Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-11-05
STEAM REARED COLTS.
WONDERS OF A RICH CAllFOR-
MANS EQUINE HOT HOUSE.

NlNN'S cQOlNe r1Ol r1OOSG.
Senator stanford's Famous Paio Alto Horse
Farm-wesnlings Taught to Trot and
Make Marvellous Records While stiu In
the Nursery.
why do these California bred horses, both
trotters and runners, develop such tremen-
dous speed at an early age. and then retire for
the rest of their livesF'
That is a question that has been put to
every horseman of note in the country, but
not one seems able TO answer it. A gentle
man, a horse faucier and now and then a
buyer at the California sales, being much in
terested in the phenomenal trctters that come
from that region, went down 10 Palo Alto to
see the famous Stanford breeding farm, and
of it he said: Palo Alto is about forty miles
from San Francisco in what Is known as the
Santa Clara valley. The horse part of the
estate comprises about three thousand acres,
though good many more acres are in vines
and forests ard the private grounds Of the
railroad barou's summer retreat
Talk about princes and princesses of effete
monarchies being reared in velvet and fed
from gold spoons, the nearest approach 10
that in this great republic is this equine prn-
cipality at Palo Alto. Dean Swift's cele-
brated Houyhnhums never had better time
in their kingdom than have the modern
Houyhnhums OF the Stanford place
AN IMMENSE ESTABLISHMENT
As soon as the babies have forgotten their
mothers comes the beginning OF their life's
work. The leading halter and a soft rubber
bit kept in the mouth for half an hour a day
is the A b c. Then comes the kindergarten
track 10 discover if any of them have nat
ural gait. Half dozen are put into the saw
dust circle at once A man stands in the
middle with a long whip, which he waves
furiously, but no little one is ever permitted
to feel its sting All start around the ring,
first in coltiSh canter, and then some little
pupil more promising than the others will
strike a trot Soon another will do the same.
An apple or a lump OF sugar is the reward OF
merit. Usually before the class has finished
all OF them will be jogging about on a trot.
Then new batch is taken, and in a few weeks
forty or fifty fillies and as many colts have
gone through the kindergarten course. Mean
time every little one Of either sex is handled
and fondled. The colts and fillies are relent-
lessly parted at weaving time and never see
eaoh other again except at a distance Co
Palo Alto. The little ones are very tame and
follow one around like lot of kittens. Il
you stop in the paddock they instantly sur.
round you like lot Of chattering school girl.
and begin TO search your pockets with their
velvety noses for bit of fruit or sugar. Not
one is ever scolded or permitted to be fright
ened in any way, nor is the whip ever used
except as badge of authority.
When the infant arisfncraHv is hr-i1ls
trained and thoroughly tractable, say at OF
10 months, and from that TO a year old
comes the first introduction TO harness. The
colts are not quite so proud Of this as a boy
with his first pair of boots, nor do the fllie.
seem to enjoy it as much as the girl does hel
first long dress. Indeed, they are pretty
''scary" at first and require the presence anc
experience Of an old stager beside them at the
pole Of the breaking cart. But their timidity
soon wears of. and it is astonishing how fast
they learn.
1t must be remembered that by this time
these youngsters are to the non-critical eyt
almost full grown horses Their legs art
strong, their bodies well filed out, their neck
plump, their eyes bright and intelligent anc
their coats shine like satin. All this is the re
suit of the forcing process. On the Stanford
farm the year-old colt looks like the wei
matured horse Of In Illinois At III YEAR
old begins their hard work on the track II
Is then that the best and most promising ar,
selected for yearly record.
HOW THEY ARE TRAINED
The railroad station for Palo Alto is MenlC
Park A mile from Menlo you enter broad
~ PoAs p'i 'oi ~ Hno eI'er upOi
si sne oie uo'nAlh. a mag hincent oroan avenue
IAne1 viz ,' s'AUo'S oess' ala ~Inoahs tnrougi
a "s"se ioiIase' ieios you W tne senator
nous7' aho'ner lnn1 awAy. Aou pass lnat
iSl AuH 'ue SAI-le s'i Tnns toI 4no'ns'
u1le ~ outy ~ IA - -" oHsDe'iu car
mae uAAH ~ "Inu, o'AAs' S'u ~ 'n0 Sies' "i
0-is ~ e.es a'-o
Dessenons sts rum 'ne si.sut eie'atioh you
pASS III Ousu . iAne to0 tees "loe ms Is
1ne niAln s'reet oI tne morse 'AlASe On
el'tt,l sue Ior hearIy nal nus are ha4r acre
i - eaou =" u. "Asei us iSs1 Tousns
s;,-i'.a -. -. = ,, =, w. .ot ss nese q,
Ee-,',.,s - Iue y y IN : .esoe "
- -. -, 80 y y, p1-.s PA.nu n,s' uite
a.. - -" - - - .,,...Ns si ~
-. - - ,1-et ooout sne
80 - I- ., paIt'eu ~, =
III - 80. -... - .,-'- "a go sf4s
= 80 :. hsas s,a.ba, - 80 .ne AZ - ~.
+ha - -. 80 -. = 80 20 : -,-l = tO'
uoo-,,- Co.,, h,,,sS,-s - az, a.. - -
~, s.r,,i.o-. 20 - ,>.,...u,s ...oe - !
.h .ne $500 -. 'ne .a. 81 aris'ocracy o.
on the o,,tss,rs, - re vi,Isr. .;,t. a. - ~
inc tract for colts within fba on+ar rir-Ia
Another buildino ia sat ansrr FOR the 1.l,i,,da,.
c-artsr,r-. -rsat csno,,y c,va-;,,- sa.-S',s,
ring an sicbtb ~ a mile Iong Tbis a ,vn.,