AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
FOR THE 
UGn‘in, Garden, and. TTouseliolcL 
“AGRICULTURE IS THE MOST HEALTHFUL, MOST USEFUL, AN O MOST NOISLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN,” —Washington. 
ORANGE JUDD COMPANY,) ESTABLISHED IN 1842, ( TERMS: Si .50 per Annum In Advance, post-free ; 
Publishers and Proprietors, 215 Broadway. f German Edition issued at the same rates as iu English, ^ Four Copies $5* —Single Number, 15 Cents* 
VOLUME XXXIX.—No. 6. NEW YORK, JUNE, 1880. NEW SERIES-No. 401. 
THE YOUNG STALLION CLAY H AMBLE TONI AN. —Drawn by Edwin Forbes. —Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
The American trotting horse has been produced 
from a variety of elements that have been blended 
to secure a high development of what has been 
termed the “trotting instinct.” The most cele¬ 
brated sires to which the established trotting fami¬ 
lies trace their origin were, with few exceptions, 
thorough-bred, or with a large preponderance of 
thorough-bred blood. With the inherited nervous 
force of these sires was combined an aptitude for 
trotting action, that has been intensified by system¬ 
atic training and selection during the past half cen¬ 
tury with the most satisfactory results. The first 
trotting match in America was made in 1818, for a 
stake of 81,000 against time. It was won by “ Bos¬ 
ton Blue ” in the then unprecedented time of three 
minutes. Now, the trotters having a technical record 
of 2.30 and less are numbered by hundreds, while 
“St. Julien” has made his mile in 2.121. Breeders of 
trotters, although favoring certain strains of blood, 
have considered the performance of the animal as 
the test of excellence, and as the best performers 
have descended from a few favored sires, the 
blood of these has been mingled to a greater or 
less extent in many of the celebrities of the day. 
In the stallion “ Clay Hambletonian,” the prop¬ 
erty of Ira S. Gardner, Johnsons, Orange Co., N.T., 
whose portrait is given above, the blood of two 
prominent families is represented—the Hambleto- 
nians and Clays. His sire, “Mapes’ Hambletonian,” 
was by “ Rysdyk’s Hambletonian,” the celebrated 
progenitor of the Hambletonian family, that de¬ 
servedly stands first in popular favor. His dam, 
the fast trotting mare, “ Nettie Clay,” is a daughter 
of “Sayer’s Harry Clay,” and her dam traces a 
lineage through “Highlander” and “Duroe,” to 
imported “Diomed.” “Sayer’s Harry Clay” was 
by “ Neaves’ Clay,” he by “ Cassius M. Clay,” and 
he by “ Henry Clay,” who was descended from 
“Young Bashaw.” The dam of “Sayer’s Henry 
Clay” was by “ Bellfounder,” the noted Norfolk 
trotter imported in 1823. Until within a few years 
the Clay family has not been appreciated by breed¬ 
ers of trotters, but the great success of Hamble¬ 
tonian sires with the daughters of “ Sayer’s Harry 
Clay,” has shown the value of this strain of blood. 
The Bellfoutider blood of the Clays on the side of 
the dam seems to supplement the dominant Mes¬ 
senger blood of the Hambletonian with its similar 
Bellfounder cross, giving a perfect trotting form. 
“ Clay Hambletonian ” is thus, as to his breed¬ 
ing, in good company, and although never trained, 
his form and action indicate that he is capable of a 
rate of speed that would be creditable to the blood 
he represents. “Clay Hambletonian” is eight 
years old, stands 16 hands high, and weighs nearly 
1,100 lbs. in his present condition. His color is a 
rich brown, with a star in his forehead, and one 
white hind foot. His proportions and general ex¬ 
pression are well represented in the engraving ; he 
has good legs and sound hoofs, and moves with a 
square, even gait. His sloping rumps and strong 
quarters—characteristic of his maternal blood— 
are seen to the best advantage when in motion. 
Entered at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., as Second Class Matter. 
Copyright. 18S0, by Orange Jijdd Company. 
