1907.] . THE HORSE. 239 



have tried to outline we can breed a better class of horses than 

 can be brought from the great ranges of the west by anybody. 



Now just a word on another point. I have had horses 

 weighing twelve hundred pounds, and I have had them weigh- 

 ing seventeen hundred. I have worked them side by side. I 

 have had to take the twelve hundred pound horses and plow 

 heavy clay soil. I have had a chance to test the merits of the 

 two classes pretty thoroughly, and, my friends, I want to say 

 that I never fed a heavy horse one quart more of grain than 

 I have fed to the smaller horse, w^hich was doing work in the 

 same field. I have never had to pay more money for shoeing 

 although the blacksmith always scolded a little. I never have 

 had to go to a blacksmith when a horse has lost its shoe any 

 oftener with the light than with the heavier horse. 



My aim in breeding horses has been, in the first place, to 

 get a horse with good points, and then I have been determined 

 to feed that horse in such a way as to get the most out of it. 

 If a horse lost its shoe I just went right on. I have had heavy 

 horses that looked well and traveled well. I have made it my 

 business to drive my family to church, and we always got there 

 on time and got back in time for dinner. And if you can do 

 that, that is about all that most of us want. I have taken 

 my wife in a carriage out for a drive behind a sixteen or 

 seventeen hundred pound horse, and the other fellow has had 

 to ride in the dust. My plea today, before you, is for a heavier 

 bred horse, for some special uses, and you want a special 

 purpose machine for especial uses. You can get those types 

 of animals if you breed intelligently, and if you do that you 

 will find there will be an ample reward when you put such 

 horses into the market. 



Just one thing more and I am done. There is another side 

 to this question, my friends. I hinted it to you a little while 

 ago. I said that I had a good deal of interest in boys. I al- 

 ways have had and I hope I always will. A great many 

 people are worrying because so many of our farm boys have 

 left the old places and gone off to the cities. Well, the Lord 

 knows that the cities need them. I do not know what they 

 would do for population if the farmer did not send it. I do 

 not blame some boys for turning their backs upon the old 

 farm. The fact is that life upon the farm has not been made 

 attractive. I think, my friends, that the thing that takes a 



