m WEEKCf
VOL. XXI.
-U,s iiu.'»'y_
GARDES:
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, JULY 17,1886.
NO 29
LAPORTE COUNTY.
Something About the Thoroughbred
Stock in One of Our Border
Counties.
LaPorte county la situated at the extreme north of Indiana, having a border
of a few miles on Lake Michigan. The
soil is sandy but black and very productive, and the marshes with which the
county abounds, promise to yield to under-
drainage and to afford the best of corn,
wheat and meadow land, when once
brought to subjection. The farmers of the
western half ot 1. -Porte county have for
many years devoted much attention to the
caring of thoroughbred stock, more particularly draft horses, and a Farmer reporter visited them last week, taking
notes of what we saw. The oldest firm of
draft horse breeders in the county is, we
believe, the
DOOR    PRAIRIE    LIVE   STOOK   ASSOCIATION,
made up originally of a membership of 34
farmers, in the neighborhood of Door
Village, but now crystallized into a combination of five, viz : A. Mc Lei Ian and D.
T. Keith, of Door Village, W. E. Crighton,
of Wellsboro, L. T. Harding, of LaPorte,
and L S. Fitch, of Oakwood. Their address is Door Village, and their stables
and stock are to be found on farms close to
that place, and four miles from LaPorte.
The business of tbe Association is to import and breed pedigreed Clydesdale and
Cleveland Bay horses. Of these two
breeds they have at present over 100 head,
about equally divided as to numbers. We
were first taken to see the magnificent
Cleveland Ray, Surprise, a stallion that is
as near perfection in color, style, build
and action as seems possible for any horse
to be. His record speaks better than any
description of him can do. Surprise obtained first prize at Sutton in 1879, for best
coaching colt foal; at Hedon in 1882, for
best coaching stallion; at Indiana State
fair as three-year-old; also In 1883 took
first honors at Michigan State fair; sweepstakes prize at Indiana State fair, and with
Flora, Topsy, Lady Hutchinson and Victoria took first premium as a herd; first
premium at Illinois State fair in 1884
Ooly shown at Michigan State fair in 1885
and received first premium. Surprise is
ably seconded in the stud by snch stallions
aa Sportsman, a big, clean-limbed, free
moving four year old; Selby, a three-
year-old imported last summer and destined for honors In the show ring; Prince
Edward, a two-year-old, sired by Surprise
and bids fair to approach him closely in
excellence. In the Clydesdale stables we
were shown a fine lot of stallions, notably
Hero, a splendid animal with fine style
and action and powerful muscles. Hero
is a show horse and those that attend our
next State fair will probably have an opportunity to see him. Gallant B.y Is a
four-year-old, smooth, compact and solid,
a typical Clydesdale. Mae nab is a solid
bay imported last year, two years old, and
a promising colt. Albert of C'ulross Is another two-year-old, dark brown, and pos
se_sed of an extraordinary amount of hair
on fetlocks, mane and tail. He is a stylish
fellow and solidly built. Other two-year-
olds were shown to us and a number of
yearlings, 25 or 30 in all. We stopped to
look  at the  noted Leollne,  their famous
Clydesdale show mare. Leollne gained
first prize at Ayr show in 1879, one of the
best shows in Seotland. First prize in
mares at Lower Anonda'e show, and the
Highland Societies silver medal for best
horse or mare sho vn. First prize at Indiana State fair, 1882. First premium at
niinois State fair, Michigan State fair and
Indiana State fair, 1884; also American
Clydesdale Association premium at Chicago, 1884, in a large ring. Leoline would
be hard to improve on. We were shown
an imported Clydesdale stallion that was
recently sold to go to Canada. This is the
third Scotch bred stallion the Association
has sold to that country and speaks highly
for their judgment in selections en the
other side of the sea. Another sale recently made was of a Cleveland I'.ty filly
to go to Martinsville, this State. The trade
of the Association is widely extended and
for the season of the year Is brisk. In addition to the Clydesdales and Cleveland
Bays the members of the Association
breed other thoroughbred stock as follows:
Andrew McL.llan, Door Village, Ind.,
Shorthorn and Jersey cattle, Shropshire
and Cotswold sheep, and Poland China
hogs. Dennis T. Keith, Door Village, Ind.,
Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs.
W. E Crighton, Wellsboro, Ind., Shropshire and Oxford Down sheep and Poland
China hogs. L. T. Harding, LaPorte, Ind.,
Jersey cattle, Poland China hogs and
Southdown sheep. L S Fitch, Oakwood,
Ind., Jersey cattle and Poland China hogs.
W. A   BANKS' OAKWOOD FARM.
This Is one of the prettiest stock farms it
has been our pleasure to look over in a
long time. It consists of 420 acres, (P. O.
LiPorte, Ind ) beautifully located,watered
and studded with groves of timber. Recently a good deal of drain tile has been
pnt down, and the result is very satisfactory, drying off the land and in every way
improving it for cultivation and productiveness. Mr. Banks is one of the noted
importers and breeders of live stock of
northern Indiana, and whose reputation
as breeder of draft horses is high over the
west generally. His specialties in this line
are Cleveland Bays and Clydesdales. He
has now many very fine stallions and
brood mares, as well as younger animals
in these lines. Among them may be
mentioned the Clyde stallion "Never-Too-
Late," three years old, large, strong and
showy, rich bay, with fine barrel and bone.
"Prince of Balbeck," Clyde, two years old,
fine bay color, with an expressive eye, and
is an attractive and beautiful horse in
every way. "Harry," another very handsome two-year-old Clyde, imported from
Scotland recently, large and most beautifully formed and superbly proportioned,
with perfect action. The yearling Clyde
and Cleveland Bay stallions are as fine and
promising a lot of young things as we have
ever seen. It seemed to us in critically
viewing them that no one could go astray
In selecting any of them. They will all
be beauties some day, and the draft prize-
ring will tell the story of their merit. The
ten imported Clyde and Cleveland Bay
mares, old enough to breed, and the
younger fillies are all very handsome also.
Some of these horses and mares have carried offmany first premiums in the ring.in
Canada and in this country.
We should not  forget the fact also that
Mr. Banks is not without his taste for fine
roadsters as well, as he also breeds Hain-
bletonlans, though not so extensively as
draft horses. Thoroughly imbued with
the idea of mixed husbandry, there may
also be seen on his farm the finest strains
of Shorthorns and Jersey cattle, all pure
bred, as well as Poland China swine, and
three or four varieties of the best strains
of poultry, such as, Wyandottes, Golden
Polish and Plymouth Rocks. This mixed
farming is not slip-shod either. Mr. B.
believes in good blood, too, and with the
single exception of three grade cows,
everything Is thoroughbred. That kind of
a man and that kind of farming will succeed no odds what opposes, and it is therefore quite useless to say to our thousands
of intelligent readers that Mr. Banks is a
great success aa a stock farmer, for the
facts so write him down.
< if course it is understood that a good
supply of water, grazing, barns and winter
protection are factors along with good
blood, to success anywhere. Without
such care, the best blood In tbe world
would soon deteriorate. All these are
carefully and well provided. The beasts
on this farm have their rations as regular
and as full as the keepers, and out of all
this comes not only satisfaction, but consummate success, and the profits Incident
to such farming.
MR. O. L_ SMALL,
of Westvllle, is a breeder and importer of
pedigreed Norman horses, and the Farmer
representative called upon him and was
shown his stock. First we saw Honfleur,
No. 1978, a dark gray three-year-old, standing 17 hands high and tipping the scale
beam at 1800 pounds. Honfleur was imported to this country as a sucking colt
and has grown up on the pasture land of
LaPorte county. He is a powerfully built
stallion, clean limbed, neat and shapely,
and a splendid specimen of the French
draft horse. His look ia intelligent, action
vigorous and abounding in strength. As
a breeder he is deservedly popular among
the farmers of the county. Pontleveque,
No. 1976, was like Honfleur imported as a
colt and is of the same age, three years.
He is about 16 hands htgh, weighs 1600, Is
rather low, square and blocky. In color
he la light gray. His action is powerful,
muscles prom lnent,eye and face bright and
clean. A three quarter grade stallion was
shown us—a beautiful dapple gray, two-
year old, very large for his age, and a styl-
iab, attractive animal. He will be for
sale next spring and will doubtless find a
buyer without difficulty. He ought to do
so, at any rate. Among Mr. Small's mares
we noted a herd of five, two of them in-
ported and three bred by Mr. Small him
self. Two are two-year-olds, a bay and a
gray, two are three-year-olds, a sorrel and
• black. The black and the gray are by
the celebrated stallion Vldocq, that cost
12,000 In France at the time he was imported. Mr. Small sold Vldocq and an
Imported two-year-old mare to Whetten
Bros., of Milford, Ind., last season. We
were shown a number of colts, grade and
thoroughbred, representing the blood of
the stallions and mares mentioned above,
and they warrant the statement that Mr.
Small's Normans are superior breeders.
One seven-eighths blood mare colt in particular  struck our  fancy.   She Is  large,
active and graceful, a beautiful animal
and showing intelligence in every feature.
One of Mr. Small's sales which he mentioned was that of six imported brood
mares to Jacob Howser .V Sens, of Marion,
<)., one year ago, and from all reports they
have given splendid satisfaction and making a record to be proud of. Mr. Small's
last importation from France was in 1883,
when he went abroad himself to make his
selections. At that time he brought back
with him 15 head of stallions and mares,
all of them young and some of them colts.
In the near future he will again cross the
ocean for another lot. He stands ready at
any and all times to sell any Norman he
has on the place and is abundantly able to
give satisfaction. Those interested should
correspond with him.
MR. .1. GARDNER,
Westfield, Is the propietor of a herd of
Shorthorns, headed by the Seraphina bull
Earl Lanford, bred by W. W. Estill, of
Lexington, Ky. Earl Ltnford is a three-
year-old aired by Duke of Grass mere and
from a oow of the celebrated Seraphina
strain. He is a straight bred and entered
for record In volume 31 of the Herd Book;
color red with a little white; general appearance attractive, back straight, hams
well down and meaty. His breeding
qualities are first-class and the calves of
his get are uniformly good. Among Mr.
Gardner's cows we noted some extra fine
individuals. Lady Caroline is one of them,
a fine, large, broad-hipped oow, solid red
and an excellent breeder. Mr. Gardner's
Shorthorns are of such families aa Young
Mary, Daisy, 17's, etc., plainly bred and
substantial. His cows are rich milkers.
One of the oldest of his females is a Young
Mary and an extraordinarily heavy milker,
giving enough milk for a young calf and
for a small family besides. Mr. Gardner
has stock for sale and expects to make an
auction sale next spring which should be
well attended. He la also a breeder of
Norman horses.
AltOTHEE CRAlfK.
Laat Sunday afternoon a Philadelphia
man—C. D. Graham,—successfully swam
the.whirlpool-rapids at Niagara Falls in a
cask or barrel constructed by himself. He
started on the American side of the river
and about 300 rods above the cantilever
bridge.
When everything was in readiness Graham got into the barrel and closed the
man-hole at the top from within. At this
point of the river a current is very slight.
A small boat pulled the tank out into the
river to where the current eould catch
it, and then Graham was started on what
might have turned out to be his trip to
eternity. It took but a few momenta, and
then the stream caught the cask and started
it on toward the rapids and whirlpool.
Slowly at first it moved along, then faster
and faster, until the mad current dashed
It on with its full force. The cask kept
pretty well |in the center of the river,
until it reached the whirlpool when It
struck a strong side current and was carried swiftly through, reaching the waters
beyond in safety.
Graham did not make a cent bv the operation. He received no pay and bore all
the expenses himself, being glad for the
privilege of being allowed to make the
great attempt.