Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-01

is frequent visitor at the SocietyS eX
hibitions, His display of technical
knowledge when the horses are parad
ed before him shows how keen an in
terest he takes In that particular
branch of the farmers work. 1t was a
shire stallion of the kings, Premvictor,
that won. to his majesty's delight, the
first prize in the International Live
Stock exhibition at Chicago.
King Edwards pride in his successes
is little to, be wondered at. especially
when one recalls the arid and neglected
condition OF the Sandringham estate be-
fore the KING took possession of 1t and
commenced the apparently impossible
task of its transformation. In Il report,
submitted to his majesty by well
known agriculturist. occurs this state
ment of fact:
1t IS very barren soil. barely capable
of cultivation and unlikely to repay tho
enormous labor necessary.
the unimpeachable testimony OF
Rider Haggard, himself one of the
greatest agricultural authorities in
Great Britain, affords an interesting
contrast
TT is a wonderful farm" says the
novelist for l imagine that nowhere is
so much .high-bred stock to be seen
upon the same area; at least in all my
extensive journeyings throughout the &c
counties in England. of which I have
examined the agriculture l have not
found its equal"
A great deal of this remarkable excel
lence Is due to the kings treatment OF
his servants. There is so much consid
Grafton. SO much kindlineSs and so
much genuine interest on the part of
his majesty that they give him of their
best In return And the kings treat
ment of his cattle is proportionately
sympathetic.
1t is one of his rules that no carriage
or draft horse which has been In his
service, and has passed the margin of
utility. shall leave ii except through the
kindly gate of death. He declines to
allow them to be disposed of In way
which would leave their future treat
ment a matter of uncertainty. The,
royal horses therefore, are kept until
they are no longer fit for their duties.
and then they are put out of their ex-'
istence in the most merciful and expedi-
tious manner possible. AS rule a
specially constructed mask is adjusted
by means of which a powerful dose OF
chloroform is administered, and the anil
nal expires in n few minutes. quite
painlessly.
Uriah Robbins. King Edwards herds
man. has been in the kings service just
80 years. He is u d-looking old fell
low with rosy rugged face. and seems
born to crown n smock frock. He is
immensely proud OF his royal masters
record and at Smthfeld. last year, cele-
brated the fact that the king had won
the sheep championship for three sue
cess.ve years, by entertaining all the
Smlthfield shepherds to supper.
THE king knows good animal when
40 ITIiOh s'Q nd he never
looks twice at an untidy one"
Although dogIbreedlng scarcely comes
within the scope of the average farm
er, it Is interesting to note that some
Of the finest kennels in the country arc
to be found on the Sandrlngham estate
.+The Farmer King" shows the same
zeal in breeding and exhibiting thor
oughbred dogs as he does In the moro
aspiratlve byways of farming. Inc
king rarely stirs abroad without his
mischievous little terrier, but at Sand
ringham he is much more AMBITIOUS, NO
variety comes amiss in Its 5plendld Ken
nels-pointers, settlers. barriers, deer
hounds. spaniels. bulldogs, foXterriers.
St Bernards. basset-hounds' New
foundlands, retrievers. Esquimnux and
Norwegian sledge dogs, and many other
lesser known hounds. In this phase OF
his work as a farmer he has secured the
co-operation of Queen Alexandra, who
often makes q tour of the kennels ac-
companied by servants laden with bas-
kets of biscuits, and feeds the dogs
with her own hands
No monarch In the history of Eng
land has botter earned and sustained
his right to the title OF The Farmer
King" than Edward VII.
~ J. LANGLEY LEVY.