" CLAYEABIA," AND " CLAYBEALE GRANT." ac 



would assimilate more readily than that of any other type of horses we 

 had, because of itself purer in the primitive blood. It came nearer to 

 Sir Thomas Morton's saying of three hundred years ago, "Once out 

 and thrice back to a primitive blood for best results." 



When the o-eneral's horses arrived, I had two daughters of Old 

 Henry Clay: both were got by him when he was owned in Monroe 

 County, near Rochester, New York. One was a brood mare, being 

 bred to a son of Henry Clay, her half-brother. I wanted virgin mares 

 to send to General Grant's horses, if I could find them. 



I secured two young mares, coming four and five, in Michigan, in 

 18S0. They were own sisters, by Jack Sheppard by Henry Clay, out 

 of his (Jack's) own daughter. The next best son of Henry Clay 

 was Colonel Wads worth, bred by the late William W. Wads worth, who 

 owned Henry Clay. This stallion, with one of his own daughters, went 

 to Nashville, Tennessee. I went there, and, although the stallion was 

 dead, found four of his daughters, aged at the time from two to seven 

 (coming three to eight) ; the youngest being by him from his own 

 daughter. I took this filly with the two best of the other three. The 

 tzvo Mr. Jewett had, but the little filly I put one side with the two Shep- 

 pard fillies and one daughter of Henry Clay. I next went to New 

 York City and bought back a young mare I had sold there the fall 

 before for seven hundred and fifty dollars, as a road mare, allowing 

 fifteen hundred dollars for her. She was bred near Rochester, New 

 York, and was by Red Bird by Henry Clay, out of an inbred Morgan 

 mare. I now had five young, sound, healthy, virgin mares by Henry 

 Clay, or by his sons, three being inbred, and all were choice; four being 

 very fast natural trotters, and the fifth one would be were she not mixed 

 at times in her gait. 



All this had been done in the fall, winter, and spring of 1879 and 

 18S0, Grant's horses arriving in the summer of 1879. 



These mares I considered up to the English standard of blood and 

 breeding. 



Permit me to explain my reason for selecting virgin mares for 

 General Grant's stallions. I have shown that I desired blood akin, 

 well bred, and possessed of as much consanguinity as possible. 



Forty years ago, while a young man, I bred fine dogs, game-cocks, 

 and fancy pigeons. From early boyhood I had bred small pets, study- 

 ing quite a little into life as related to them. 



I used to be much with old cockers in those days, to learn of them 

 what was interesting to me. 



