Annual Meeting 1103 - 



of the Jockey Club's freaks, not one of which measured up to the 

 standard of an ordinary farm horse; and that he had sold a 

 number as two, three and four-year-olds for sums ranging from 

 $20 to $45 apiece. The farmer boys all over the state have sold 

 these skates for from $20 to $50 at three years old, anything to get 

 rid of them. I know a man who sold them up to four years old, 

 and by various thoroughbred sires, at all prices under $100, down 

 as low as $10, averaging about $G0 for a dozen head. So I think 

 we can safely eliminate the thoroughbred from our calculation. 

 He is not and never was a harness horse, he was never bred for 

 w^ork. He has never been trained for work, he does not know how 

 to work and it would take a long course of breeding, education and 

 development to endow him with the qualities which the farmer 

 demands, either for his own use or as breeding stock. 



We come next to the draft breeds. I do not think we need waste 

 any time in discussing the claim of the Hackney and the so-called 

 coachers, as farm horses. In fact, I do not think that any par- 

 ticular claim has ever been made for them for that purpose by 

 their breeders and advocates. Though they are not less qualified 

 for the farm than the thoroughbred, like him they are one pur- 

 pose horses and that purpose not a serious one in life ■ — ■ largely 

 to gratify a rich man's fancy. The draft breeds have a much 

 better claim upon our consideration, but though no reasonable 

 comparison can. be drawn between them, the runnner and 

 Hackney for the object we have in view, there are objectionable 

 features to all of them and in one respect they are open to the 

 same criticism that applies to the thoroughbred — they have been 

 bred for many years with a single object and that to attain 

 weight and size. The ton horse is almost the sole desideratum of 

 every breeder of every variety of the draft horse and they have 

 been mated, fed and developed with this main purpose. The 

 English Shire and the Scotch Clydesdale are the main branches 

 of the family and the Percheron, Belgian, Suffolk and other types 

 are but artificial subdivisions of the same breed. They are all 

 much alike in size and conformation, though they differ much in 

 characteristics. I have heard the Clydesdale, Belgiau and Suffolk 

 are criticized. Personallv I like the Percheron best of them all, 

 and I have seen good results from crossing a trotting stallion on 

 Percheron mares, and vice versa. 



