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of a customer whom the horse will suit, and who 

 will give a liberal price for him : that his employer 

 may not have the benefit of such a customer, he 

 will take good care never to show the horse, till 

 he has tired the owner into selling him on lower 

 terms. He then buys him a bargain, and pri- 

 vately sells him to the customer at a cent, per 

 cent, profit. This is called " planting " the horse. 

 All this is illegal ; for the agent is trustee for 

 the seller, and a trustee cannot purchase the 

 property entrusted to his care. But it is im- 

 possible to guard oneself effectually against, the 

 fraud, except by booking the animal at a price 

 which you know approaches within five or ten 

 pounds of his real worth. If he remains unsold 

 for a week, remove him elsewhere. In the spring or 

 summer, a week is ample time to find a customer, if 

 a fancy price is not demanded ; and you may safely 

 infer from longer delay, either that the agent wishes 

 to tire you into selling at Ms price, and has, perhaps, 

 stigmatized the horse, to keep off other customers, 

 or else that his customers are not sufficiently 

 numerous to make a market. It is useless expense 

 to send a vicious horse, or one decidedly unsound, 

 to any place for private sale : the dealers have the 

 run of all the commission stables, and know the 

 character of every horse that stands there ; if his 



