168 AVERY 'S OWN FARRIER. 



liberal education, while we are receiving for that pur- 

 pose so much material aid from the public treasury, in 

 order that they may grow up to be good and useful citi- 

 zens. Then why not profit by the encouragement given 

 us by our legislatures, and the organization of our 

 national fairs, &c., for the improvement of the breed of 

 horses we have. Good men need good horses; the first 

 are an ornament to society, the last add wealth to the 

 world, while there is pleasure in seeing both. The 

 middle and western states have some fine horses — some 

 excellent ones; and Vermont, with her sister states, is 

 justly entitled to great credit for her celebrated stock of 

 Morgans and Black Hawks, as well as the southern 

 states for their fine English breeds and the turf horse. I 

 know there has been a great effort made by some to 

 discourage the improvement of this noble animal; but it 

 has generally arisen from some selfish motive. Some 

 have labored hard with the pen (but happily in vain) to 

 see the mule take the place of the work horse; and 

 others equally so with the tongue (for there is nothing 

 that so empties the heart as this member, though lip and 

 heart are often at war with each other), because perhaps 

 they had some worthless animal of their own they hoped 

 to raise the credit of, by destroying the reputation of a 

 better one. The first of these might as well try to advo- 

 cate the cause of the negro for this purpose, as that of 

 the mule. For my part I prefer the horse to either, and 

 look forward to a better time coming, when the farmer 

 will look to his own interest in this matter, if not to that 

 of the commonwealth. 



Great care and sound judgment should be exercised in 



