330 THE TROTTING-HORSE OF AMERICA. 



2m. 28s., 2m. 30s. On the 27th of October they were at 

 Geneva, and trotted on a heavy course. Flora won the first 

 heat in 2m. 32s. In the second, she was defeated in 2m. 

 28s. In the third, she beat the stallion in 2ni. 29s. But 

 in the fourth heat she was distanced. On the 31st, they 

 reached Corning; and there the mare won in three heats, 

 with 2m. 31s. the best, the track being very heavy. 



That was the last time that Flora and Patchen trotted 

 together, I believe. There was much talk the following 

 spring about matching them, and one or two meetings were 

 held at the office of " The Spirit of the Times," for the 

 purpose of coming to some definite agreement. But they 

 could not come to terms. Mr. Waltermire and Tallman 

 declared that McMann was afraid to trot the mare against 

 Patchen any more. But the truth is, that James was 

 quietly laying back to entice them into an offer to trot for 

 a large amount of money, and finally offered to trot Flora 

 against him any race they could name in harness or to 

 wagon, for a large amount. But by this time Mr. Walter- 

 mire had made up his mind to let Patchen go to the stud. 

 I do not think that he could have balanced the books with 

 her if he had tried again ; for events afterwards showed that 

 she was quite as good as ever, if not better. But he had 

 stood a longer and stouter struggle with her than any other 

 trotter had done. He beat her more heats than any other 

 horse ; and most of the heats in which she beat him were 

 very fast and close. He met her, too, at the golden prime 

 of her life, when she had just reached the full maturity of 

 her extraordinary power. 



When every thing is considered, I am under the impres- 

 sion that Patchen was the best horse that Flora Temple 

 ever contended with, and that, therefore, their names must 

 go down linked together as those of the best mare and the 

 best stallion that have yet appeared. On the other hand, 

 James McMann has a leaning to the opinion that the very 

 best horse she ever met was the Chestnut from Kentucky, 



