The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-02-27
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
Farmers and Fast Horses.

Farmers and Fast Horses.
There is a constantly-growing craze
among farmers for fast horses. This
is not confined to farmers of means,
who have time and money to indulge
the taste without seriously impairing
their working capital; but, like most
crazes, it infests all classes, from the
richest to the poorest. The farmer who
is able to keep but one team must often
have them speedy, and will speed them,
too, no matter how much hard work
they have to do. He can put up with
their inetficiency as work horses, pro-
vided they are able to make their mile
in the required number OF minutes and
seconds.
There are more farm horses killed
by fast driving than by hard work.
Horses will stand great deal of
steady hard work on the farm. They
will last many years longer at this
work than if put into a livery stable
and driven irregularly, as such horses
usually are. But when you work a
horse hard in the fields, and drive
him hard on the roads too, on every
possible occasion, he can't in the
natural order of things, stand the
pressure a very long time. A good
share of foundered, wind-broken,
and otherwise used-up horses of the
country, result directly from this
treatment.
1t is not in the nature of the average
American to allow any thing to go by
him on the road if he can possibly help
it. No one wants to go crawling along
the road at snail's pace, while at the
same time it looks Unfortunately foolish
to see the usually staid, easy-going
farmer flying along on ordinary oc-
casions at a three-minute gait.
When our old men, who ought to
have something better to occupy their
heads and hands, will spend good
share of their time indulging this taste
for fast horse-Aesh, what can you ex-
pect of the young men and boys?
1t is getting so that a farmer
BOY Is considered smart in pro-
portion to his knowledge of the
good points and capabilities of horse.
The consequence is that he often COM
mences at very tender age to affect
jockey manners and show a marked
fondness for ''horse talk" He soon
acquires the jockey style OF address,
wears his hair in the latest jockey
style, and looks knowingly out from
under a jockey cap. He is encouraged
in these precocious manifestations by
his indnlgent and admiring elders. until
he is firmly anchored in the belief that
to be a good horseman is the height of
earthly ambition. He may take part
in the ordinary avocations of the farm,
but he can hardly think to talk
of any thing besides "horse." His
reading is chiefly confined to the
sporting papers, and he knows to the
fraction of a second the time of every
horse that has made record since the
earliest days of horse trotting. He
probably doesn't know a decimal from
common fraction--and why should
he, SO long as he can reckon on stop
watch?
A love of well-bred animals should
be encouraged, for it will surely work
about an improvement in our farm
animals; but we are neglecting other
departments in this craze after the
horse, and more especially on the fast
horse question? Why not make
the well-formed, well-bred, active
work-horse and roadster the desider-
alum for awhile? It would certain
ly be welcome and beneficial change.
And by degrees, if it can't be done at
once, let us transfer little of our
pride and attention to other farm stock
that now languish in neglect.
The mania among farmers for fast
horses is certainly resulting in loss
financially. A man who goes in for
this sort of thing is never satisfied, if
there is any show for a barter or
trade wherein there seems to be a
chance to get a faster stopper. He
will leave any kind of work in order
to push a trade through. Constant
jockeying of this kind does not tend to
elevate mans moral sentiments.
The confirmed horse-trader will al
ways try to hide the defects of his
trading stock, if, indeed, he does not
resort to downright lying. Such an
atmosphere must certainly be de-
moralizing to the rising generation.
1t is easy enough to account for the
complexion of our agricultural fairs,
so far as the prevalence of horse-racing
and gambling are concerned, for they
are but natural outgrowth of the
sentiment of the times. It is this de-
PRAYED sentiment that turns our fairs
into jockey exhibitions and gambling
institutions. Let every honest farmer
teach his sons by precept and example
that there is something higher and
nobler than racing and betting
B. Boynton, in National Stockman.
----$H--
Tobacco Culture.
Whether this crop can be made