The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-11-29
JOURNEYS TO RUSSIA
AFTER RARE HOUNDS.
Specimens of the Ancient Type Of
BOrsoi Brought to America by
Millionaire Yale Student.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
Hartford. Conn, Nov. 2S.-After travel
ling many thousand miles in search of a
particular breed OF dogs, Joe Thomas, a
millionaire Yale student, has by the in
fiuence of friends in the Russian court
returned to his estate. Valley Farm. with
the finest lot of Borzoi, or Russian wolf
hounds, that ever left the Cars domain.
Thomas sailed for Europe early in July.
OF his trip he says:
Three weeks spent in England in vain
effort to find something definite in type
convinced me that England was little, IL
any, better Off in Borzoi than were the
States. "a
1t was in st. Petersburg that l nearly
gave up my search for the ideal. For
ments. 1 did not relinquish by quest until
l had visited the kennel of Grand Duke
Nicholi Nicoiaivitch and that of MI. and
Mrs. Artem Boidaren.
Leaving Moscow late one evening, the
next morning 1ound me at Tula. a Town
some hundreds OIL versts South of tine an.
cient capital. and three hours IN a 'troika'
across the trail OF the .steppes finally
brought me to Pcrchina, the gland ducal
hunting lodge. Here a veritapie surprise
and reward for all my trouble awaited
me-. for. met by M. Dimitry Wa.tzen
(Cnief du Conptoir), a most amiable fan
cier and judge, l had the pressure of be-
ing conducted through a Kennel containing
the finest collection or dogs OF any one
breed 1 have ever seen.
Marvellous is the only adjective that
will qualify here. Imagine a hundred dogs
all stamped with the hallmark of the
ancient type'-the type we have read
about. but rarely If ever s%een-fne. long,
'0ry' heads of straight lines, great bone
and muscle, depth or chest, thickness OF
loin and genera appearance Of st. .ngtn,
with a coat Of extraordinary length; In
been so confused over reproduced in prac-
teal perfection.
"Sucn dogs also found possessed by
the Boldareffs. at Woronzova. In the
Province of Tamboy. from Tula a four
the Transsiberian express. The dogs at
Perchina vary in color from white to dark
tan mo black). while the Boldaren ken
and for their magniicence of coat.
Ones first thought is. Why AVE Eng
lish and American breeders not procured
specimens of these dogs. and why has
not more been heard OF them? There are
query. Primarily. these wonderful ken
nels are remote from the ordinary trav-
eled route: secondly. owing to the Eng
in recent years left Russia, and years ago,
when this expectation did take place. this
type practically did not exist.
Nearly fourscore years ago the ancient
y pc ulu GAlSl. 1nCii pCSdl q ludfltd w
Improvement which provided nothing
more nor less than the general spoliation
of the race. SO that from that time UP to
the recent regeneration. brought about
by the Grand Duke and Mr.. Boldarefr.
Russian kennels in general contained dogs
similar to those in the imperial kennels. of
to-day. The short-coated white Polish. his
cousin. the English greyhound, and the
.long-eared Crimean dogs, supplied the for
ei2n blood.
THE effect this promiscuous crossing
had on the ancient type is only too evil
dent. Poor coats. large ears. short and
gailS carried tails We're the most prom
inert legacies of the foreign invasion, not
to mention a motley and illbred appear
ance in the packs. Nineteen years ago
the Grand Duke Nicholi gathered the
of his now wonderful kennel.
Eight years since he won his first gold
at Moscow, the first which had been
awarded in twenty years.
THE regeneration of the type was
brought about by violent out-cross; for ex-
a strain containing Russian and
blood was crossed with another
strain containing Russian and Crimean
blood. Some of the progeny of such
reverted to the ancient type and
by the most careful selection of these for
years in succession excellent results were
brought about"