Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-03-28
SOUTHERN Standard McMINNVILLE. TENNESSEE

brushes some of the traditional moss
off his back.
The farmers program for raising
trotters is something like this: He
first pays service fee, of as much as
he can ever reasonably expect the
horse to be worth then, when the
colt is two years old, a breaking cart
is in order. BY the time he is four
years old you have him developed
so that he cannot draw the cart, and
a McCaffry sulky is in order-item
800. Then Maseman track har-
ness-item, another hundred dollars.
Next your knee boots, only SIS.
Then you can get sweating blanket
for $l5 or 500 more. Then come toe
weights, etc. Then some lunatic tells
you to get professional trainer, one
of those fellows who are too lazy to
work and too cowardly to steal, and
now may the Lord have mercy on
your soul, for your trainer will have
none on your purse. There is hardly
a school district in the State but has
one or more farms lost directly or in
directly by this vain effort of a farmer
to rear a trOtter. You cannot do it,
brother farmers. 1t has been tried
and has always been a failure; be-
sides the financial wreck, look at the
social, moral and physical wrecks
caused by this persistent endeavor to
raise a trotter,. Almost every gin
mill has sample from among our
brightest and best.
On the other hand, a horse for gen.
eral purpose can always be reared,
and is source of pleasure and profit
when reared. If you want trotter,
by all means buy him; you can do ii
much more cheaply and with greater
certainty than you can rear him.
Prof. Roberts Of Cornell tells how
many thousand COWS there are in
this State that are failure; that il
would be money in the pockets OF
their owners if they were dead. ]
wish some other gentleman with his
opportunities and intelligence would
tell us how many horses there are
that would cast lasting benefit on
their owners by dying.
The question may be asked, how &c
breed to get horse good for all pur
poses. Breed as our fathers did, by
selection. Take from the material
on hand that which comes the near.
est to what you want; so continue tC
breed, up not down, remembering
that one hundred pounds of horse i;
worth more than a ton of pedigree
Living as / have, for over twenty
years, neighbor to the largest trotting
stock farm in the State, | have be-
come quite familiar with its work
ings, and if | were to give a young
farmer advice about raising trotters
l would quote the elder Mr.. Weller
when his son counseled with hin
about marrying widow; "Samivel
don't" But if any young farme
will get himself the best colt in tn
country-a pair of them is better
then feed them ILLEGALLY and not b.
AFRAID of the feed, as plot of grounC
the size of an ordinary garden vii
raise carols enough to winter tn
pair; educate them thoroughly, no
break them, and he will be on tn
way TO success. When old enough t
4 drive, and they strike out to trot, lie
them go, encourage them in it. YoI
are adding dollars to them fast
When you have them fully matured
some man who has not the time ant
patience to grow himself a good pal
will pay you price that will temp
you to sell them. Then try again
and right here let me say, do not b
in too much Of a hurry with the ney
ones. Remember the old adage
"gOod things come slow" Do nc
over-feed; l venture to say, withou
fear of contradiction, that there ar
more horses over than under fed
Give them some well balanced ratio
that will keep them thrifty and solid
} muscular, not fat, just fat enough t
pad the muscles and cushion tn
: joints. Above all keep them q
work. There is nothing so bad for
horse or his owner as idleness. If h
gets little scratch or cut, keep hin
T at work; he will come right ten time
as quickly as if left in the stable wal
ing for inflammation to set in. We;
keep them at work; better take thei
exercise drawing stone or manur
than kicking their stable down.
: Now you have your horses read