TROTTING TRACKS. 



209 



lowed in its construction. It has third of a mile stretches 

 and a third of a mile turn. I claim it is the fastest 



Surveyor's Detail Fig. 11— Kite Shaped Mile Track (See Fig. 9.) 



form of a track, because there is but one turn to make, 

 and that a long easy one, rendering it nearer a straight 

 mile than can be secured by any other arrangement. It 

 is capable of being built on property that may not be 

 properly shaped for the regulation mile track. If built 

 on a rectangular piece of land it will give a large acre- 

 age that can be sold or used for other purposes, like 

 buildings, etc., and on that account would make a very 

 desirable form for large fair associations. In addition 

 to the increase of speed to be obtained incident to mak- 

 ing one turn instead of two. every horse in a race, except 

 the pole horse, would trot a "shorter mile" than on the 

 regulation track. Assuming the second position on a 

 track to be six feet from the pole — and it is undoubtedly 

 more than that distance — a horse in second position trots 

 on a regulation track, thirty-seven and seven-tenths feet 

 further than at the pole. On the kite-shaped track, in sec- 



