The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1910-07-29

/ RoAAG1 4o a0S gtS0bAo VIVA 49,
popular than they are. Perfectly
bred specimens are only to be OBJ
tanned at a price which few peo-
pie care to give for what IL prac-
tically only a plaything for children.
One would think that an enterprising
breeder might find a good opening
here.
Away to the north of Scotland lies
the group of islands In which the
diminutive horses commonly called
Shelties have their home. The Shet
lands are mot all inhabited, some OF
the smaller islands being used merely
as p~asturage for a few sheep. There
Is little to attract either the agricul,
turist or the merchant, so progress Ia
slow; the islanders till their land by
old-fashioned methods, and many OF
them still have to barter as
a means Of obtaining ne~cessaries.
To the lover of the beautiful and to
the artist there Is much to charm
Some perhaps would describe the Is.
lands as barren-but what barrenness!
The country, though destitute Of trees,
Is 80 varied in the nature OF its seen.
cry that their absence In no way de.
tracts from the general beauty of the
landscape.
Countless tarns, streams and lochs
all serve to make the coloring OF the
heather-covered hills and the gloomy
tints of the moors stand out in pleas.
ing contrasts, while near the sea bold
cliffs tower over the blue waters,
whose waves dash against their rocky
sides. Overhead numerous sea birds
circle on their way to their nests on
the lodges.
The largest island is known as the
mainland, with a length Of f~fty-four
miles and a width of twenty-one. The
islands have a ~singularly mild and
eqriable climate considering their ex.
posed situation and compose one OF
the most healthful districts of Scot
land; but ven the most adventurous
tourists seldom visit them, because q
doubtful sea "trip In a small steamer
is necessary before they can be
reached.
OF the entire r of 551 square
miles scarcely one-sixth is under cul.
tivation. yet the Shetlanders manage
to maintain something like 100, 0Oo
sheep, 10000 cattle and 5000 Of the
famous ponies. The inhabitants are
of Morse origin and In their speech
and customs retain many Of the char
acteristics Of their forefathers. They
support themselves chiefly by the
herring and other fishing industries.
They cannot afford to give much
feeding to their ponies, 80 these
hardy little animals run wild In herds
on the hills or scatholds, picking up
what food they can find. When the
bleak wintry weather comes on they
find their way down to the seashore,
where they derive a scanty living from
the seaweed which grows upon the
rocks or has been left by the high
autumn tides and freshened by melt
ed snow or rain. At this time OF year,
too, they will gather In groups near
the homesteads and are rewarded with
an occasional truss of hay.
In spite of this ~precarions existence.
the Shelties happy enough, and
they are extremely hardy. They pos
sess extraordinary strength for their
size, being able to carry a man or
woman with apparent ease for long
distances. 90 tA
The little ponies. with their rough,
shaggy coats and flowing names and
tails, seem somehow to suit their
wild. rugged surroundings and the
groups of them that are scattered
about add the needed lie to the land
scape.
Perhaps It is a question OF a sur.
vival of the fittest that makes these
little creatures so very small. al
horses Of a lager type would be use
less on the Doggy mooes or on the
stony hilIsides. They have been
known Z o attain the age of thirty
years and more. due probably to the
ihealthful mode Of life which thew
were forced to adopt. for they were
born in the fields and lived and died
In them.
The Shelties cannot be worked until
they are three or four years old and
do not reach maturity until they ara
eight or nine. sTsnnoHgn occasionally
employed in the Shetlands to draw
carts, II is Is = raddle animal that
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