Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-08-21
VARIOUS NOTES.


mitted from parent to offspring, varia-
tion being the exception. Darwin has
pointed out the curious fact that hale
wild horses prefer to pair with those OF
the same color, and in the case of the
wild horses of Tartary generation sue
ceeds generation without any change in
the shade of of their coats, reddish
brown hue with very dark mark along
the SPINE predominating, practically to
the exclusion of any other shade. Herr
WilclIens of Vienna, who made some OBJ
servations on this subject with two pure
blooded English horses, discovered that
the color of their coats was transmitted
to their progenture in $50 cases out Of
1000. In the event of the parents being
of different color, the offspring usually
follows the mother, although 1t is no.
ticeable that the offspring of Galopin,
Ben dor and other famous stallion have
varied little from the color of their sires.
With Arabian horses the white color of
the coat of the mare is transmitted in
729 cases out of 1000, while among the
horses of Flanders any other color but
black is indeed exceptional. American
horses being descendants of so many
different breeds cannot be held to this
observaton.-[EX Exchange.
1t is singular with what force a Gus
tom which has once obtained persists
and how often and how long it holds
sway when the circumstances which
gave rise to it have ceased to exist.
When every horse that trotted in races
was an aged horse and when every track
vehicle was of the old big-wheeed pat
tern, there was probably some sense in
requiring the same weight, or not less
than certain weight. in the sulky.
When two-year-olds began to trot in
races it was obvious that the rule re-
quired an exception in their favor-that
it was not reasonable to require so young
an animal to pull as much weight as a
mature horse. Nevertheless, so rigid
was the custom that no such change
was made. When people began to trot
their yearlings, the slightest of ordinary
reasoning powers ought to have con-
WINGED the authorities that here indeed
was case in which the rule should be
relaxed; but no, the little, delicate
things were required to carry the same
weight as a twelve-hundred pound
seasoned campaigner And to this day,
Notwithstanding the fact that we have
trOtting congresses every two years that
are presumed to be the embodiment of
trotting wisdom, the same ridiculous
rule is applied with the most absurd
consistency to all classes of trotters. 1t
seems that such folly would make the
horses themselves laugh, if they have,
as alleged, any sense OF humOr whatever.
Another somewhat analogous instance
is in the "three-in-five" matter. In the
good old antc-bellum days, when one
had to look far down the vista of years
(whateyer that may be- to see 2:l5
performer, and when 40 constituted
fast horse, there was some reason in re-
qurng horse to win three heats out of
five in order to get first money. But
now that we have advanced at least
forty seconds and that more horses can
trot in 2 10 than could then 90 in $40,
this requirement becomes not only nom
sensical, but atrOcious. There are gen.
tlemen in the business, who apparently
control it., that think that if one ot or
one little of the law as they first knew it
&c ho t6o hO1 fob hi;
tumble about our heads and everything
go in hot haste to the Internal regions.
They do not seem to consider that when
the reason ceases the law should cease
likewise. They hang on to traditions
that have for years been outgrown as
though their souls salvation depended
upon them. They seem to think that
the original trotting law as they first
knew it was divinely ordained and that
it is sacrlege to touch the smallest of its
observances. Argument is lost upon
them and they still delight in doing as
they did forty or fifty years ago when
the conditions were Numerically differ
ent. 1t would seem that one really live,
earnest man in these so-called trotting
congresses would diffuse some of the
spirit, not of &c, but of 80, into the
dismal old gatherings and wake them up
to knowledge of the fact that there
has been some progress in the last half
century; that we are moving faster
than we did then-that the new age has
new requirements-that we are not, or,
at least, hope we are not forever to lead
the same dreary round that our grand
fathers had, and that the new era re-
quires changed methods to correspond
with the changed conditions. Can't
some ono stir nm the old hrathran a