcrs, making about $50 head of su-
pcrior blooded stock. The most noted
animal on the Fashion Stud farm is Cold
smith maid, who Was foalcd in l157. and
has a record Of 2:14. Trenton State
Gazette