St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-05-25
A Description Of George ". sherwood's
Stock Farm and the Splendid
Stock on It.
Woodford Wilkes, Baymont and Memory
---How These Stations Appear
at Home.
The Nutwoods Coming to the Front
---Mr. Radclife's Idea About
Training Colts.
Johnston, the Great PAGER, Still Has
His Wonderful Speed---Kttt-
sons Driver.
Sherwood stock Farm.

Sherwood stock Farm.
To the Turf Editor of the Globe:
Two hundred and twelve miles south
from ST. Paul and fifty-six north from
Sioux City, on the line of the Chicago, st.
Paul & Omaha road, and at its junction
with the Southern Minnesota division of
the Milwaukee & st. Paul road, is the Iowa
village of Sheldon, quite prettily located
and thriving little burg OF some fifteen hum
dred inhabitants. Attracted by the beauti-
full lay of the prairie land and the richness
of the soil about Sheldon, George w. Sher-
wood of the firm of Reed d Sherwood, st.
Paul, purchased some nine years ago GAO
acres two and quarter miles west OF the
village. This purchase is what is known
to-day as the
SHERWOOD STOCK FARM.
When Mr.. Sherwood purchased the land
it was with the intention of conducting
grain farm. but the failure OF his first years
seeding opened his eyes to the uncertainty
of the crop. and turned his thoughts in the
direction of stock breeding. For COM
mencement he purchased two stations,
Referee by ROYAL Hambletonian, dam by
Richard Sands imp. Turk (Arabian), and
Walter Ferris by Swigert, dam Puss Ferris
by Wager (thoroughbred), and four mares,
the best Of whom was Molly Martin by Old
Mack, record 2:31A, dam Lille Dale by
son of Abdallah, a large, fine mare, and
quite trOtter. Mr.. Sherwood was not
long in learning the lesson that to succeed
in his breeding operations, he must ignore
mixed blood, and direct his energies to pro-
ducng the puIest and best OF certain strains.
He decided that the most desirable horse
for this locality was large and fine road
IL 10 Il ~ liz
was to act, and so it happens that to-day,
only eight years later, Walter Ferris and
Referee, with their combination of trotting
and running blood, having given place to
three
STANDARD-BRED TROTTING SIREs.
while the four brood mares, of more or less
faulty breeding, have grown by judicious
purchases and breeding into tWenty-nine
grandly-bred animals, by such standard
sires as Hambletonian, Ashland Patchen,
Star Chief, Alden Goldsmith, Swigert, Mil
waukee, Gov. Sprague, George Sprague,
Hospodar, Charles Backman, Hughey An
gus, Baymont, etc. While thus aim ing
to get the best-established trotting blood
strains in his DAMS Mr.. Sherwood has also
been particularly careful to secure mares of
substance, large and well-forlned bodies,
good heads and neclS, strong legs and
sound, well-Shaped feet. so that he now has
an extra fine lot OF matrOnS with which to
couple his choicely-bred and elegantly
formed stations. A brief letter. such as
this must necessarily be, will not allow of
any extended notice OF the sires now doing
duty at this farm and to the student of
breeding no description is necessary, the
mere mention of their blood combinations
showing them born kings in the trotting
family. At the head in point of service is
BAYMoNT 1927,
son of Alden Goldsmith 733, by Volunteer
55, the greatest son Of the great Handle
tonian 10. His first dam was Harriet by
Swigert $50, the sire of six $3.50 and better
performers; second dam Bay Fanny by
Richards BellfOunder 63, and the dam OF
De CRAFTS Alexander, 1884, and Resolute,
2:27sl; third dam Lady Mary by Signal;
fourth dam Old Kate, strong in
Messenger blood. An analysis of
this breeding will show Bay
mont to be unusually strong in Messenger
blood, reinforced by that of the Hero of
Chester and other like established speed
strains. With his royal breeding, he is
horse of kingly appearance and form,
standing 161s hands and weighing 1000
pounds. In color he Is rich seal brown,
with tan muzzle and black legs, name and
tail. Though ON larger scale, he closely
resembles Volunteer, and his general char
acteristicS are prOnOuncedly HambletOnian.
Mr.. Sherwood purchased him when a year
ling, attracted to him by his choice breed
ing, large size and kingly bearing, but
even his most sanguine hopes did not lead
him to anticipate his growing into the
grand horse he has. Being located in a
new country, his stud opportunities have
been limited, and the total of his get to-day
from even fairly well bred trotting mares
will not number fifty of all ages. The old
est of his get, owned by Mr.. Sherwood, will
be 5 this fall, the mare Cricket, a deep
bay with black points, standing nearly or
quite Ii hands and weighing LOCO pounds.
AS a. two-year-Old she showed mile in bet
ter than $780, but the ambition of her
trainer led him to drive her off her feet, and
it was not until last fall her speed began to
return to her. Now she has been entered
in the Breeders stake for fve-year-olds,
and am very confident she will not be last
in the race Another of his get Mr.. Sher-
wood has entered in the Breeders stake
for three year-olds, and also in the stake
for three year-Olds offered by the Southern
Minnesota Fair association, while he has
named a two-year-old for the Breeders
stake. A four-y ear-old of his, owned at
Sioux City, is being worked this spring and
is showing up we'll; also one at
Monticello. DR.. Patton of Lake
City also has three-year-old filly
which he says is very. speedy, and there
are two owned in ST. Paul which it would
take big money to buy. Indeed, all his get
seem to be natural trotters, while with
scarcely an exception all are large, well
formed well muscled and handsome, a fact
that is bringing his services into active de-
mand by farmers for hundreds of miles
around Sheldon.
Baymont has never been trained for
speed, but he is a strong and elegant mover,
and there is no doubt that he will enter the
2:30 list whenever given chance; neither
is there any doubt that some of his get will
go into the charmed circle this year, and
that the list will be increased from year to
year as they pass by. But for royalty OF
breeding and standing as sire, as demon-
strated by the performances OF his ances-
tors both on the side of sire and dam, and
by his own magnificent proportions and
striking characteristics, Baymont has to
give place to
WOODFORD WILKES,
the three ear-Old son OF George Wilkes
and Hernia by Woodford Mambrino. What
combination of speed lines. Look at it.
George Wilkes, the greatest son Of old
Hambletonian, with his own record of 2:22
and with thirty-fve $3.50 and better per-
formers, of which twenty have records of
2:25 and better, and six of better than $3.50,
while his sons are rapidly demonstrating
their inception of his wonderful reproduc-
tive powers and their ability to transmit the
same to their get. Then going to his dam,
it is seen she is by Woodford Mambrino,
the best son of Mambrino Chief, himself
with record of 2:211S, and ten $3.50 and
better performers, while the dam Of his
dam was Hermosa by Edwin Forrest, the