The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-11-14

SAORS AN
product of Carefully bred females and
great sires judiciously mated, but OF
females OF every type and Of nc type
mated often to interior, par5-bred sires,
or go mis-. mated as almost to insure IN
teriority of progeny.
The general farmer will always re
main the greatest producer OF horses,
not only for the reason that white sheep
eat more than black ones, but because
the genius of the few really great breed
ers will always find its field in the pro
duction of sires and Of phenc menal IN
dividuals. Many of these same breed
ers will class as farmers, but they are
essentially horsemen and are not the
individuals to whom this paper Is In
tended to apply. It is intended to ap,
ply to that mass Of farmers who are
not horsemen. and yet who produce
horEes Ia large numbers
The general farmer should succeed
better than he does as a horse pro
Queer. He would be helped, too, by a
better understanding of his advantages
and disadvantages. leading TO a pro
cedure more In line with his limita
lions.
If man be not a horseman with a
knowledge of, and an eye for nice
points, or il his attention be monopo
hzsd with other matters, there are two
things he can never do, viz: He can
never be a successful producer OF sires
or of their dams, and he can lev be a
producer OF any class Of horses that
needs from birth up that painstaking
and skillful care necessary to the de
velopment Of track horses OF the high
est class, or Of saddlers and carriage
horses. This will always be the exclu
sive business Of horse g%eniuses; and
yet no other class of horses have been
SO extensively produced by the mass of
farmers as a low grade Of speed horses.
Even yet, when it is hopeless for a
part bred horse to take a RAGS even at
a country fair, and when every racer
must not only be bred in the purple
but developed with the greatest care
even yet hundreds OF farmers are
breeding mares of all classes to the
nearest trotting stallion, in the torlorn
hope of getting a record breaker. True,
it Is done under the excuse Of getting a
''caRFiage hoTsa for the boy" but I
know, and so does everybody else, thai
there is a hidden hope that something
may happen, and when the Ill begotten
thing is brought III it . so just fast
enough to be beaten on the track and
TO be dangerous OF the roads This
thing has permeated the mass Of farm
ers more than most people realize, and
ls responsible for infinite damage to
thousands of horses that should have
been produced on a different plan.
While rhe farmer who is not a horse
man cannot produc9 breeders, and
should les fast horses alone, he has Ger
tain advantages as a horse producer
nat ought TO be recogL zed, and that
to shape his course.
These advantages are: First, the
amount of cheap feed, which puts this
OF the industry on much the
same basis as beef production, ana
leads to the common statement that IL
costs little more GO grow a horse than
to grow a steer Second, ABUNDANT
range for proper exercise OF growing
animals; and, third, he is himself an
extensive user of horse labor. Hire ie
important matter.
The market calls mainly for g~eldiDgs,
and I take it that, broadly speaking,
our farm work should be largely done
by mares that are fully able also to
produce a foal each year. The feasi
bility Of this plan has been abundanuy
by experience Farm labor is
not so severe or 80 constant s to pre-
clud9 the use of breeding mares. In
fact, the farm horse should be a breed
ing animal, to fully occupy her time
and pay for her maintenance during
the long periods of short work and com
parative idleness.
On a farm of moderate size, / like at
n span of geldings that are al
ready for any kind Of work; but
it is expensive to keep a horse a year
for what he can do during the working
season, and I have found breeding
mares entirely satisfactory and far
cheaper. Besides, one can bford q
surplus Of this kind of horse power,
which is frequently almost a necessity
for a limited time.
l expect to meet with the objection
~ - too uo,ob %ror, blo RI .o,so FCoI,