6(36 



FARMERS' REGISTER— EFFCTS OF FROST ON SOIL. 



running of train-cent across the country, and 

 sometimes the most difficult and dangerous part ol' 

 the country was selected for the exhibition. Oc- 

 casionally our present steej/lc chase was adopted 

 with all its dangers, and more than its present 

 barbari!)-; for persons were appointed cruelly to 

 flog along the jaded and exhausted horses. 



It should, however, be acknowledged that the 

 races of that period were not disgraced by the 

 system of gambling and li'uud which seems to 

 have become almost inseparable Irom the amuse- 

 ments of the turf. The prize was usually a wood- 

 en bell adorned with flowers. This was afcr- 

 wards exchanged lor a silver bell, and "given to 

 him who should run the best and I'arthest on horse- 

 back on Shrove Tuesday." Hence the common 

 phrase of "bearing away the bell." 



Horse-racing became gradually more cultivated; 

 but it was not until the last year of the reign of 

 James I., thatrnles were pa-omalgated and gener- 

 ally subscribed to ibr their regulation. That prince 

 was (bnd of field sp'orts. lie had encouraged, if 

 he did not establish, horse-racing in Scotland, and 

 he brought with him to England his predilection 

 for it; but his races were more often matches 

 against time, or trials of speed and bottom, ibr ab- 

 surdly and cruelly long distances. His favorite 

 courses were at Croydon and on Enfield Chase. 



Although the Turkish and Barbary horses had 

 been freely used to produce with the English mare 

 the breed which was best suited to tills exercise, 

 little improvement had been efiijcted. James, 

 with great Judgement, determined to try the Arab 

 breed. Probably, he had not forgotten the story 

 of the Arabian, which had been presented to one 

 of the Scottish churches, five centuries belbrc. 

 He purchased, trom a merchant named Markham, 

 a celebrated Arabian horse, Ibr which he gave the 

 extravagant sum of five hundred pounds. Kings, 

 however, like their subjects, are often thwarted and 

 governed by their servants, and the Duke ol 

 Newcastle took a dislike to this Ibreign animal. 

 He wrote a book, and a very good one, on horse- 

 manship, and described this Arabian as a little 

 bony horse, of ordinary shape, setting him down 

 as good tor nothing, because, after being regularly 

 trained, he could not race. The opinion of the 

 Duke, probably altogether erroneous, had, for 

 nearly a century, great weight; and the Arabian 

 horse lost its reputation among the English turf- 

 breeders. 



A South-Eastern horse was afterwards brought 

 into England, and purchased by James, of Mr. 

 Place, Avlio was afterwards stud-master, or groom 

 to Oliver Cromwell. This beautiful animal was 

 called the White Turk, and his name and that of 

 his keeper will long be remembered. Shortly af- 

 terwards appeared the Helmsley Turk, introduced 

 by Villiers, the first duke of liuckingham. He 

 was followed by Fairfiix's Morocco Barb. These 

 horses speedily effected a considerable change in 

 the character of our breed, so that Lord Harleigh. 

 one of the old school, complained that the great 

 horse was fiist disappearing, and that horses were 

 now bred light and fine for the sake of speed only. 



Charles I. ardently pursued this favorite object 

 of English gentlemen, and a little befjre his rup- 

 ture with the parliament, established races in 

 Hyde Park, and at Newmarket. The civil wars 

 Bomewhat suspended the improvement of the 

 breed; yet the advantage which was derived b}' 



both parties from a light and active cavalry, suffi- 

 ciently proved the importance of the change which 

 had been efiected; and Cromwell perceiving, with 

 his wonted sagacity, how much these pursuits 

 were connected with the prosperity of the country, 

 had his stud of race-horses. 



At the Restoration a new impulse was given to 

 the cultivation of the horse by the inclination of 

 the court to patronize gaiety and chssipation. The 

 racesatNewmarket were restored, and as an addi- 

 tional sj)ur to emulation, royal plates were now 

 given at each of the principal courses. Charles 

 II. sent his master of the horse to the Levant, 

 to purchase brood marcs and stallions. These 

 w^ere principally Uarks and Turks. 



From that period to the middle of tlie last cen- 

 tury, the system of improvement was zealously 

 pursued: every variety of Eastern blood was oc- 

 casionally engrafted on ours, and the superiority of 

 the engrafted, above the very best of the original 

 stock, began to be evident. 



Man is rarely satisfied with any degree of per- 

 fection in the object on which he has set his b.earf. 

 The sportsman had now beauty of form, and 

 speed and stoutness, scarcely an approach to which 

 had been observed in the original breed. Still 

 some imagined that this speed and stoutness might 

 possibly be increased; and Mr. Darley, in the lat- 

 ter part of the reign of Queen Anne, had recourse 

 to the discarded and despised Arabian. He had 

 much prejudice to contend with, and it was sotne 

 time before the Darley Arabian attracted notice. 

 At length the value of his produce began to be 

 recognised, and to him we are greatly indebted for 

 a breed of horses of unequalled beauty, speed and 

 strength. 



This last improvement now furnishes a'l that 

 can be desired: nor is this true only of the tho- 

 rough-bred or turf-horse; it is, to a very mat -rial 

 degree, the case with every description of" horse. 

 By a judicious admixture and proportion*of blood, 

 we have rendered our hunters, our hackneys, our 

 coach, nay even our cart horses, much stronger, 

 more active, and more enduring, than they were 

 before the introduction of the race-horse. 



For tlie Farmers' Register. 



THE EFFKC'T OF SEVERE FROST ON LAND 



HARROWING IN CLOVER SEED. 



Fairfax County, February 15th, 1835. 



Cold winter is now I trust upon its final retreat 

 to the north; and though we farmers have suffered 

 much in the flesh, mother earth will soon show 

 that it brought "healing in its wings." 1 could 

 have wished that it had been longer and more 

 unyielding — for I have long remarked, that the 

 earth was fattened and invigorated by long cold 

 winters, and especially when they came with much 

 snow. Heavy floods followed by a hot sun, in 

 all the flat country except that Avhich is sandy, 

 brings on a kind of deadly hi;^^e-bound condition, 

 which can only be cured by hard frost. Now is 

 the time for seeding clover, unless the farmer is so 

 attentive to his interest, as to harrow in the seed 

 — in that case, he must wait until the frost leaves 

 the ground. Let him not fear injury to the crop 

 — for independent of the lull and perfect insertion 

 of the clover, the wheat will receive a benefit quite 

 equal to the expense of harrowing. Upon light sau- 



