Wichita eagle., 1889-12-20


frightful, and would far exceed any mans
mere Judgment of the amount. Now it Is
fact that few trotters attain their best
speed before they are eight years old, and
with some it takes much longer. and all
these years he must be fed and Rroomed
and trained and watched, and may then be
failure. 1t certainly requires no argu
speed and do not get it that
is, if you get. at great expense for pedigree,
small horse without speed, he can not be
sold for cost, and we have also said if you
do get speed you will lose still more. We
will relate one instance, and while it is By
no means the worst, it is fair sample.
In 1870. while living in Michigan, we
in Ohio, about twenty miles from Toledo
We wrote to q friend in Chicago to come
down and join US in buying the mare on
speculation. Our friend was . successful
business man, and had a stable full OF
trotters which he kept for his own amuse-
ment, and he was well informed on the
value of speed in the Chicago market. We
went together to see the mare and we
liked her, for she was beauty; we drove
her and liked her still better, for she was a
good 'un. We finally secured the prize fol
$500, and our friend took charge of keI
and put her at Dexter park for training.
We kept her for nearly three years devel-
oping her, and finally sen. her to New
Orleans, with some others, and sold her
for the handsome sum Of e, 000 Here then
was one trotting horse transaction carried
on by business men for profit. The man
who sold US the mare bred and raised her
and as he got $500 for her it would seem
he should have made u good profit. He
told US afterwards that the mare had cost
him $1,000 She was years old at the
time we bought her, and he had spent
most of his time for four years trying to
develop the mares speed. The man was q
timer and at one time carried on a small
but prosperous business in the village.
His neighbors told US that the man and
his business had gone to ruin that he
might train and develop his mare. Some
time after we sold this mare in New Or
leans we settled our business with our
Chicago friend. 1t was long
account, including joint transaction
In real estate. etc, but we noticed
SO many debils for horse expenses that out
how mucn money we had made on our
trotting mare, and we found that at the
SINE we sold her in New Orleans for So ,0OO
she had cost us just So, 100, and we will
add that our friend who had control of the
mare WAS II good hOrseman and u careful
and correct business man, and further,
that the mare WAS never sick, and that she
never trotted race for money while we
owned her. Here is a case where the NOM
inal profits make fail showing. The
man who dred and raised this mare and
sold her for $500, it would seem, should
have made q profit; the man who bought
her for $500 and sold her for 81 900, 1t would
seem, should have made profit, and but
for the circumstance that the producer was
a poor man and was ruined by his success
in getting speed, and the further fact that
our co-partnership business required nc
to be kept. we should always have
supposed that we all made money on our
handsome trotter.
But there is time and q place for all
things, and lest we should be considered
an old fogy and prejudiced against speed,
we will take occasion to say that we like
good trOtter, We are fascinated with his
graceful motion, we admire his elastic
step and his nerve and pluck. and We
never cease to wonder at and applaud the
feetness to which our
American trotters have attained; in fact
they are the wonder of the world, for in no
other country has such fast trOtting been
as in ours We would like
to own and drive pair OF flyers if we
were able to afford such a costly luxury.
We say all this, and then we urge that
such horses are not legitimate. practical
Or profitable element OF stock-raising for
The western farmer. To produce them is n
losing business even when you get trot-
Kansas City or Chicago or New York-we
mean any of our large citles-horses that
IAN trot in three minut' S, kind, sound and
useful, for all prices, often AS low as 800
i it Necessary TO go INTO figures to prove
20 the farmers OF Kansas that they can
not produce threeminute horses for
100. The farmers who produce them have
ost money, and the young blood in the
,ity who has spent his time and money
.rying to make winners of them, have Ios'
money. But if farmers cannot, who shall
produce our race horses, our trotters and
)ur runners? Men who are already rich
should aud do engage in the business of
If breeding horses for speed. The do it
lot for profit necessarily, but for pastime,
or recreation. Such men as Bonner, and
he Lorillard's. and many others with
heir millions which they have accumu-
ated in legitimate business, invest in
,ostly pedigreed animals, ana engage in
breeding for speed to crafty n within, and
With no expectation OF profit more than
hey would have from the investment of "a
ike amount in sailing yacht.
A fashionable pedigree, a record of per-
ormance by the ancestors, n belief that
ike produces like, and an unlimited bank
account are the factors in this business.
Are OuE VI VIC NcSG eoIDG " nc
as cinated with the hope of drawing a
,rize III such Il lottery? Are our young
armers going TO be Seduced with the tsle
hat horse was recently sold for S1l0, 900.
md that there is no patent on the produ c-
ion of such horses; that the business is
,pen to the world? 1 tell you that you
lave as good chance to win, and | had
Utmost said it were as legitimate part Of
our farming, to buy ticket in the grand
- 10, rntv ot..tn IntS
ngage in such an enterprise. Prizes are
,nOwn to have been drawn in each scheme,
Tut the regular lottery has this advantage,
'ou know just the amount OF your invest
nent, you pay cash in advance. there is q
ay set for the drawing and you get a
peedy settlement, nor are you much dis
appointed to get the answer that some
ther number draws the grand prize.
In the breeding for speed" lottery you
make your investment from time TO time,
Usually covering a spaces Of five years or
onger, the last instaliment being usually
aised by mortgagng the farm. You get
our returns irregularly, and covering a
pace of ten to fifteen years.
You draw blank, and again you draw
What seems TO be prize at first, but there |
5 nothing decided. You get your returns
through trainers and jockeys and sharpers
nc experts in the judges stand. Your |
ssociates and agents are neither SO re- |
pectable nor responsible as those employ !
d by you when you bought lottery tickets. |
You find yourself involved in many |
and are surround by para |
ties and pensioners. Your sons are |
rought in contact with horse trainers, |
ipplers, gamblers and sharpers; your ex- |
enses rapidly increase; your debts &C |
Emulate and your interest account is |
You must retrench, you must |
onverL your property into cash
But your assets are ample Your In /
entory shows that you are long way |