Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-05-04


natural tendency to that habit than one
who has not been so trained. The reason
why the trotting horse of the United
States so far surpasses in speed at the
trotting gait the horses of every other ma
ton is to be found in the habit of our
people, well nigh universal, of driving
the light harness horse. For fifty years
and more the speed of our horses at the
trotting gait has been developed upon our
roads to an extent that has prevailed with
no other nation. The fast road mare has
produced a son or daughter that could
trot faster than she could, and so we
have gone on from generation to genera
ton, each succeeding generation of horses
being able to speed faster than the one
that preceded it. And thus by the law
of the survival of the fittest, we have
produced horse which has no equal at
the trotting gait.
1t is clear that the long career of
George Wilkes upon the turf did not hurt
him as a sire; is it equally clear that it
did not help him? If it be as all writers
on the subject declare and all experience
tends to prove, that any acquired habit is
fixed and intensified by use, may it not
well be true that George Wilkes ii years
upon the turf so fixed and intensified the
trotting habit in him that in this fact we
have the key that unlocks the mystery of
his phenomenal success. That his sue
cess in the stud after leaving the turf was
phenomenal, far surprising that ever be-
fore achieved by any other stallion in the
same length of time, there can be no
doubt. He went directly from the turf
in 1872 to the stud in 1873, when he was
II years old, and died early in 1882. As
the result of his nine years service in the
stud, we had at the close of last year,
when his oldest colts were but IL years
of age, 80 performers from , :134 to 30,
with 81 sons who had produced 81 per-
formers in 2 80 or better. No other stall
lion ever approached this degree of sue
cess in the same length of time. Almont
follows next after George Wilkes, but
when Almont's oldest colts were ID he
had to his credit performers from 2 :l73
to 30 and four sons who had produced
five 2 80 performers. And yet Almont
was great horse and founded what is
and is to be one of the greatest of our
trotting families. There is only one 9th
er horse that approaches George Wilkes
in the number of 2 80 performers for
like period of service. and that horse is
Electioneer. But it is morally certain
that Notwithstanding the climatic advan-
of Gov. StanfOrd's training and develop
ing, the first nine years of Electioneer in
California will not equal the nine years
service of George Wilkes in the stud, af-
ter finally quitting the turf. The foals
of Sc are the result of Electioneer's ninth
year in California In 1887 the oldest of
the Wilkes colts were 10 and his youngest
were four. while the Oldest of Election
Ger were nine and the youngest were
yearlings. But at the close of 1887 30
Wilkes colts had made records from
, :133 to 2:30, while Electioneer had
but 2G from PIG to , 80. viii the foals
of Electioneer from 1873 to 1888 inclu-
sive equal those of George Wilkes from
1874 to 1888 inclusive? 1t is certain that
of these foas at least - in all will go
into the 2:30 list. Will Electioneer' S
first nine years service in California fur
nish 10 more 2 80 performers? We think
not. But however this may be, it is GER
tain that ElectiOneer cannot at the close
of 1891, when his Oldest colts will be IL
years old, have 81 sons having 81 per-
formers in the , 80 list. We may. there
fore, assume that it is already fixed and
determined that the first nine years of
Electioneer in California cannot equal the
nine years service of George Wilkes in
which | desire especially to call to
your attention that in George Wilkes we
have the greatest campaigner and the
greatest sire united in the same horse
How do you account for this fact
Mr.. Hamlin? You cannot account
for it on the ground of his superior
breeding, for many of the sons of Ham
bletonian were at least his equal in thi:
respect, while ElectiOneer is greatly his
superior. You cannot account for it or
the ground that in Kentucky George
Wilkes met superior class of mares, fol-
AlmOnt also stood in Kentucky, and was
even more literally patronized thar
George Wilkes. Besides, Wilkes sue
ceeded on mares of every sort of breed
ing, and many of his great successe;
were on mares bred at the North. Hap
py Medium, next to George Wilkes, i.
the greatest producer of speed up to date
of any son of Hambetonian, having,
believe, 80 ,: 30 performers to his credit
His dam. Princess. had record of , :3C
as early as 1858, and she beat the grea,
Flora Temple in Il twO-mle race, first
heat in > :02. second heat in 5 :05. She
too, was many years campalgned upon
the turf. Now, may it not be that the
work of this mare upon the turf so in
tenSl1leu the trOltlllS HaDlt III her us u
enable her transmit it to her descendant:
in the second generation? Have you any
better explanation of the great success
of Happy Medium over the other sons OF
, HambletOnian? Then, we have Gov
/ Sprague, record :20t in 1876, with l6 il
the 80 list, all, or nearly all, of then
sired since he made his record. Had thi
horse lived there can be no doubt III
would have made one of the creates
sires the country has yet produced.
, And thus | could go on, filling col
, umn in enumerating animals who wer
themselves great campaigners, or thu
, immediate descendants of those wh'
t were and who have been successful sires
e But forbear.
e This, Mr.. Hamlin, is my answer t.
e what you are pleased to call your argu
ment. Do you think the task has been
| difficult one? And do you still swish i
printed in letters of red that sires witt
a records of 2 ID or better have thus ia
e been failures in the stud?"
r T. 'I'PACy