Waterbury Democrat., 1901-02-21

Ratio
 New Trot- Pac- Pac-
 Sires. ters CTS CTS. 1891 ......... .434 39p l2l o.5l 1894 -o53 siao v. p','- 1897 400 DDS I23 O.91 1900 323 1eG 1sS 1.l3
 Since there were over three times as many trotterS as pncnrS among the get of new sires ten years ago, while in 1900 the plccrS came to outnumDer the trottprs. it may fairly be expected. presuming hat the same ratio Of in crease continues, that iii another de cade the positions will be reversed and we shall greet q crop of pacerS for the wear 1901 treble the size of the trot- ting crop. To show how comparative Iy insignificant in numbers pacerS were at an earlier period. l will men, tion that the parent volume of CheS- ters Complete Trotting and Pacing Record. which covers performances to the close of the year 1883: devotes E3o pages to summaries of trotting races and only 5I to pacing races, ratio for the latter gait of only 0T.S0. These are unmistakable and alarming indi- cations and must cause lovers and breeders of the American trOtter to in- Quire not only where are We at, but Wilither are we tending: l should an- swer to Il trutterlcSs age. and in the not rem cte future. so enormous are the constant gains of the pacer. unless methods are radically changed.
 Thus far performers q any rate of standard speed have been considered, but the impending danger is yet more startling when faster classes are taken into account 1 knew that decided majority of the horses ill the ,2:1o list were pacers. but l did not know and did not believe that I majority Of those We have been breeding for the last five or six years having any pre- tension to speed were pacers. let such seems to be the fact. We are now breeding DacerS instead of trot- ters. and this. as the-frSt fifteen years prove is to go oil in an increasing ratio unless means are taken to check it. Is it ill the~interest of the breeder that it be checked? l think so.
 At inc close of 1881 there were .3;;::' trottters in the 2:3O list. against lo6 | racers in the 2:2J list. For the next | fen wears there were added to the list | annually an average of 4Jl trotters as | against 8 pacers. or almost six trot- 1 tnrs to one pacpr: put since the close 1 of 1891 the Jacefs have so gained upon l the trotters that during the year lS93 there were added to the list SS3 trot- 1 IerS as against ST pacerS. or nearly as many. pacers aS there were 4trot- 1 terS.
 Referring to the notion that to get trotting speed you must breed rom pacing blood. the general says: Scanning the entire 2:1O trotting list l of 12G nprforners only one case can 1 Do found where pacing blood iS clpse 1 nu on tl,e side of either sire, or dam, 1 an1 only seven in which it appears at l all Bay Star. DOS. is by Kentucky | Star. o:OS1h pacing. but his sire Was 1 Robert Nctiregur. who had only five | pacers out of go performers. and his l dam was strictly trotting bred Dl- rectum Kelly, DOS M.. is by Direct o:OJh pacing. but Direct was strictly l ;rotting lrad, and lad q trotting rec l ord of o:1eA. Monterey. 2:o9A. is by 1 Sidney. 2:19M pacing. but sidney had i boIh q sire and dam with trotting rec | ords and the same applies To Dr Ieek. | o.O91h. Maud S. 2:OSM. and JuE-eye- i sec. 2:10. We're both from dams by i Pilot Jr. a son of Pilot, a pacer as lar as he was anything. but Pilot !r was Il na atural trotte and the cross Is quite remote. Nelson, 200. was by Young | Rolfe. q trotter. he hy Tom Rolfe. also a trotter and the latter out of Foca- | hontas. 2:17h. pacing. It is Slmpl!
 
 | these few exceptions which might be 1 cited by pacing extremists to prove the l rule- is due comparatively insignificant | amount of recognized pacing blood ill their composition.
 = How to arrest the current and turn l if into it's trotting channel is thus out | lined:
 Is it practicable to arrest the rapid increase of the pacer and to resume l the breeding of trotterS instead? 1 1 have no doubt of it myself. All that | is necessary is for breeders in select | ing their animals to choose those that | do not pace and reject those that do. l My experience as breeder is not eN- | tensiye. but so far as I am able to re- call I never had but one pacer where l I expected q trotter. l have now about forty head of young animals. from one to four years old. and only one of them. and that one not bred by my self. is inclined to pace. What have done I am sure other other breeders can do, and even better than myself. Is it worth their while to try? Of one thing I feel certain. that unless they do the dawning of the twentieth cen tury will witness the passing of the American trotter. The splendid struc- ture into which thousands upon thou sands of. men have builded the better part of their thoughts and their lives. and upon which countless millions of dollars have been lavished. shows lln- mistakable signs of crumbling at the foundations. It has been undermined. and the process goes on with frightful rap1dity Unless strong. well direct ed and determined combined effort is made it is question of but few years when the American trotter will De practically q thing of the past.
 BLoeMER LEAVES YALE. 36