New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-23


that Kentucky girls and Kentucky horses are
thc finest in the world Since the war this state
has developed many new industries and encouraged
slmc daring experiments in commerce and a"rl-
cnlture But her ancient Ieputc cllnss to Ter.
Nobody would venture to hniaNe the secret u
The charms of her women. lie other products
are, however, open 10 analysis. At Charleston
the other day, asked Senator Faulkner 10 wha'
he ascrihcd his power OF making long speeches
AGAINST time in The United States Senate.
Don't YOU know he returned grlyely. that
in the FIarco-iicrman war; the hardest solucl'
were those who had drunk limestone water all
their life? We'll. we have limestone water IN my
town"
Old horse.brccdcls protest that the limestone
,yater rivcs the kentucky horse It's bone ana
muscle. Just as the Bourbon dstlllcrs say tlil' II
Inparts strange virtues to the whisEcv. ana To-
haccooroyers aver that il invig0racS their plants
There is certainly plenty OF it here, and TINS ana
tho tender and succulcnt blue grass have every
thinc 70 do with the present prosperity oil 'i'lS
favored RECON
Nobody knows exactly how the blue grass 60,
into Kentucky. whether it WAS here Wheh Dd'l'i
Boone came, whether 1t vas planted by Inc c"''
settlers. or whether it. Was brought over i''"
West Virginia. But for many years II mas Ho"''
ished with unparalleled vigOr Like the chalni''S'''
and the Seville grange, il may De couH'eli'i'''
but not reproduced. In Tennessee 'heIc die ,i'
niGcent stretches OF the bluegrass pasture l',''
Bnt tie crop is less compact than III he"'''N'
and seems to possess INFERIOR N"r
tood porbans if misses the fine soil tha'
covers the Kentucky limestone po"''
hans also. the science OF its cultivation Is ho'
,I,anorobI,. rnlors,ood for although tie grass
grows wild. care is needed 10 pericct It, ana II
;s mot 1ouched until full grown. In this way the
roots are kept moist and the sun Is prevented
fro,, striking them and parchine the earth. Inc
rulc is 10 let cattle crop OIL the tors and th"h
make way for horses and sheep, that moDic
if closer 10 the ground. In the winter. II there Is
any snow, tie cattle are fed from Tie haymoWs'
but the horses and sheep haNe sense enough 10
paw tie snow away and to find their own PROV
ender underneath. The grasS sprouts at all sea
sons and carpets the ground everywhere, even Ill
the woods and copseS where there Is no praSi
undergrowth, The country. consequently, looks
like an immense English manor. with fine c'tt"
browsing among the trees AMI venerable old REQ
fro nted mansions t. strengthen the resemblance.
The bluegrass region is one immense
horse nursery Dozens of stock farms are clus-
tered within a radius of forty miles and thousands
Of prize colts and wcanlirss fling their heels IL
The wet pastures and imbibc he precious mud
that fits them, above all rivals from ono ana
Illinois, for curyctting In the traces Ol New
York landcaus or bringing down t1uIdcTs OF "p-
plause from the grand stands 1t Monmouth faFk'
Lorcchamps and Doncascr Every small boy 'cl''
YOU first of his horse and then OF his sollel''
Every farmer sports fast nag IN the stable; every
business man has something that can sho" speed
and every school girl knows that those VINO d'h
love horses have no hope of Heaven In LcNlh&
ton. the hub of the horse universe and the
biggest market in the world, every other man Is
barnessuakcr. a vet" or an auctioneer. The
store windows and hotel corridors are crowded
with portraits Of noble creatures, with sInc"y
necks and small intelligent heads and flowing
,ails all much alike but all widely differentiated
10 eyes that are expert You can learn more
about pedierecs at Lexington in week thah IN
twelve months anywhere else. Local puhdi'S
carry the history of celebrated runners ana rouera
in their heads more accurately than most people
remember their own family gcncaioGy, ana rcc!tc
t.Ios of Nondrous achievements of Spokane and
Proctor Knott lust as old canpaigncrs talk OF
the victories of famous generals. Yesterday De
gan here the most important sale OF uott"rS that
Kentucky has ever known. Within the ncAt
month or 50 nearly 1000 will come under the
hammer. The stables. that have fronts like
onora horses are filled TO OVERLOOKING. In the
streets are long PROFESSIONS of negro gFooms lead
owners at the hotels sleep three in bed. The
sale is described as tho greatest on earth. ana
the money records are expected to he broken
Before the war; Kentucky produced principally
saddlc-horscs and racers. Now, the trotter IS
largely in the ascendant. In the old days, the
running matches AZ the county fairs stirred thc
countryside as bull-tghts agtar2 me hamc'S ol
Old Spain. Public dining-rooms were not III
vented. and old settlers tell cloquently OF uf
wagon-loads Of meats and ices and taDcIilNeT
that were sent ont 10 the fair grounds from
countrv mansions the day before The race, oil
saddles Of mutton cooked in wine in the private
booths. and served to a hundred guests at hos
pj,able boards and Of toasts from icasteis who
had never net their hosts before. these oIo
timers declare that the rearing of Heterogeneous
is patriotic, and fer proof picture OGCcfAce S"ioP
inc at ton speed across battlcieldS with messages
on whose instant delivery the fate of armies may
depend But the popularity Of the trottcr IS as
suIed. Put HIM ON the rdcc-track. ana ne may
win & fortune in q week. Saddle him. Or htch
him 10 a carri1ee and he combines grace with
speed When his beauty is gone, his usefulness
remains. and he Will still draw butchers wagon
or a street car as long Us he can move. Inc rise
of the trottcr has marked Il new era III hehlhchS'
At first. the preachers opposed racing, ana sport
ing dcacOns were threatened witA future torment
But the more they battlcd with teinptauph' Inc
faster the horses ran. The more Inc pCIpi ne
n0unccd them the more irresistible became ''t
sport. On mect-dayS the roads lcadih@ 10 'h'
course WON'T. be filed with mighty cavalcadc,
whose comin, was announced by a dusi-c'lumn
Ike that which hcralds the approach OF mounted
Cosslcks. anc the time came when the dcninleS
themselves were seen in the booths standing on
tip-tOc with one arm around post ana crahi"s
their nccks and hurrahing wildly as SoiLe %'!-
liant champion STROBE under the var"
The man who did most for the PIoPaSaIoh vi
trottcrs was an Enslishman named AeAoh"c''
who settled on a stock farm al NoOdpuIi' ho'i |