EARLY PROMISE. 405 



mind of the intellio-ent breeder the answer is very obvious. These 

 maret5 had the blood, the stamina, the highly organized nervous tem- 

 perament, to give the trotter high quality in all these respects; and at 

 the same time they carried in themselves no positive, deejjly-bred and 

 immovable trottins: tendencies or inclinations of their own to conflict 

 •with, combat, or stand in the way of those of the trotting stallions with 

 which they are crossed. Hence, the stallion had his own way in this 

 matter of gait and other trotting elements. Hence, Lady Thorn, 

 Woodford Mambrino and Brignoli were Mambrinos ; Lucy was. a 

 Patchen; Lady Stout is gaited like all the produce of her sire ; 

 Ericsson and Clark Chief difi"er from all the other sons of Mambrino 

 Chief; for the reason that Mrs. Caudle and her daughter, while good 

 mares to cross with the Chief, yet had trotting blood and ways of 

 their own that they refused to yield to him. Hence these two families 

 have their o^vn type. But it does not absolutely follow that long and 

 rich pedigrees may not be found in the dams of our best trotters and 

 trotting stallioris, provided the breeder will carefully study the charac- 

 teristics, both mental and physical, that enter into his chfjsen combi- 

 nation. Unless this is done — and in most instances it is not — the 

 result will be failure. 



Violent or remote crosses must be avoided, for the very reason that 

 they will bring together elements both of physical conformation and 

 nervous organism that will not harmonize, but will operate against and 

 neutralize each other. 



The stallion now under consideration afi^ords the best subject for illus- 

 trating some of the foregoing principles of correct breeding that I 

 have yet reached. I call particular attention to their application in 

 delineating the character and make-up of this horse. 



Governor Sprague, as stated previously, was bred and foaled in 

 Rhode Island. At or before the age of one year he was sent, with 

 other stock, to the State of Kansas. In July, 1873, after he was two 

 years old, he was broken to harness, but had no further handling. 

 He gave evidence of much aptitude for the trotting gait, and a high 

 degree of speed, and in October of that year, such was his early 

 promise, that he was sold for $1,500, to Messrs. Higbee Bros, and A. 

 C. Babcock, of Canton, 111. It is stated that after his purchase he was 

 taken to his new home at Canton, and kept in a large box-stall until 

 he was three years old, without further work. It is further said that 

 his work as a three-year-old was very light, merely amounting to a fair 

 -degree of exercise with a view to accustom him to the harness. 



