1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



127 



beyond, studded with continent and island, all re- 

 dolent with beauty of natural production of flower, 

 fruit and grain which are yet to be discovered. 



After stating the specific questions for discussion. 

 Gov. Gardner said : — I am free to confess that I 

 take a great interest in the subject of agriculture, 

 not only scientifically but practically j but although ' 

 it was one of my earliest hopes when a boy, that 

 the time would come when I could own a portion 

 of soil, and cultivate it myself, yet I must acknowl- 

 edge that the subject before us this evening is a 

 locked book to me. Were I shut up with a horse - 

 for a week, I could not tell whether he was five or fif- } 

 teen years old ; the science of spavins, heaves and 

 ringbones, and all those things of which I have ' 

 heard, is to me entirely unknown, and I am quite' 

 sure that I never bought a horse in my life for 

 which I could get one-half as much as I paid. 



I am not certain that we have not some ideas 

 handed dowTi to us from the feudal ages, in respect 

 to the horse, which perhaps we might well dispense 

 with. In those days, the horse as well as his rider 

 was covered with trappings, and defensive armor, 

 and he was looked to as the great agent in secur- 

 ing the victory by which the fate of nations was 

 decided, and often was considered equally impor- 

 tant as affording the means for retreat. Were I 

 to enumerate the qualities of a good horse as I un- 

 derstand them, I should arrange them in this or- 

 der : docittty, strength, beauty and speed. Many, 

 I know, would be apt to reverse (hat order, and 

 would think as Alexander did when be mounted 

 Bucephalus, "never mind how intractable he is, if 

 the bottom and speed are in him." 



But, gentlemen, I have come this evening to be 

 a learner, to hear you discuss and announce those 

 valuable facts which I may treasure up for future 

 use and reflection. 



Sanford Howard, Esq., the editor of the Cul- 

 tivator, opened the discussion of the questions be- 

 fore the meeting. He supposed the first to be, Is 

 it expedient for agricultural societies to encourage 

 (he breeding of horses by the offering of premiums ? 

 He had no hesitation in saying that in those sec- 

 tions of the State where live stock generally could 

 be profitably raised, the horse should share promi- 

 nently in the stock thus raised. Next, the ques- 

 tion to be considered was, what kind of horses 

 should be raised. Those that may be denominated 

 the roadster, or buggy horse, he thought could be 

 more profitably reared than the heavier draft-horses. 

 He thought horses, as well as other stock should 

 be exhibited at agricultural fairs ; and as the heavi- 

 er class of horses could not well be reared in this 

 State, and were not so profitable, he thought the 

 roadster, and the horse that may be denominated 

 the "horse of all work," were the classes for which 

 premiums should be given. The largest amount of 

 nremiums has been too often paid for horses that 



were good for nothing with reference to the im- 

 provement of the breed of horses. The premiums 

 should be so bestowed as to encourage the rearing 

 of the best of the species. 



It is but a short time since any premiums have 

 been given for mere speed. Perhaps, with the ex- 

 ception of one instance in Rhode Island, there nev- 

 er was a case in which such premiums were offered 

 before they were offered by the United States So- 

 ciety. Premiums should not be given for speed 

 merely, and one objection made to that course was 

 that the premiums were paid for merit in only one 

 particular, and that they were to be paid on the 

 same principle as purses are made up on trotting 

 courses. Another was, that the exhibition for that 

 purpose would draw together that class of persons 

 who frequent such courses, and the vices that at- 

 tend trotting matches would accompany the exhi- 

 bition. Those objections he thought were well 

 grounded. The conformation of animals is such 

 that great speed and great power cannot be com- 

 bined in the same animal ; therefore superior speed 

 is not the most desirable quality. 



Mr. Lewis, of Framingham, a member of the 

 Board of Agriculture, thought that the last speaker 

 had not met fully, the questions that were before 

 the meeting. The question of the breed of horses 

 was not important now. The subject for discussion 

 has engrossed the attention of the Board of Agri- 

 culture for the year past. The great question is 

 whether the rearing of horses is profitable in this 

 State. As to that, he had no doubt. A good 

 horse can be raised in this State till he is three 

 years old, in the western part particularly, as easily 

 as a steer. If it is profitable to raise horses, it is 

 important to have fast horses, such as can travel 

 twelve miles an hour, and then be put to the plow, 

 and get a prize for excellence in plowing. He did 

 not desire a horse that could travel at the rate of 

 a mile in 2.40. He went on, however, to state 

 that he did admire the speed and action of Poca- 

 hontas, and other horses that were exhibited dur- 

 ing the late fair in Boston. The main thing was 

 to ascertain how, at such exhibitions, the excellence 

 of horses may be made apparent, while at the same 

 time, nothing is permitted to injure the morals of 

 the communiij^ 



Hon. John Brooks, of Princeton, agreed that it 

 was important to encourage the rearing of horses. 

 There were many farms on which horses could be 

 reared to better advantage than horned cattle. 

 They will live, up to the age of three years, on 

 poorer feed than horned cattle. We now need as 

 many horses as we did before railroads came into 

 use ; but we do not need so many draft horses. 

 On the other hand, we desire faster horses ; and 

 from the fact that we travel by railroad, and then 

 sometimes take a short trip from the depot to our 

 home, we want to ride over that part of the jour- 



