THE TROTTER OX THE FARM. 301 



their absence would be much better. A little more time 

 and patience generally accomplishes all that these mechan- 

 ical appliances do, and the legs, feet, gait and after ser- 

 vice of the animal are much better for their omission. If 

 you can afford it, put your colt in the hands of a capable 

 trainer — if you can find one of that kind — but better no 

 training at all than poor training. Good training is a 

 good investment. If you have the time, train him your- 

 self. You will find the work a fascinating recreation. 

 Get up an hour earlier each morning. The colt will enjoy 

 it — so will you. Do not overwork him. Keep him feeling 

 gay as a lark, and when he wants to step out let him go, 

 short distances at a time. If at the snap of a twig, or a 

 rustle of the leaves of the roadside bushes, he occasionally 

 starts upon a trot and speeds away faster than his ordi- 

 nary one, if only for a rod or two, you have then a prom- 

 ise that will pay to train. If he has no "brush," but the 

 stereotyped gait, about as fast one time as another, my 

 idea is that he has not the necessary quality for training. 

 Sell him then for a business horse; the price will cover 

 the expenses of raising and a fair profit. If he turns out 

 only a 2 130 performer, his value will be several times over 

 the cost of his production, and will also increase that of 

 his sire and dam. If he should be a phenomenon — 2 :20 

 or better trotter, you are made rich by one animal. 



It may appear that there is an overproduction of this 

 class of horses, that the inevitable law of supply and 

 demand will soon have its innings and overproduction 

 result, as it always does, in disaster. While that may be 

 true, it is equally true that breeding the trotting-bred 

 horse, is at the present time, the most profitable industry 

 the agriculturist can engage in. And remember that the 

 trotting horse is the most useful horse in the world ; that 



