AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE. 551 



Lantern and Light, $9000; Music, $8000; three full sisters to 

 Dexter, $6500; Molsey, $L-000; Peerless, $5500; Lady Palmer, 

 $5000 ; Prince Imperial, son of the famous Flora Temple, $5000; 

 Flatbush Maid, $4000 ; Eric, $4000 ; John Taylor, $3500 ; Lady 

 Woodruff, $3000; Centennial, $3000; Lucy Cuyler, $3000; 

 Walton, $3000; the Canada roan mare, $3000; Keen Jim, $2800; 

 Major Morton, $2500; the Carpenter horse, $2200; the Boston 

 gray team, $2000 ; Elsie Venner, $2000 ; Ada Duroc, $2000 ; Ella 

 Sherwood, $1600; Hebe, Grafton's dam, $1500; Carl Burr, 

 $1200; Malice, $1200; Honest Peter, $1200; dam of the Morse 

 colt, $1200 ; Uncle Sim, $1000 ; dam of Clara G., $1000 ; Princess, 

 $1000. The list of itself amounts to $377,700. But in addition 

 to those mentioned Mr. Bonner has a large number of ftishionably 

 bred brood mares, and several young mares and geldings of great 

 speed that he purchased at prices ranging below $1000. 



That the trotting turf has been of inestimable benefit to the 

 great breeding interests of the country cannot be denied. It has 

 already added millions of dollars to the material wealth of the 

 country, and if the exportation of American horses to Europe in- 

 creases as rapidly in the next few years as ifc has done during the 

 year now fast drawing to a close, the raising of horses will be 

 among the most important of American industries. But there is 

 almost always a dark side to every picture. 



Up to 1870 there had been no co-operation between the man- 

 agement of the different trotting courses of the United States. A 

 course might rule a driver or owner off its track for a p:-^p:' ' : 

 fraud, but the punishment virtually amounted to nothing, as he 

 could immediately go to another course on the same footing as the 

 honestest man there. Is it any wonder that under this want of 

 system fraud oftentimes ruled with a high hand, and when exposed 

 laughed at those who had at heart the best interests of the turf? 



It became evident that some plan must be devised to check the 

 growing flood of corruption which threatened to engulf the trotting 

 turf, and a call was issued to the different trotting associations of 

 the United States to send delegates to a convention to be held in 

 New York to promote the best interests of the trotting turf. The 

 convention met in February, 1870, and formally organized the 

 " National Association for the Promotion of the Interests of the 

 American Trotting Turf" Amasa Sprague, the great Rhode Island 

 manufacturer, was elected president of the association, rules for the 

 management of all the tracks belonging to the association were 

 adopted, and a board of appeals constituted, to whom all disputes 

 and doubtful questions were to be referred. This organization still 

 exists, and its influence for good has been immense. Nearly all 

 the principal tracks in the country belong to it and act together in 

 perfect harmony. And now if any one is ruled off a track the 



