The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1893-02-17
TROTTING HORSES.
a Profitable Animal for Farmers
to Breed for Market Pur-
poses.
1t Will Perform Ordinary LabOrs
Well and Sell for GoOu
Price.
The Most Popular Types ana the
Adyisability OF Raising
the Best.

The following paper was prepared
and read by f. H. Mccullough BE-
fore the Farmers institute, held at
Edna. Mo-, under the auspices of the
Missouri State Board of Agriculture:
I'm preparing this paper 1t was
nv aim to divest the subject of senti-
ment, and to deal only with cold
facts. and in such a way that my
hearers Tor those of them who are less
acquainted with the subject than my
self), may arrive at what l consider
a proper understa nding of the merits
of the trotting horse as horse for
the farmer and stock-raiser to breed
and rear, both for use on the farm
and as a profitable animal to offer
for sale in the horse markets OF the
world.
Considering the subject from the
standpoint of profitable production,
the American trotter is the most
profitable animal in which a farmer
can invest. The prime object of the
farmer in breeding and rearing stock
of the horse kind is to raise the ami
NAL which will best perform the Or
dinary labors of the farm, and one
that will sell for most money on the
market. The surplus must be dis
posed of, and in breeding they should
strive to produce an animal that will
sell readily, and for the best obtain
able price.
Now then, claim that the Ameri-
can trotter, in his present high state
of development, will perform the
labors Of any ordinary farmer in a
more satisfactory manner than any
other breed of horses. (Of course, /
recognize the fact that comparisons
are odious," but in an article of this
character it is necessary to draw COM
parisons, and | shall do so, hoping
that no person will take offense at
what / say. If any one desires to
discuss the matter the field is open
and the right of free speech is guar
The reason why the trotting horse
is best fitted for ordinary farm work
is this: He is happy mean between
two extremes. On the one hand we
have the draft horse, large, coarse,
unwieldly animal that has for many
years been bred in the direction of
size and weight at the expense of
other qualities more desirable, viz:
Power Of endurance, quality of Done
and muscle, action, style and finish.
THESE mountains of fat, with their
spongy bone, watery joints and blue
eyes, have been for some years i'm
ported into this country from their
native lands and sold to certain
class of credulous breeders at ridic-
llously large prices. Just think of
! man paying $1,000 for a stallion,
5he very best of whose get he cannot
hope to realize over 5000 for after rear
ing and maturing the animals.
On the other hand we have the
who, while he possess
es style, finish, action and endurance,
lacks size and possesses disposition
not just the correct thing on
farm or in an ideal road ster, driving
horse or horse of all work, but / will
say here that the trotting horse has
drawn many of his admirable quail
ties from the thoroughbred.
Today the type Of the trotting
horse is becoming, in fact, has be-
come, fixed type, and like the thor
will reproduce himself
with uniformity, and as he is the
best horse for all work in existence,
let me see if / can draw pen picture
of him:
He is a horse fifteen hands two
inches or sixteen hands in height,
weighing from 1000 to 1000 pounds,
either bay, black, brown or chestnut
in colo, we'll rounded, closely ribbed
up body, set upon tapering legs,
whose muscles are dense and hard,
possessing a bony structure, liberal
but notcourse, with prominent joints,
all knit together by ligaments that
feel and wear like hinges Of Damascus
steel, a clean. bony head. set upon
long graceful neck: add to this the
speaking hazel eye, the flowing main
and tail and the picture is complete.
Such horse as this, possessing
kind disposition and able to go down
the road at a 300 minute clip will
bring more money On the market and
will do more work On the farm than
a team of the common mongrels that
are being produced by breeders of
draft, coach and other foreign breeds.
There are people, no doubt, who
will say that such horse is not pro-
duced with regularity by any family
or breed of horses. To these people
/ will say, that all they have to do
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