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PECULIAR SITUATION IN KENTUCKY Is Tobacco to Make Horse Breeding in the Blue Grass Country Too Expensive, BY EXILE I.F.XINC.TON. Ky.. January 5.— The game now being playe.l in Kentucky is not of the usual political stripe; it is rather a -trugzle for the mastery lietween blue grass and tobacco, and the result of this struggle of great and far-reaching import Mice to hor emn. The luxuriant pasture land of Kentucky, so helpful in the ■aceeaafal breeding and development of the thoroughbred borne, now commands a price of from 8888 to 8888 an acre, a price made jiossible only by the unprecedented demand for loose Ipjj f tobacco. Does anyone in his common sense suppose that bloodstock can profitably be bred, no matter the yearling price, on S300 an acre land? Fortunately horses may be bred in other parts of this country, where fee; the equal to those of Kentucky -bred tock are grown. Never wa- there a truer Raying than "no foot 110 bane," and the foot of the Kentucky horse is his best attribute, and to the excellence of his feet in great measure the general excellence of Ilie Kentucky thoroughbred is due. I ast summer for the first time I paid a visit to old Virginia, which, before Kentucky, was the home of the thoroughbred, and to this state, more than likely, shall the thoroughbred return, for on the red clay soil of Virginia can be grown feet the equal to those grown elsewhere Moreover, the soil of Virginia is not so pre-eminently suited to the growing of tobacco as is the blue grass land of central Kentucky. For this reason Virginia land will never c maud so high a price. It is abw true that for successful horse breeding land s. rich and fertile as that of central Kentucky is nonessential. Range, liberty, abundant herbage of almost any aart, pure water, temperate climate and a character of soil conducive to the best foot development are the essentials in horse breeding. If t lie battle now being fought, as now seems more than probable, is to be won by tobacco, ihere are other sections, too. besides Virginia where btoodfttork may successfully he hred. and all in all a tobacco victory would not Ik- such a hindrance to horse breeding as at first might be supposed. The stimulus necessary in horse breeding is a more general interest on the pari of the public in the welfare and development of the horse himself. How best, then, may this general interest be engendered, and simple the answer: Encouragement for the small breeder and a tobacco victory of it-elf an encouragement 10 the small breeder, because of the fact that from that time forward huge bands of in.ir.s are made more than ever impracticable. LORD FALMOUTHS WONDERFUL SUCCESS. The most successful breeder of thoroughbred horses who ever lived. Lord Falmouth, conducted his breeding operations on only a small scale. Fifteen to twenty mares were all he considered necessary, yet tie- results attained approached almost the inconceivable. Just how the ill-advised and assuredly unsuccessful plan of having huge bands of m. ires originated I do not know, but I do know that those who have put this plan into practice have met with but ill success, and I also know that a tobacco victory tolls the death knell of big bread mare bands which, in every way. is for the best interests of and for the better development of the thoroughbred horse, because the scattering of the at male- I., all sections of the country would mean tin- awakening of a more general interest in horse affairs the country over. Other countries have found small holdings are best and this is precisely what is about to take place here, and it is well that it is s... for by this means will a more general in -teres! in the horse and his perfections be excited. That is. the people of the Cnited States as a whole must be induced to take more than a cursory interest in the thoroughbred horse and small brood mare holdings is the proper prescription. Racing and kindred interests can safely be left to take care of themselves, but horse breeding stands in need of all « ucouragement possible, hence the action of certain racing associations ia worthy of every commendation in that they have set aside certain -mils to be bestowed on the breeders of the winners of sonic of the more important races, which will of course give every breeder a personal interest in the result of 1 race, and this is of it-elf a big tea toward Interesting the general public iii horse breeding affairs. Oatee interest the public ill bloodstock breeding, interest in racing follows as a mere matter of course and the breeding route th- best and -aft st way : and by this breeding route may the ice grip of [a— lb 1— mid intoleration be loosened by the cordial sun of frieudly rivalry, desire for improvement aud comniou sense.
