THE GRAFTON 



be considered as adopted by the Brunswick Foxhound Club by a vote 

 authorizing the Committee.' 



" It is far better to right an error at the beginning than it is at the end. The 

 Brunswick Foxhound Club, in the past, has simply been known about New 

 England .... and the fact that its standard was adopted by the American 

 Kennel Club, and that the Brunswick Foxhound Club can authorize a stand- 

 ard is known to few. This being the situation, it seems to me wise to allow 

 the Southerners, who have put more time, thought and care into the breeding 

 of hounds for killing the fox than all the rest combined, to have their type 

 acknowledged." 



This letter brought forth a storm of criticism from the supporters of the 

 English hound, who, naturally enough, claimed that English hounds, which 

 had been bred to the game with more care and for a longer period than 

 any in the world, could and did kill foxes in America as well as in Eng- 

 land ; to which Mr. Smith answered that he very much doubted the actual 

 kills by any English pack on this side of the water. 



It would be time thrown away to go into a detailed account of the 

 argument which followed m the columns of the Rider and driver. To cut 

 a long story short, the result was the Foxhound Match which took place in 

 the Piedmont Valley, Virginia, in November 1 905, in which Mr. Smith's 

 home-bred pack represented the American hound and the Middlesex Fox- 

 hounds, a draft pack — the English. 



Neither pack killed and, although the Grafton hounds were awarded the 

 victory, neither Master altered his opinion as to the comparative merit of 

 the two types. 



While these opinions of Mr. Smith's are not directly history of the Graf- 

 ton, they are given because they show the aims of its Master, who has kept 

 on breeding to a distinct type year after year, and has produced a pack 

 which, for similarity of size, conformation and color it would be hard to 

 beat. Whether or not they are the true type of American hound it is diffi- 

 cult to say. Mr. Smith contends that they are, but in a breed where the 

 individuals differ so widely, who shall say which is the best ? 



The Brunswick Foxhound Club, an organization made up of owners of fox- 



45 



