The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-02-22
AGRICULTURAL
PROFIT In Horse Raising /.

There are one-idea men who will not list
en- for moment to an argument in favor of
breeding horses for speed. They point with
holy horror at the gangs of cut-throats that
follow horse racing as profession, and "that
settles it, with them.
That breeding horses for speed has added
greatly TO our agricultural wealth no inteli-
gent and candid man will deny. The breed
ing of any class of domestic animals may be
made respectable or otherwise as the breeder
NAV choose to make it,
To make a financial success Of breeding
fast horses, either trotters or runners, one
needs to be particularly adapted to it aud
have circumstances favorable. Occasionally
a farmer happening to own good mare, by
a chance, fortunate nick, produces a colt
that proves winning trotter: but it usually
passes through the hands of one or more
professionals before it gains ally prominence,
and even than proves as much of mis-
fortuae as the drawing of lottery prize, for
ii frequently turns the heads of many others,
and they set about "raising trotter," and
although they spend large sums of money
and much valuable time, so per cent. of
them fail.
One great obstacle in the way of ordinary
farmers raising trotters is, very few have the
time or ability to develop them, and hence
they must be put into the hands of a profess
sional who often either ruins them or keeps
them back till the owner, disguised and dis
couraged by the expense, sells them for
song.
If the time ana money that has been wastee
during the past twenty-five years in attempt
ing to raise trotters by farmers and others
entirely unfit for the business, had been
used in developing some other class OF horses
their efforts might have been eminently sue
cussful.
There is now, and always will be, a pay
ing demand for large stylish coach and gem
eral purpose horses, weighing from 1900 to
1900 pounds, standing sixteen to sixteen
and half hands high. symmetrical in their
proportion, easy and graceful in their mo-
tons. full of nerve and ambition, but pleas
ant disposition. Such horses will not only
be valuable at home a I'd on the farm, but
will always command ready sale at remun-
erative prices. They command from 5000 to
$1,000 per pair in large cities according to
their size, style, and action. The latter
qualifications depend much upon the train
ing andstitting
Many farmers are capable of handling
probably this class of horses either by
breeding or buying up and fitting for mark
ct, and at the same time doing all ordinary
work on the farm.
Another class of horses always profitable
and requiring less care and time in fitting
for market is the heavy draft. They may be
allowed to run wild till within a few weeks
of sale, or they may be taken up at three
years and worked moderately for two years,
and more than earn their keeping while
maturing into hard horses, and then be sold
at prices ranging from $500 to 5000 per pair
at home.
The general revival of business has in
creased the demand for draft horses with an
advance of from % to so per cent. in price,
which promises to increase with the opening
of business in the spring.
1t is to be hoped that farmers will look 10
their interests and not allow buyers to coax
away a first class brood mare by Offering
large price, nor induced to purchase or use
an inferior stallion by glib tongued sharp
dealer.
''Like produces like" The strong points
of a pure bred sire are sure to be transmit
ted to his offspring be they good or bad.
Breeders must learn that much of success
depends upon the mare, and that the weight
of the stallion is only one essential in the
production of first-class draft-horsfs. He
must have weight and ,lso proportions in
keeping.
The claim that a ''big horse will sell if he
is homely" is a delusion and a snare. A
handsome draft-horse will often outsell a
homely one by hundred per cent.
The science of horse-breeding has peen
carried togreater perfection in England than
in any other country, and one might as well
try to buy one of his children of an English
breeder as his brood mares unless he hap
pened TO have surplus; and in the selection
OF stallion English breeders are very crit
zeal; he must have the requisite weight,
possess all the indications of strength and
endurance, massive shoulders we'll sup
ported with muscle, deep chest, rib and flank
short wide back, and strong loin, long quar-
tiers and heavy stifie, the muscles running
well down to the hook, the bone heavy, the
leg short, fiat, wide and clean, joints strong
but not rough, feet ronnd, moderately large
but not fat, and in texture very rough.
The production Of hair on the legs is a
matter of fashion and varies with the breed
er's fancy in different countries, but the
surplus hair soon disappears when crossed
on other breeds.
With such formation it Is no wonder
that the English horses have attained a
worldwide reputation for indomtable pluck
and iron constitutions
Their characteristics have been fixed by
generations of judicious breeding. They
have been imported to the United States
from time to time since The early settlements
sometimes as Clydesdales and sometimes
under the true name, and have been emf
nently successful in producing lively, strong
horses both for heavy draft and farm pur-
poses.
A careful consideration of how 10 improve
farm horses, and the relative value Of the
different breeds will be profitable subject
for the leisure winter hours.-Prairie Farm
er.