Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-12-03
TRAINING PICS TO RACE.
! New Pastims on the Raoe.Track IN
California.

Ever since Healy's pig Casey COW
cred himself with glory and renown
ny lighting the ratllesnake Mars.
Michenlelder has been thinking OF
raising breed OF athletic porkers
whose feats OF agility aud skill would
be told and retold from the rising to
the setting of the sun.
with this object IN view. says the
San Francisco News. Letter, he has
been securing the country far and |
wide ana advertising Ia a most ex- |
tenstyo manner for hard hogs whose |
anatomy should contain a high per.
centage Of muscle and sinew and be |
practically devoid OF Tat.
lie has now secured u choice litter.
which promises well TO come up 10
the required standard. and every morn
Ing with the regularity OF a good
race horse breeder he takes the little
chaps out 10 train.
lie begins in the early dawn by
giving them stiff walk up 10 the
reservoir and back and whenever
one OF the youngsters gets too fresh
or sulks on the way he puts his little
curly tail in clothespins and IL there
Is any punishment that Is more NOR
ally degrading and hurtiui 10 the
amour propre OF II small pig than
another IL is having the spring taken
out Of his curly tall by having said
tail weighted down by elothesplns.
After their walk he takes them back
20 their yard and gives them cold
shower bath with garden hose.
Then they get light breakfast OF
weak swIlL after which they are Civ
en- half hours rest for the purpose
OF facilitating digestion.
At 7.tU the speed trials begin and
as Mlchenielder himself has too
much business 10 attend TO TO person.
ally superin,end the matter he has
hit upon An ingenious labor. saving
device whereby he can make those
| pigs run like wlldfre without exert
ing himself al ALI
he just sirolls down town with a
piece Of liver 10 his hand and coarcs
up Healy's dog Jack and Black Pedro
from the Pioneer ms well ms NeG's Cy
and pearces three dogs aud halt ia
dozen other stray CANNES that have
nothing ia particular 10 occupy their
attention. These he .sicks' on to
the porkcrs and when the dogs are
.siekcdn It is comfort 20 watch tho
| pigs run.
Tho sicking7 process lasts from
twenty % ihiriy.iye minutes By
which ilmo tho athletes are swimming
10 their own perspiration aud the
dogs are beginning 10 be tagged out
They are permitted 10 rest until noon.
at which time Michenfelder rounds
up a few more dogs and gives his pets
more exercise
liy this process he has reduced his
herd in the narrow dimensions oil
fence rails but lie has endowed them
with u speed heretofore unknown
among porkers
lieaIy has another string out OF the
old Casey stock training in Oakland,
and Ko'ocd aud Hanson are also start
ing speeding stycs
There will be at least four good
siycs Of racing pigs owned IN thi'
city before long when Il IS proposed
that pig race track DO opened here
and purses put up by an association
Tor the encouragement Of tho sport
Its more than likely that sports IL
Gonna Redwood. San Maieo and nd
Joining districts will follow Michen'
folders example and raise seyera
other strings OF racers
II so the meeting 81 the Pig Racing
association will assurcdly be a bi!
success and the popularity Of the
sport will soon become widespread.
One thing in favor Of the new past
time is lis moderate expense whel
compared with horse racing or cours
Ing with grcyhounds
Pigs are cheap ana easily handled
and II costs less per annum 70 main
tain a first.class sty OF running pig
than II does 10 train the smalles
string Of ihird.rato plugs that eve
: appeared at a country fair horse race