CONSTELLATION. 97 



benefit. A portion of the stock were taken back South ; those 

 retained here were Lexington and Kippalo, the former a brown 

 horse, the latter grey. Lexington produced some excellent 

 market horses. It has long been my opinion that an infusion 

 of the thoroughbred English race-horse blood is indispensable 

 to the perpetuity of first-class horses in this country, even for 

 general purposes ; and it is to be regretted that so httle skill is 

 manifested in the science of breeding them here. In sheep- 

 husbandry and the science of breeding them, we are a match 

 for our contemporaries of the Old World ; but when we come 

 to horses, neat stock, and swine, we are deficient. Many claim 

 that our horses are fully equal, in the aggregate, to those of any 

 other country. This may be so. One thing is certain — that we 

 are at a loss to give their history ; hence it may be inferred that 

 their excellence is as likely to be the result of chance as of skil- 

 ful breeding. If frequent crossing be of permanent benefit, we 

 are entitled to much praise, for it is seldom that a farmer puts 

 his mare to the same horse the second time. 

 Yours truly. 



Adrian, March 3, 1856. 



A. Y. MooEE, Esq. 



Sir^ — Yours of 27th February is at hand, and contents no- 

 ticed ; but I must say that I am not in possession of the neces- 

 sary information to assist you much in your undertaking. Still, 

 I might say we are much in want of blood horses in our county. 

 There is a sorrel horse that is owned by a Mr. Bemas, of this 

 county, called Constellation, said to be thoroughbred, brought 

 here last spring by a Mr. Mason, now in Detroit. In Cold 

 Water, Branch County, Mr. A. C. Fisk has two Black Hawk 

 stallions ; also Frederick Smith has a nice stallion, said to be 

 good blooded. I have no stallion at the present time. I have 

 a pair of bays valued at $2000 ; also a pair of bays, $1500 ; 

 also a pair of greys, $1200 ; also a pair of blacks, $800 ; also, 

 some half dozen nice single horses, ranging in value from $250 to 

 $600 a piece. I sold a pair of bays four years ago to S. Douglas 

 for $1000 ; also, a year ago last December, a large prime pair 

 of brown geldings to N, C, Baldwin, of Cleveland, for $1200 ; 

 Vol. 11.^7 



