THE STOCK OX OUR FARMS. 33 



The beautiful description whicli Virgil gives of a good steed 

 in his day, is just as true in our own : — 



" Choose with like care tlie courser's generous breed, 

 And from his birth, prepare the parent steed ; 

 His color mai'k, select the glossy bay, 

 And to the white or dun, prefer the gray. 

 As yet a colt he stalks with lofty pace. 

 And balances his limbs with flexile grace : 

 First leads the way, the thrcat'ning torrent braves, 

 And dares the unknown arch that spans the waves. 

 Light on his airy crest his slender head — 

 His body short, his loins luxuriant spread ; 

 Muscle on muscle knots his brawny breast. 

 No fear alarms him, nor vain shouts molest. 

 O'er his right shoulder, floating full and fair. 

 Sweeps his thick mane, and spreads its pomp of hair; 

 Swift works his double spine, and earth around 

 Rings to his solid hoof that wears the ground." 



Now we have this animal as the natural product of our 

 farms. I know not how it has come to pass — but it is a fact, 

 that the farmer's horse in New England is peculiar to himself, 

 and is, moreover, peculiarly an American institution. He may 

 be descended from the Thoroughbred, for any thing that can 

 be said to the contrary ; but the farther he is removed from 

 that rather equivocal class of animals, the more truly does 

 he become a trotter. I look upon him as one result of that 

 social and civil equality which in our own country makes one 

 man's time as valuable as another's, and which authorizes the 

 farmer's boy to take the road from the squire, or the parson, 

 or the doctor, whenever his colt can do it. Every man in 

 this country who can keep a horse, wants a good one, and 

 when he has got him, he wants to avail himself of his horse's 

 powers, to make the distance between the mill or the meeting- 

 house and his own home as short as possible. We all drive 

 on the road ; and this, combined undoubtedly with certain 

 fortunate aptitudes of climate and soil, has given New England 

 her valuable race of trotters. 



Why should we go abroad, then, with the expectation of 

 improving wliat we now have ? While we have our Messen- 

 gers and Black Hawks, and other families of Morgans, so 

 5 



