TRIALS OF SPEED. 261 



them without being called together by some outside influences, 

 let them stay away. 



Is it not a serious question for the consideration of all officers 

 of agricultural societies, whether they are justified in providing 

 for, and promoting, all such performances ? Whether they will 

 be justified in spending not only money, but time, to so little 

 public advantage. Mr. Sanford Howard, of the Michigan Agri- 

 cultural College, in an address delivered by him a short time 

 since, remarked upon the position the horse should take in our 

 agricultural shows, as follows : 



" Is any real improvement effected, or even contemplated 

 by these premiums on trials of speed ? It has already been 

 remarked that premiums have been offered for the fastest 

 trotting at short distances ; only light weights are drawn ; so 

 that the contest is reduced to a mere test of speed, wholly 

 irrespective of other properties. 



" It follows, of course, that the winning horse is in many 

 cases, not one of any value for any purposes of usefulness. 

 That in some instances he will not bring so much in market as is 

 awarded to him in premium. 



" It is true this is not always the result of these trials. Horses 

 that are valuable for something besides speed for short distances, 

 with light weights, do sometimes win ; but wheu they do, they 

 stand no higher in the scale of honor, than the scrub, that has 

 done the same thing. And it must be evident that the offering 

 of premiums for mere speed, if it has any influence at all, tends 

 to the production of horses in which the more useful properties 

 are found in an inferior degree. 



" But perhaps it would be asked, would you shut out the 

 horse from any participation in agricultural exhibitions ? Cer- 

 tainly not ! The horse is one of the most useful of our domestic 

 animals, and his improvement should not be overlooked by 

 agricultural societies: * * * 



" If it should be desired to test the rate of speed by time, the 

 fairest way to do it would be to try each horse by himself in a 

 most quiet way. Where horses are put upon the track in com- 

 petition with each other, it is difficult, and in some cases imprac- 

 ticable, to settle the question of the rate of speed, of which they 

 are relatively capable, on account of the excitement which 

 effects them. 



