Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-23

IRON Manassas to Nckesville was about Q
miles and then a few miles farther on and
we came to the Hazen homestead, q beautiful old
building of the Colonial type. But, oh, my
how parched and devastated this beautiful
country looked Not q field Of green grass
anywhere; the stock In the pastures just nib
bling at the bleached tufts of grass, which had
finally died for want Of moisture. OF course,
no one around here has ever seen a Summer
like this one before. and it is hoped We never
shall again.
Is it not strange what bad luck some people
have? In a motor trip the writer took last
August, up In Mexican County, Pa, he saw
about as unusual condition as one could
imagine. Here the drought was not only as
bad as elsewhere, but in this far-on Northwest
Pennsylvania county-right after our severe
warm spell IN July, when the Thermometer
reached 1O6 degrees in the shade heavy frost
occurred that killed nearly all the corn and
buckwheat which was then well on its way to-
ward maturity.
The buckwheat bloom, instead Of being white.
as it usually is in midsummer, was quite brown.
and the corn had q most peculiar whitish color,
with only here and there q single green blade.
The writer's curiosity led him to ask farmer
up there If the corn could be used as fodder
for the cattle but he replied 1t was total
loss, since 1t was devoid Of all substance and
nutrition. He said however, that the buck
wheat might be serviceable for this purpose.
Verify, It does seem that some people do catch
Il coming and going.
But as to the Haven homestead, Mount Wes-
ley. Here was met, beside the host and hostess.
Mrs Gloria Haven Herring, Mr.. Hazen's niece,
and her son, Ray, and MRS. Hasen's niece, Miss
Margaret Hazen Davis, and after o pleasant
chat and nice country dinner, prepared by
real Southern cook In real Southern style, we
went outside to look ct MI. Hazen's stock,
which principally consisted Of horses. From
early youth Mr.. Hazen has been lover OF
horsehesh of which he is an expert judge, and
along which line he needs no introduction TO
the washington public. since for years he has
been identified here with the Riding and Hunt
Club. the National Capital Horse Show Asso-
citation and the Rock Greek Hunt Club.
As a fancier and breeder Of horses, he Is
as well known in Virginia as he is in the Dis
trict Of Columbia, and his farm has been the
home of q number Of famous hunters, such IS
Virginia Girl, Richmond, Virginia Dare, General
Mitchell and others. Even the Federal Govern
ment considers him to be an expert IN horse
breeding and designates his farm as breed
ing station for the United States Remosmt
Service, he acting as agent.
nNE of the horses that particularly attracted
the writer's attention on this visit was
handsome bay named McDonno, by MCGEE,
imported, and he was really classy annual
handsomely nodded, with legs as straight as
those of deer. The colored groom brought
him out for exercise while We were there, and
what q contrast there was to horse the writer
saw sold years ago at Bensinger's old horse
bazaar, on the south side Of Louisiana avenue
between Ninth and Tenth streets northwest,
about where the guard house once stood It
was an old railroad horse, and very sorry
looking specimen at that. His knees were badly
sprung from travelling over the cobble stones
with which the center Of the tracks were then
paved, as many win recall, and, beside, he had
about everything horse could have except good
looks and good health.
Before ne was offered for sale, stable boy
ran him up and down the Enclosure, evidently
to show that he was alive and really could move.
Then the bidding began. How much am
offered for this fine aninnal?" said the autioneer.
HE hasn't hump, bump or q windgaI, and
he stands well ON his pins" It was discern
ing audience, and the first and last bid was q,
and It was Knocked down Mt that price 70 Patsy
Mann, who took him away to his soap-grease
factory at odesboro, just below the city. the
offensive odor from which 10 Stf1 fetAlfe0 81
many an old-timer when ne refers TO his early
excursion days on the Potomac. But whatever