THE OAK RIDGE 



matter of crops, seeded land, etc., to repay the landowners for their liberal- 

 ity to the sport and to retain their good will. 



The foxhounds go out every day on which hunting is possible during the 

 season, which lasts from late September until March, and account for many 

 foxes, a majority of which are of the short-running gray variety, although the 

 red foxes of this section of Virginia, so noted for their stoutness and game- 

 ness, will often stand up in front of hounds for several hours, occasionally 

 making from eight to twelve mile points. Earth-stopping, — as anyone who 

 knows Virginia must realize, — is difficult of accomplishment in a country 

 where foxes breed chiefly in rocky bluffs and ravines. Were this not the 

 case, many more of the red foxes would be killed above ground by the ex- 

 cellent working pack of the Oak Ridge. 



The country hunted by them is a fine sporting one and very large in ex- 

 tent, comprismg the counties of Amherst, Campbell, and parts of Bedford 

 and Appomattox, in each of which there is some very fine rolling, open 

 country with steep bluffs and heavy growths of ivy and laurel. Some of 

 the best coverts are practically unrideable, owing to the wild-grape vines and 

 wire, although the latter has not yet become, in itself, a serious obstacle to 

 sport. 



Under the able Mastership of Dr. Morgan, who ruled over the country 

 for eleven seasons to the universal satisfaction of both farmers and Field, the 

 pack steadily improved, and when he resigned in the autumn of 1 899, the 

 present Master, Mr. J. M. B. Lewis, who was elected to succeed him, found 

 a first-rate lot of hounds in the kennels. A drag pack is also maintained by 

 the Oak Ridge, meeting on Saturdays for those of the members who can 

 only spare time for a weekly gallop. 



As is prevalent with Virginia packs, the first hounds used were drafts 

 from private kennels and, in the case of the Oak Ridge, were obtained from 

 Mr. Thomas Hubbard of Campbell County and Mr. Thomas Cardwell of 

 Appomattox County. Selecting the best of these. Dr. Morgan bred his pack 

 wath great care, and later resorted to an infusion of the blood of the Loving 

 hounds from Amherst County, which carried in their veins a strong strain of 

 good English blood. He also added, toward the end of his Mastership, a 



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