Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-11-19

cross through his dam, the Charles Kent
mare, by the English Norfolk trotter,
imported Bellfounder
Among the earliest representatives of
the Wilkes family to locate in Maine was
| Messenger Wilkes. by Red Wilkes, son or
George Wilkes, and Bayard Wilkes by
Alcantara, and Wilkes by Alcyone, a'so
sons of George Wilkes. All have added
| to the reputation of the State, Messenger
| Wilkes not only proving a sire of speed,
| but of horses that have won in that Sc
verest of all tests, the horse show prize
ring. Bayard Wilkes is we'll known for
| his performances on the turf and as a
sire of Bismarck, 213&i, and Wilkes as the
! sire of Fred Wilkes, 2.lsls and st. Croix
| 2.14s4.
| The great Electioneer family has so
sent its representatives into the State
| All through the time since Zuarrow af-
forwards Boston, gained great renown
| by trotting a mile in three minutes. and
| Pelham won the worlds champion record
| of Us in 1919, up to the time when Nell
| son placed the stallion record in 10,
| Maine has produced trotters bred outs de
| the lines as laid down above, and las
| shown that speed, like genius In the hui
man family, is confined to no race or
| breed but crops out at times where least
expected or looked for, and such was the
case with many horses which have in
| times past added to the fame of the
State.
OF these the writer recalls Blackh'rd.
| that made his debut in New York in 1875
as green one from Maine w. H.
Taylor. Lew Pettee Readield, Carlotta,
| Alice Gray, and that reminds one that of
the four animals that competed in the
| celebrated double team race on Long
Island in 1855, Alice Gray Stella and
| Whalebone were bred in the State of
Maine.
| With such host with dams by the
| sires mentioned and descended from the
| foundation stock of the State, with sires
of the latest and most approved bre I'd
| ing, with intelligent breeders study ng
and using the proper combinations and
crosses, the future of this State from d
breeders standpoint seems assured.
\ circular embodying the following
| questions was recently sent out to those
men best qualified to answer thereto.
| ]. What is the best type of horse for
Maine farmers to breed?
| .. Should extreme speed be the object,
or is there type which, il speed is not
obtained, will produce a fine carriage
| horse?
9. How can Maine breeders best devote
their energies to make the business a sue
| cess?
4. In your opinion, how much money is
| brought into the State annually from the
sale of carriage and trotting horses?
| s. Give any facts relating to this sub
ject in a general way, wAich your expe-
rience in horse breeding tells you will be
| of value?
/ is impossible to quote the entire num-
Der of answers which these queries have
| received, but from several given by the
| well known men whose names are at
| tached, can be drawn a fair estimate of
the opinions prevalent throughout the
State
Frank H. Briggs of Maple Grove Stock
| Farm in Auburn whose fine horses are
known all over Maine. writes al leng h,
as follows:
| Il consider the gentleman's road horse
the best type of horse for Maine farmers
to breed. By this | mean a horse stand
ing from 15-2 to 16 hands, OF good color,
| beauty of form, with graceful easy ac-
ton and some speed: for a horse canrot
| De fine roadster, one that will give
| thrill of pleasure TO his driver, unless he
can, in places where conditions are favor
| able. brush along bit.
| "Such a horse possesses size and servi e.
| able qualities so that the farmer can.
make him earn his keep after he is three
or four years old. The demand for TINS
kind of horses is always good, and they
can be bred with remarkable uniformity.
| Extreme speed should not be the object
of breeding, for the reason that 1T can
not he produced with sufficient uniform-
ity. with the material obtainable by the
| average farmer, and secondly, because in
| order to obtain the price for extreme
| speed great amount of training is nee
essary and the average farmer is not
qualified, nor can he afford to take the
chances of failure and accident, in pro-
ducing that speed
"For the reason that a certain amount
| Of speed can be had with considerable
| uniformity, and that this speed can be
| found combined with the other essential
| qualIlies of style and size, disposition
and action in certain well establish ed
| trotting horse families now represented
in this State, l believe that this branch
| Vi Tie DuSllleSS OHeTS lHe pest promises
| for success to the Maine farmer.
1.-The State of Maine established a repu-
| tation forty years ago for producing the
| best roadsters in the world. Its Messen-
gers, Morgans I1atons, Drews possessed
| in marked degree the qualities so desir-
| able in the roadster The sale of this
stock brought many thousands of dollars
| into the State. The farmers kept selling
| so that about fifteen or twenty years ago
| we found ourselves in need of replenish-
| ing the stock. About that time the craze
| for extreme speed was well under way in
| Kentucky and California In replenish-
| ing our stock and in the management OF
| it afterward, the extreme speed cut too
| prominent a figure For the gamble of
| raising a two minute trotter the other es-
| sential qualities of road horse were
| largely overlooked, so that when the
| business depression of 1893 came upon us
| we not only found the demand for horses
largely cut off from us, but we found
that we had been raising too many small,
ill-shaped horses. The last few years
have changed the views OF many breed
ers, and it has happened thar i'm these