St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-05-18
Description Of @. A. De CRAFTS Farm
How He Breeds Trotting Stock
Out of Doors.
Brood Mares and Youngsters Bred in Sheds
in Winter with Mercury Thirty
Below.
The Palo Alto Stock Two Year-O 1ds
that Trot Fast--The Orloff
TrOtter.
Big Price for the NutwOod and Pan.
coast Produce--The Midway
Stables.
It Can be Done.

| 1t Can De DOnes
To the Turf Editor of the Globe:
| The discussions of late in journals de-
voted to breeding interests OF the open-alr
and Open-Shed system in the care OF blooded
| stock in Minnesota III winter, as practiced
| by G. A. De Graft Of Lake Elysian farm
near GAINESVILLE, Waseca county, inaugu-
rated by the unfavorable criticisms of M.
| L. Grattan of Preston, created in me an
ardent desire to visit Elysian and personally
| investigate the workings of the system.
| That desire was gratified last week. 1
reached Elysian the afternoon of the 10th,
and spent nearly two busy days in inspect
| ing the stock and studying the results
achieved by Mr.. De Graft under his system.
| To premise, may be allowed to state
| that no MinnesOtian needs to be told that
| the past winter was one of the most severe
in intensity of long-continued cold and
| high and piercing winds known to the old
est inhabitant, while the spring thus far
| has been unusually cold and backward.
Such condition of climatic surroundings
during the winter and spring will be recOg-
nized as furnishing most severe test OF
MI. De CRAFTS system, and good results
| following-healthy stock in excellent flesh
| and bodily vigOr, and strong, robust and
| active foals-it should be admitted with
general unanimity that, as practiced by Mr..
De Graft, the system is proving success.
In giving my conclusions OF the practical
results achieved by Mr.. De Graft, desire
to state that they are based on what / per-
sonally saw and investigated. Before go
ing into the details of what l did and saw
during my visit, brief description of Mr..
De CRAFTS breeding operations, farm, build
| inUC At0 will NOT hp ont Of 1l1Qon
THE FARM CONSISTS
of 2, $40 acres. 1t came into Mr.. De CRAFTS
| hands by purchase directly from the In
dians, it being portion of the old Winnie
bago reservation, he securing it in
1862, when the reservation was aban-
dOned. 1t lies to the south of Lake Ely
acres in extent, one section lying to the
west of the thriving village of GAINESVILLE,
and the balance to the south and southwest
of the village. The outlet of the lake runs
in southerly direction through the entire
length of the farm, dividing it east and
west nearly in the center, and finally emp
ties into the LIE Sueur river. This outlet,
which is nice running stream with gray
ely bottom, is lined on both sides, with
varying widths of bottom lands between, by
bodies OF maple, oak, poplar and cotton
| wood timber, of which there is some 300
acres. Fifteen years ago the entire area
was wild land. Now there are upwards of
800 acres under pillow, the crops being corn,
oats and roots, and it is the home of some
500 head of blooded stock, horses,
cattle, sheep and swine. All of the
land, except that under pillow, has been
seeded to timothy, red top and blue grass,
| tall of which grow luXuriantly, especially
he latter. In the timber all the under
rush was cleared out before seeding, and
| It now furnishes most excellent pasturage
| 'he season through, with the added advan-
| tage of furnishing splendid shade in the
| summer days and wind breaks in the win
| ter.
The main buildings of the farm are locat-
| ed near the center on the east side of the
outlet of Lake Elysian, and about mile
south of the village OF GAINESVILLE. The
main farm house is a two story frame,
built in 1869, painted white with green
blinds, and stands ON a slight elevation
facing the west, and about twenty rods back
| from the county'road, which runs through
| the farm from north to south. The grounds
surrounding the house have been laid out
handsomely with flowers and shrubbery,
hard and soft maple trees, Norway pine,
etc. The county road on both sides has
also been lined with young naples and cot
tonwoods, which in the years to come will
| furnish a beautiful shaded drive through
| the entire length of the farm. Immediately
| back of the main farm house Mr. De Graft
| has his business office, and still back of this
| is frame tenement house, painted white,
| for help. Three-Quarters of mile to the
south is another house for the use of the
| farm superintendent.
THE STABLES
are short distance to the east of the main
| farm house, standing on elevated ground
| slOping away to the SOUTH and together
| forming two sides of hollow square. The
| structures are painted dark red, with
white window carvings with center and end
| cupolas, giving them very handsome APP
| pearance from either close OF distant
| point Of view. The main structure is a
| large affair, for both horses and cattle,
built in the form of a letter T. Another
stable is the brood mare department, cut up
| into box stalls connecting with paddocks;
another for the blooded cattle, Short Horns
and Attorneys, and still another for the
young choice-bred horses. Then there are
sheep sheds, pens for the swine, repair
shops, root houses, ETC., the whole forming
| quite little village. The stables all have
hay lofts and are supplied with all the most
| approved appliances for securing light and
ventilation, and also for supplying the ami
mails with food and removing the droppings,
while pure water is supplied in the greatest
abundance by means Of pipes running from
a great tank kept constantly full by NAM
moth windmill.
| Mr.. De Graft conducts his large farm on
strictly business principles, himself closely
| cir fbo Tho FORM, Hr,fioc
| divided, Mr.. A. Gum, most careful, reli-
able and intelligent gentleman, having the
| superintendent of the stock department.,
with Mr.. A. Nelson, driver and trainer of
| long experience, in charge of the develop
| ment of the young stock. There is also a
| superintendent of the farm department
proper. Each of these superintendent has
| his own force offsubordinates, SO that all
the work moves forward with perfect sys-
| tenn and the regularity of clock work.
| Mr.. De CRAFTS breeding operations en-
brace four classes of blooded animals trot-
| ting horses, Short Horn and Attorney
cattle, SOuthdown sheep and Berkshire
swine. AT the head of his trotting stud
stands the standard sire Alexander 491, as
sisted by Railroad 1869, his son, and We
Jesse, new candidate for stud honors he
doing his first and limited service this sea-
son. Alexander is a bright bay, 16 hands,
foaled in 1868, by Goldsmith's Abdallah
1859, son of the great Volunteer SIS, dam
Bay Fanny, dam of Resolute, record 2:27al,
by Richards Bellfounder SO, son of Hun
gerford's Butcher, by Butcher, son of
Duroc by imp. Diomed; second dam Lady
Mary by Singleterry's Rather, son of Rob
Roy: third dam Old Kate, bred in Connec-
ticut and said to be strong in Messenger
blood. Alexander is horse of extra fine
style and action, and a trotter, as is proven
by his record of 2:2S34, made in stud con-
ditiOn, while his power to transmit speed is
shown by the record of 2:25A of his son