The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-10-27
THE "HOsS."
ALEXANDRIA, La,
Oct. II, 1856. {
EDITOR DEMOCRAT

1t is said that ''Rapides is the home o
the newspaper correspondent" "Rip'
has had his say about politics, till the
''dear people, are sick and disguised
''Tohias' has told us all about "what he
knows of the jersey" and now, Mr.. Edi
tor, will you allow me the space to tel
what | know about the "hoss' In re-
cent issue you said that G. A. Staples was
driving his thoroughbred trottcr. Now
object to the word thoroughbred, because
it is Il misleading word-there is no sucl
thing as Il Thoroughbred trotter. Tho
roughbred is applied to a running bred
horse in other words to horse that is
bred to race with. A trotting horse is AT
entirely different horse in his breeding
and is bred to trot as his natural gait, and
is called a standard horse" based on his
own performance, or his immediate ances-
tors performance, by trotting a mile in
harness in 2:30 or better, or the sire OF
dam of something in 2:3O or better
sManethO" is Il standard stallion, and his
number is 3905, registered in Walace's
Register. New word to the farmers and
planters. 1t has always seemed to me
that the standard was especially calcula-
ted to benefit the average farmer, and
that no class had the same opportunity to
Immediately profit by it to become practi-
calIy familiar with its virtues as the ordi-
nary farmer. But although it has been
before the country for several years, and
| although all h0rsemen Of intelligence are
familiar with its provisions, the average
farmer still regards it as something which
is not his concern, bnt only that Of excess
sive breeders. The average farmer should
be an intelligent horse breeder, if for no
other reason than that self-interest de-
mands it. agriculture" we are told, is
the first and noblest of the sciences, and
stock raising is the right arm of agricul-
tHre. Set this truism side by side with
the acknowledged fact that horse breed
ing is pre-eminently the first branch of
stock raising, what other conclusion can
we come to than that the farmer who is
unacquainted with the laws of nature
governing propagation in animal life does
not know his business! The farm is, af-
ter ALL only a factory wherein the farmer
converts "raw materiaW into that form in
which it finds the most ready and profta-
BILE sale. He knows then that he must
consult the market, and cater to the
tastes and requirements of those whom he
desires for his custOmers-he must know
how to produce the sort of animal they
demand. If the farmer goes to the brick
maker and finds that he does not know
the primary steps necessary to convert the
clay into bricks, he will not hesitate to
deride the man who undertakes to make
even so simple thing as brick without
thoroughly knowing how. And yet that
same average farmer who may not know
the difference (beyond what is visible)
between tr0tting-bred horse and Per-
cherOn, or between Hereford COW and
Jersey, would be highly indignant We're
we to tell him that he ought to learn
something about the natural laws which
govern in the transmission and reproduce
ton Of characteristics, qualities and ca
pacities in animal life before he under
takes to reproduce (call it manufacture if
you will, an animal of such complex and
delicate organization as trotting horse.
The great trouble with the average far
mer is that he does not read and doesn't
think sufficiently concerning the chief
branch of his business, and a word OF two
may now be III season concerning some of
his cOmmOneSt mistakes in horse breeding.
One of the everyday stumbling blocks
of the farmer is that nuisance he SO fire.
quently resorts to-the cheap stallion that
perambulates the country roads. That
the day will come when the scrub must
go we all know, nevertheless that time
has not yet arrived, and in this section,
for many day yet, the stallion that in
sures for four or five dollars will flourish
Sometimes farmer will breed to his
neighbours cross roads podigy, not because
he likes the horse but because be likes his
who would be much incensed
were his animal passed by for the higher
priced one of a stranger. But the maori-
ty breed to cheap horses simply because
they are cheap, in the vain hope that
may come from nothing
Coupling two ciphers will not create a
unit, nor can you get horse worth some
thing by coupling parents that are worth
less. OF all the penny-wise and pound
foolish courses which farmer can pursue
that wretched system of economy which
prompts him to go to poor stallion at
five dollars in preference to good one at
twenty-five or fifty dollars is the most dis
astrously impolitic. Added to the wasted
time of his mare and the paltry stallion
fee is the cost Of raising the colt. Assum-
ing that it cost fifty dollars year to raise
Il colt, and counting the mares service as
nothing, the scrub at four years old cost
over $500, and thcle is not one such colt in
Il hundred worth 5000 at four years old, or
at any age. Now, supposing the mare to
have been well adapted to the purpose,
had this farmer taken her to standard
bred stallion of approved blood lines and
individual characteristics,
fee, he would have colt ut four years
IL IL 81, I, a.,
$500 A well bred colt costs but very lit
tie more than scrub, and is always pro-
titahle. A prominent Eastern breeder
said not long ago, 81 never raised we'll
bred colt on which l did not make Il pro-
tit, and never bred a poor one on which
there was not loss" But we will be
told that after paying the higher fee and
10 the high bred horse, {; poor
colt may be the result. That is quite
true, it may be so, but such a result would
be an accident, an exception to a pretty |
uniform rule, whereas by breeding to the
poor animal yon are sure to get poor
colt. Now, which chance would a reason
able man take9 Scientific breeding con-
sists in throwing the strength of all in
herited tendencies into one channel, con-
all the ruling forces on one OBJ
iective point and aiming at a definite pur-
pose. If this purpose be to get draft |
horse, it then behooves us to mate sire
and dam Of draft blood that have them
selves shown their capability at draft
horses worth. If he wants running
horse, reason tells us to go to running
bred stallion with a running bred mare,
and both the stallion and mare should be
animals that have demonstrated their !
ability to run rast. If either had trot- |
ting-bred sire or dam, or trotting- bred
grandsire or granddam, our chances of
pettinn q nhannmenal runner are mnnh |