TWELFTH DISTRICT AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 519 



The horse — that tried, trusty, faitliful servant of iiuin, tliat "mock- 

 etli at fear, and is not affrighted " — what more beautiful object is there, 

 in the animal kingdom, than the pure thoroughbred? Who can but 

 admire him? Notice those delicate limbs, almost too dainty for the 

 ground they touch but to spurn; slender, yet as strong and supple as 

 steel; a well rounded body, every muscle swelling, instinct with glo- 

 rious exul)crant life; a mighty chest, curtained by a mane, soft and 

 wavy as u maiden's locks; a proudly arching neck, small head, and 

 luminous eyes. Those large bright eyes, soft and incjuisitive as a 

 deer's, how i)lainly, as with pointed ears, distended nostril, quivering 

 lip, he reaches out and hesitatingly touches you, do they ask: who 

 are you, friend or foe? But with all their beauty, love them as we 

 may, the pretty, swift thoroughbreds are not suited to all work. We 

 farmers must have horses adapted and framed Ijy nature for the serv- 

 ice to which we wish to devote them. For speed, the oblique shoul- 

 ders and high withers; for draft, the wide chest and frame, roomy in 

 all directions, weight and strength being more desirable than speed. 

 In purchasing or breeding horses, first decide, for what kind of work 

 we will use the animal, then act accordingly. The old Arabian rule 

 is as true to-day as it was thousands of years ago — "the foal follows 

 the sire." Every farmer should raise and break his own teams. 

 Raised on the ranch, they are at home, more tractable, and, conse- 

 quently, easily handled. A colt or two on the farm are of but little 

 trouble, and the expense of keeping is merely nominal. It helps out 

 the store bills wonderfully if we have a two-hundred dollar horse to 

 sell every year or so. From present appearances there is no danger 

 of the market becoming overstocked with sound,strong, draft animals. 



When we reflect that in 1880 there were more than 4,000,000 sheep 

 in this State, and that Mendocino County alone has over 300,000 

 sheep, and annually exports over 1,000,000 pounds of wool, it really 

 seems as if some remarks were pertinent on the wool question. We 

 raise sheep either for their wool or mutton, and hope to make a living 

 and money out of the business. We are now suffering from a depres- 

 sion in our wool trade. We have continued, year after year, breeding 

 up our sheep, until we have an exceptionally fine lot of wool sheep in 

 this district, but, as far as my information goes, very light mutton 

 sheep as a rule. Consequently, at, a time like this, wool being 

 depressed, our muttons being so light and ranking so low in the mar- 

 ket, the sheep business does not pay, and the wool-growers suffer 

 hard times. Have we not made a mistake in breeding altogether 

 for wool ? Leaving out of the case the consideration that the pure 

 merino is too delicate an animal for our brush pastures and rough 

 methods, that fine sheep cannot thrive with poor keeping, that they 

 must be housed, fed, and protected during the Winter storms, would 

 we not be more successful, have a surer income, if we raised a breed 

 of sheep possessing both characteristics, mutton asAvell as wool? It 

 is possible, by crossing large fine merinos with some of the best wooled 

 mutton varieties, to obtain a cross by which good salable wool may 

 be i)roduced, and at the same time heavy muttons be grown. It cer- 

 tainly appears to be a wise policy to sacrifice the weiglit of our wool 

 clips a little in the size and weight of our flocks. Good, fat heavy 

 sheep are never a drug in the market— people must eat. Will it not 

 pay us to give some attention to the bodies of our sheep, as well as 

 to the woolly covering of their backs? A fine fat one hundred-pound 

 wether will always bring a remunerative price. 



