THE ORANGE COUNTY 



Foxes found in the Plains country often run toward Middleburg, and so 

 it happens that the two packs frequently meet when hunting on the same 

 day. A great portion is grazing land and there is little opposition to the 

 hunting on the part of the farmers, except in the early autumn, when damage 

 is caused to the wheat fields by hounds as well as horses. Foxes were not 

 so plentiful about the Plains as at Middleburg, but a great many have been 

 turned out and they are on the increase. 



Mr. Townsend has now given up keeping English hounds for anything 

 but the drag-hunting, which still continues in the north, the season opening 

 at Goshen about August 25th and continuing until November 1 st, when the 

 pack goes into winter quarters and the members betake themselves to the 

 Plains to hunt foxes behind the half-bred hounds, some of which were pro- 

 cured from Mr. Harry W. Smith, Master of the Grafton. It will be seen 

 that the Orange County Hunt practically maintains three packs : — the 

 English pack at Goshen, New York, an American pack at the Plains; 

 and a third pack of English and American mixed. The American pack is 

 hunted by Mr. William Skinker, Jr., while Claude Hatcher, at Middleburg, 

 has shown excellent sport with the mixed pack, as will be seen from a glance 

 at the chapter on the latter Hunt. 



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