The Washington herald., 1911-01-15

breeders is that they do not buy brood
mares with as good judgment. ordinarily.
as they buy a COW Or a hog. The would
be breeder should only buy in producing
and fashionable lines. He cannot buy in
producing lines unless he has made of
blood lines a profound study. Breeding,
at best. is a lottery; it never can be
then haphaZard breeding Is the worst
kind of policy-a pure waste Of time and
money.
A revenue-producing mare on a farm
is the best kind of an investment, as has
been shown. When Senator Stanford en-
barked in the business of breeding he
had not made of it a particular study.
In fact. he once remarked to the writer
that he got into the business by accident.
He said that he was in bad health
through overwork. He was one of the
big four who built the Union Pacific
Railway. and the job had taken more
out of him physically and mentally than
even his powerful constitution could
stand. His physician, he said. frankly
told him that if he expected to live and
enjoy the wealth he had acquired he
would have to withdraw from active
business and take to outdoor exercise
Driving was suggested behind a good
HOTSc, anu 81 tUc ocHdtOT lnS
gelding Occident. 2:16k, at that time
the fastest trotter owned on the Pacific
Coast.
The Senator said that within a few
weeks his health began to show marked
improvement. His attention was called
from business cares, and the enjoyment
of being drawn rapidly along the roads
in the vicinity Of San Francisco so keen,
that he concluded that il one fast horse
was able to produce so much good. physi-
cally and otherwise, he would buy an
other one. and this he did. Finally. as
q pastfme, he decided to breed a few
trotters and purchased the Palo Alto
ranch at Mendlo Park. of some 10000
acres, and, later on, the Vina ranch,
some 5000 acres.
He now began to rapidly increase his
holdings, SO that at the time the con-
occurred. which was in the
early nineties. he owned upward Of 500
brood mares and young
things
As Is well known. Senator Stanford rose
to be the most eminent and successful
breeder of light harness horses in the
world. but 1t must not be supposed that
he did not pay the same attention to hig
breeding interests that he had paid t6>
his vast merchantile railway interests.
He mastered every detail. Some Of his
Ideas were original and he ventured into
the fields that no breeder before him
had ever explored. He had many
imitators later on, but for some unknown
reason they did not meet with the same
success. Senator Stanford was the first
breeder in the United States to train
and race yearlings and two year olds.
He was the originator of the brush sys-
tenn in training of young horses He was
the only man who anywhere near ap-
success in crossing the light
harness horses in the thoroughbred. He
was the first man In the world to dis
cover exactly the position Of a horses
legs while at speed through the use Of
and THIS at personal cost
Of upward Of $30.O0e.
He was the first breeder in the world
to hold all worlds records from one
yDar to fve. and his equal In this re-
Bpect has never since appeared and prob
ably never win. This man. who was
born . farmers lad. In Central New
FORK. and who afterwsrd became 4
lawyer. merchant. and n railroad
builder, unquestionably had 1 genius for
The task he assumed. although he tiid
not suspect that such WAS the ea1a when
he began II. what ttie Senator id, how
Dvsr. N larue scple . great many
llesdsra nay d sna snan spAle. Il they