PROFIT IN HOUSE RAISING.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2232, 28 May 1881, Page 3

PROFIT IN HOUSE RAISING.

[“ Prairie Farmer.”] There are one-idea men who will not listen for a moment to an argument in favour of breeding horses for speed. They point with holy horror at the gangs of out-throats that follow horse-racing as a profession, and “ that settles it ” with them. That breeding horses for speed has added greatly to our agricultural wealth no intelligent and candid man will deny. The breeding of any class of domestic animals may be made respectable or otherwise as the breeder may choose to make it. To make a financial success of breeding fast bores, either trotters er runners, one needs to bo particularly adapted to it and have circumstances favourable. Occasionally a farmer happening to own a good mare, by a chance, fortunate nick, produces a colt that proves a winning trotter ; but it usually passes through the hands of one or more professionals before it gains any prominence, and even then proves as much of a misfortune as the drawing of a lottery prize, for it frequently turns the heads of many others, and they set about “ raising a trotter,” and although they spend large sums of money and much valuable time, 99 per cent, of them fail.

One great obstacle in the way of ordinary farmers raising trotters is, very few have the time or ability to develop them, and hence they must be put into the hands of a professional, who often either ruins them or keeps them back till the owner, disgusted and discouraged by the expense, sells them for a song.’ . If the time and money that has been wasted during the past twenty-five years in attempting to raise trotters by farmers and others

entirely unfitted for the business, had been need in developing some other class of horses their efforts might have been eminently successful. There is now, and always will be, a paying demand for large, stylish coach and general purpose horses, weighing from 1200 to 1300 pounds, standing from sixteen to sixteen and a half hands high, symmetrical in their proportion, easy and graceful in their motions, full of nerve and ambition, but pleasant in disposition. Such horses will not only be valuable at home and on the farm, but will always command ready sale at remunerative prices. They _ command from 600dol. to ZOOOdol. per pair in large cities according to their size, style, and action. The latter qualifications depend much upon the training and fitting. Many farmers are capable of handling profitably this class of horses either by breeding or buying up and fitting for market, and at the same time doing all ordinary work on the farm.

Another class of horses always profitable and requiring less care and time in fitting for market is the heavy draught. They may be allowed to run wild till within a few weeks of sale, or they may bo taken up at three years and worked moderately for two years, and more than earn their keeping while maturing into hard horses, and then be sold at prices ranging from SOOdoI. to GOOdol. per pair at home.

The general revival of business has increased the demand for draught horses with an advance from 20 to 25 per cent, in price, which promises to increase with the opening of business in the spring. It is to bo hoped that farmers will look to their interests and not allow buyers to coax away a first-class brood mare by offering a large price, nor induced to purchase or use an inferior stallion by a glib tongued sharp dealer.

“ Like produces like,” The strong points of a pure bred sire are sure to be transmitted to his offspring be they good or bad. Breeders must learn that much of success depends upon the mare, and that the weight of the stallion is only one essential in the production of firstclass draught horses. He must have weight and also proportions in keeping. The claim that a “ big horse will sell if he is homely” is a delusion and a snare. A handsome draught horse will often outsell a homely one by a hundred per cent. The science of horse breeding has been caaried to greater perfection than in England than in any other country, and one might as well try to buy one of his children of an English breeder as his brood mares unless he happened to have a surplus; and in the selection of a stallion English breeders are very critical ; he must have the requisite weight, possess all the indications of strength and endurance, massive shoulders well supported with muscle, deep chest, rib and flank, short wide back, and strong loin, long quarters and heavy stifle, the muscles running well down to the hook, the bone heavy, the leg short, flat, wide and clean, joints strong but not rough, feet round, moderately large but not flat, and in texture very tough. The production of hair on the legs is a matter of fashion and varies with the breeder’s fancy in different countries, but the surplus hair soon disappears when crossed on other breeds. With such a formation it is no wonder that the English horses have attained a worldwide reputation for indomitable pluck and iron constitutions.

Their characteristics have been fixed by ;enerations of judicious breeding. They have Deen imported to the United States from time to time since the early settlements, sometimes as Clydesdales and sometimes under the true name, and have been eminently successful in producing lively, strong horses both for heavy draught and farm purposes. A careful consideration of how to improve farm horses, and the relative valne of the different breeds will be a profitable subject for the leisure winter hours.