S6 
FARM-HORSES. 
sey, and taken to Virginia, where he became the 
sire of several distinguished running horses, and 
among others, Tulip. Many of the best horses of 
the present day, rank him in the line of their pro¬ 
genitors. 
Here, then, we have two distinguished instru¬ 
ments in improvement, without the remotest in¬ 
debtedness to the turf, and the improvement may 
be sustained and perpetuated to the latest genera¬ 
tions without recourse to it, if necessary. But 
though we do not consider such a test any more 
essential to the selection of a horse for all the 
purposes of utility, than we do the stage, as a ne¬ 
cessary adjunct 
“ T’ improve the manners and to mend the heart 
and though many winners of high estimation would 
be utterly worthless as breeders for any useful ob¬ 
ject, such as Col. Johnson’s little Trifle, christen¬ 
ed, No Trifle, after beating Black Maria when 
somewhat out of condition from her performance 
at Baltimore, when she took the prize of the 
Jockey Club some dozen years ago, but subse¬ 
quently broken down in her 20-mile race with the 
same competitor; besides many others that it 
is needless to name; yet we would by no means 
exclude such as commended themselves to a 
favorable notice from their other good points, in 
addition to success on the course. There is too 
generally, however, where all qualities of form, 
and substance, and endurance, are satisfactory, an 
inherent viciousness of temper, a restiffness under 
restraint, or an untameableness of spirit that ren¬ 
ders animals too nearly allied to the thorough¬ 
bred, unsafe or uncomfortable companions for ordi¬ 
nary use. In emergencies, and when great exer¬ 
tion is demanded, they are just the thing required ; 
but they are not the farmer’s horse, and it gener¬ 
ally needs some removes from the thorough-bred 
to bring them within that class. 
t Good roadsters can be secured from many of the 
Ijigh-bred, or nearly pure animals, which may now 
be found in considerable abundance in many parts 
of the Union; for it is the recent observation of an 
experienced judge, that 30 or 40 years ago, it was 
the most difficult thing to procure a good horse in 
the Middle States, while now, it is the easiest. 
Those having a trotting cross, are perhaps prefer¬ 
able ; such as Abdallah and Bellfounder; as they 
carry greater substance and more work-horse sym¬ 
metry, than the pure blood. Many of the descen¬ 
dants of the latter especially, we have never seen 
surpassed for strength, eudurance, and all desira¬ 
ble qualities within the same compass. We speak 
from personal experience, and considerable obser¬ 
vation on the subject. A valuable filly we bred 
from the last, out of a thorough-bred mare, and 
sent to a friend in Massachusetts, has trotted in 
harness, drawing a heavy buggy and two persons, 
22 miles in something under two hours, over an 
indifferent road; and under the saddle, with a 
rider of 160 lbs., over a very hilly road, she made 
19 miles in an hour and 30 minutes, and soon af¬ 
ter. returned the same distance in an hour and 20, 
in which, however, she had the advantage of ten 
minutes detention, fpr turnpike and other necessa¬ 
ry stoppages. But her excess of blood has nearly 
rendered her useless for the harness, having run 
away with some, and fairly tired out all her dri 
vers, and she is now turned out to breeding. 
But even the trotter will not give us the horse 
of all work, the ever-ready, ever-patient drudge, 
equally safe to break in the tottling Nimrods to 
the stirrup; to carry a grist to mill;• or tote the 
urchins to school, strung like Wethersfield onions 
on the saddle and crupper; drag the wagon to 
town ; plow out the corn ; or work single or dou¬ 
ble before the oxen; or, in short, in any and every 
place required. He must be also, a small and not 
over choice feeder, keeping in good health on any¬ 
thing coming within his reach, oats, potatoes, hay, 
straw, or potato-vines; or if turned out to shirk 
for himself, equally capable of living on a wet 
marsh, or a pine woods barren; never sick, never 
tired, and never out of temper. If we could wrap 
the skin of a Suffolk Punch, or a well-made, stout 
Canadian Pony over a mule’s carcase, with the 
ears and tail lopped off, it would give nearly the 
form and character required; and next to this, the 
mule, the Suffolk Punch, or stout Canadian Pony 
is perhaps the very best thing to be had. There 
is a considerable range of the Punch family in the 
country, which, if reduced to some regular system 
of style, in form, size, appearance, &c., might se¬ 
cure the object desired. There is a race of brown 
or frequently, black horses, with a dark brownish 
or buff muzzle like the nose of a bear, that pos¬ 
sess extreme hardiness, and could well be incor¬ 
porated into the breed required. 
It is probable this every farmer’s drudge, this 
horse of all work, could more effectually be secu¬ 
red by the introduction of the Norman horse, than 
any other equally long bred and well defined ani¬ 
mal. This race possess all the needful strength, 
weight, and hardiness, when properly reared. 
They do not stand high in the withers, they fill a 
large collar, and throw great weight into it; their 
fore-legs are good pullers, and their hind ones good 
pushers; and if their head and feet are somewhat 
heavy, ’tis not of so much consequence, for the 
last prevent his sinking so deep in the mud, and 
the other will serve him with good masticators 
for his rough food, and he is not inclined to impair 
his constitution by carrying his extra weight over 
fast, abating his speed in proportion to his burden. 
The principal objection we note about him, is the 
undue quantity of hair, as we must confess to our 
preference for muscle over mane, and tail, and 
fetlock gear. But a close system of breeding with 
judicious females, would soon run out the surplus 
gaiters, which is his greatest objection, on account 
of robbing the road of its gravel, or the field of its 
soil. . ' 
Mares are decidedly more economical for farm- 
work than geldings, and Youatt only expresses the 
best experience when he says “ they cost less at 
first, and the farmer will get a great deal more 
work out of them. There can be no doubt that, 
taking bulk for bulk, a mare is stronger and more 
lasting than a gelding, and in addition to this, 
the farmer will have her to breed from.” 
The horse that has performed hard service du¬ 
ring the winter, should always be permitted a free 
run at grass, when the first blades put forth in 
