The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1894-06-14
FUTURE OF THE HORSE.
1t VIII Cease to BE Drudge q
Beast of Burden.

1t VIII Cease to BE a Drudge a
Beast of Burden.
There was a time when the wis,
thoroughbred of English bre eding, aRs
perhaps the Arabian barb were lookeG
to as the sureSt means of improving
the common stock of horse flesh. Con-
sui General Judd reports from Austria
Hungary that the American trOtter is
now the favorite breed in use for inn
proving the native blood. If Austria
Hungary cannot do better than to come
to America for this purpose it argues
well for the superiority of the trotter.
AS a beast of speed the distinctive trot-
ter is an example of modern evolution,
1t is not many years since a speed of
three minutes for Il mile was reckoned
good at Il trotting gait. Now there
Is hardly farmers son in the country
that does not own a colt that "can
clip 4 mile in three minutes and not
turn hair" at least so the young
man says. A speed of two minutes is
not only possible, but probable in the
immediate future, and the time may
be not far off when the American
horse can trOt alongside the best Derby
runner. :
With the constant inrOads of machin-
cry on the field of the horses useful.
ness, 4 Change is coming in the evolu-
ton of the animal. Already electricity
supplants the old horse cars, and no
one is sorry. One need haye no sym.
pathy for the oYerburdened fluid on
q hard grade. An electric van for par.
eel delivery is now working in London
apd is said to be cheaper than horse
| power. REomises have already been
made by OUR inventors of electric plows
and feasible plans for freight and
produce tramWaYs across the country
on roads hitherto traversed only by the
aid Of the horse or mule are suggested
The Old-fashiOned horsepower for run
ming incidental machinery is giving
place to the coming powe"."
The coming horse is to be less anG
less a beast of heavy burden. Many
places there are where horses viii
continue to drag heavy loads of a ne
cessity. The handsome draft horse i!
not yet entirely to be dispensed with
But pleasure driving will continue tt
give a motive for the improvement
Of the trotting horse. The bicycle
takes the place of a few saddle horses
perhaps, but the majority of cycler!
care for Il horse just as much as be
fore the silent steed came into being
Many of them own a wheel who cOulC
not own horse, but the wheel, evel
if built for two, is not so. agreeabl,
after all as holding the lines behint
a. GLOSSY coated, light-stepping horse
Electric motors for carriages are talked
Of, but they will be very expensive fo
long time yet, and Until their pro
ficiencX is somewhat advanced from til,
present stage man even with a balk,
horse would be less helpless in case q
accident.
Tho noble, intelligent horse will 10
be lost sight of in the advance of civil
ization. Relief from the heavier dutie
will leave the more energy for driving
Of which every American citizen q
means and leisure is fond. Whateve
question there may be as to the moral
ity or advantages of horse racing, tn
improvement of the trotter has mad
the animal more servieeable for tn
legitimate use of man. If any one be
lieVes that the interest in the horse /
to give place before tho inroads O
electricity, let him attead some grea
"horse convention" and note the atten
ton paid to the splendid specimens O
endurance and intelligence there on eX
hibition.