3D 
Best mare, seven years old; H. W. Bronson, Lake Mills. Diploma. 
Second best mare, eight years old; Jacob Weitzel, Brookfield. $3. 
Best mare, four years old ; W. C. Spaulding, Watertown. Diploma. 
Second best mare, four years old; P. Hardin, Watertown. $3. 
Best mare, two years old ; H. W. Bronson, Lake Mills. $3. 
Best pair of mules ; 1ST. B. Clapp, Kenosha. $5. 
Mr. Hobkirk accompanies the report with the following remarks: 
“In my estimation there is too little attention paid to the procuring of 
good brood mares. The horse is rightly called the noblest animal in the 
service of man, for though there are others of the brute creation whose 
carcasses are of infinitely greater value as food and as material for the 
manufacture of articles of daily use, it is the strength and sagacity of 
the horse that enables the farmer to perform with facility, many of the 
most important operations of agriculture, to say nothing of other and 
innumerable spheres where the labor of the horse, his patience, docility 
and aptness are brought into requisition. 
“ The number of horses in the United States, according to the most re¬ 
cent computations, is 4,325,652. The breeding has been so promiscu¬ 
ously carried on, and with so little regard to correct and scientific princi¬ 
ples or rules, that the number of varieties is almost past computation. 
Some of these varieties, especially trotting horses and roadsters, are sel¬ 
dom surpassed in any country. One of the most important elements of 
success lies in the proper choice of brood mares. Never breed from a 
mare that is not well bred. By well bred, I do not mean having many 
crosses of blood, for many mares nearly and even quite thorough bred 
are very undesirable animals to breed from. In the true sense of the 
word, a well bred mare is one whose progenitors for many generations 
back have been carefully selected. The object should be to produce 
colts of an ambitious character and of good size, then if they should be 
unfit for fast work, they can at least do their share of labor on the farm. 
I know of no better test of success than this, viz: that the colt when it 
has lost a portion of its conventional value, should still retain its real 
usefulness. Always make strong, well-set forelegs a primary object. 
They should.be placed forward so as to be an efficient support to the ani¬ 
mal, and the shoulder ought to stand backwards in order to allow the 
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