FARMERS' REGISTER. 



M 



dislricl, feebly struggling against the ruinous ob- 

 stacles to individual industry powerfully interposed 

 by the national government of tiie United Stales, 

 by all the red men on the savage main land, and 

 by the only white men on this wrecking reef? Is 

 not hence this great enter[)rise essentially depen- 

 dent on the mighty influence of the uniied etlbris, 

 the associated exertions of all southern agricultu- 

 risis ? And is it not physically impossible lor an 

 isolated individual to overcome the combined ob- 

 stacles powerfully interposed by the inimical go- 

 vernment of the United States at Washingion, 

 by the murderous red men on the desert main 

 land, and by the hostile white men on the wreck- 

 ing reef o! Tropical Florida; all pertinaciously 

 sustained by the ruinous policy of the same inimi- 

 cal government 7 H. P. 



IMPORTING WORK HORSES FROM FRANCE. 



From the Franklin Farmer. 



Mr. Editor : — We have been too much in the 

 habit of going to England for all our notions, and 

 we have consequentlyin some instances adopted her 

 prejudices at the expense of our interests. Lib- 

 erality requires of us to do them justice; but expand- 

 ed views demand that we adopt the improvements 

 of other nations, when reason and propriety sus- 

 tain us in giving them a preference. I have been 

 led to this iniroduction by reading the communi- 

 calion under the signature of Sam'!. D. Martin in 

 a late number of your paper, as to the white color 

 of the improved Short Horns. An Englishman 

 will derive it from a native wild breed. The ev- 

 idence adduced by Mr. M. is not indeed conclu- 

 sive, but it is very persuasive to my mind that the 

 white color was imported by Sir Wm. St. Quintin 

 from Holland. Cattle were imported, and of 

 that color, to improve the Teeswaters. The dray 

 horse of England we have, was imported from 

 that country; and the English race horse is also 

 known to be descended from stock imported from 

 Asia and Africa. We all believe, who have paid 

 any attention to the subject, that the English 

 domestic horse may be improved by selections and 

 raising for thousands of years, and one /bur mile 

 racer could never be brought to the post, with any 

 prospect of success. From the superior sizes and 

 strength, and stride of the modern race horse, it is 

 conceded, they can go over the course sooner than 

 the original Arabian, Barb or Turk ; but they have 

 evidently lost something of the temper, metal, 

 symmetry, polish and attitudes of the original ; and 

 notwiihstandins their continual boast of their 

 "high bred cattle" the English are still occasion- 

 ally infusing portions of the oriental blood into 

 their stock. And, who among them doubts, that 

 such a horse as the Darley Arabian, the Godol- 

 phin Arabian, the Byerley or Hcmsley Turk, or 

 theCurwin Bay Barb, would be now a desirable 

 cross. And whatever they may think or do, 

 should not we who have set up for ourselves in 

 government, politics and thinkirig, resort to crosses 

 to give beauty, docility, activity, soundness and last- 

 ingness to our thorouijh- breeds? Lindsay's Ara- 

 bian, or his equal would be a decided improvement 

 upon our leggy and and overgrown and coarse 

 full-breds. 



Napoleon declared that their Limousin and Na- 



varrese horses were better (or war than the English 

 thorough-breds. It is not extreme speed merely, 

 accoiding to hiu), which makes a good war horse 

 it is spri^htliness, activity, quickness of perleclion 

 and docility and I add lastingness, and all these 

 qualities are prominent in the Arabian. In his opin- 

 ion a good Arabian stallion is the best horse in the 

 world, and crossed on their own stock, particularly 

 their Navarrese. all the properties they desired 

 might be attained. Now, be it known, 'l do not 

 endorse all these notions. Perhaps the Emperor 

 had occasion, at Waterloo to change his opinion as 

 to the relative merits of his Navarrese horses in 

 conflict with the English terrible greys. But so 

 far as my experience goes, I underwrite for the 

 sprightliness, activity, quickness of perception, 

 docility, ability to bear fatigue, and courage of 

 the Arabian ; and these properties are very 

 desirable to country gentlemen, who indulge 

 themselves in riding to hojnds, or prefer tra- 

 velling on horseback to being jolted in the mail 

 stages. This brings to my recollection an old 

 stage contractor, who would have nothing to do 

 with a nicked or cropped horse, and held the bet- 

 ter the breed the better the steed. And if high 

 breeding was necessary for the sandy roads of Vir- 

 ginia and Carolina, it will be found much more 

 necessary on McAdam turnpikes. Your heavy 

 coarse legged and hooled brutes will be limping 

 at all seasons, and in hot weather you may look 

 out lor thumps and high blowing. 



There are some farmers, who are invincibly 

 prejudiced against blood for farming horses. They 

 are lor the Dutch or English work horse. Iftliey 

 will be so good as to attend a moment I will 

 introduce them to two varieties, which I think 

 will better suit their views and purposes. They 

 are described by an Englishman with his En- 

 glish predilections about him ; and moreover, 

 by an Englishman who is the best writer in the 

 language on the subject of horses. " Where," 

 asks the celebrated Nimrod, " where in England 

 will you see what is every day seen here — a man 

 take a powerful horse out of a cart, and gallop 

 him along the road at the rate of twelve or four- 

 teen miles in the hour? This description of horse, 

 the light cart horse — light, yet ver}' strong ; on 

 very short legs, and not more than fifteen hands in 

 height — is far superior to any thing we liave in 

 England for such purposes as those for which he 

 is used. Look for example at the cart horses that 

 convey fish to Paris! What English cart horses 

 would go their pace (considerably faster than that 

 of the diligences) and keep up their good looks 

 as they do ? Then, what admirable animals are 

 the black roan stallions we see on the roads lead- 

 ing from Paris, drawing the public carrying wag- 

 ons ! We have nothing in England that can at 

 all compare with them in any one respect. They 

 will out-walk our horses by a mile in the hour, 

 and will live where ours would strave. I have 

 often expressed my surprise that we do not avail 

 ourselves of a cross from this excellent breed." 

 lie might have said breeds — the cart breed and 

 the wason breed. An Englishman will tell us to 

 go to England for cart and wagon horses, but his 

 countrymen are advised to go to France for them. 

 Prejudice and ignorance aside, why may not we 

 as well go to France 1 Crofts. 



