great influence ..._on the contrary ... few breeders ever have been so catholic
· wxh their tastes.... All of good sterling`worth ..._was to be seen on his farm at
oodburn.... He set us an example ... which it would do us of this day good to
follow more closely."
This is the opinion of a great stock expert and breeder. Whether or not
J Alexander‘s presence in the show rings of his time was good for the stock indus-
x try in generpl is still debatable. Another competent observer »ef men and Stggk
ggyisog l;;7i1;Gl§p;;;gn` ;hat ilexander's stock, displayed at the United States
tion Onl guch ma t ye r in ouisville, discouraged practically all competi-
. y · s er farmers as Brutus J. Clay and others of like caliber and
breadth of experience could hope to meet him in the rings and carrv off anything
Eiggggr thi; nggppnda honors. This was a _situation discouraging to the small
I . ly s any one man could do, Alexander, and later his brother,
igiggdnggeopgice in stock breeding and experimental work along animal husbandry
pie by the breeding lots of the nentucky Experiment Station.
EE._.A&R. 
A ` Prior to the l850’s, the Shorthorn Herdbook gotten out in England in l822
and kept up to date, was accepted_as the final authority on all matters pertain-
ing to breeding and breed records. An American herdbook issued for the first
time in 1846, was generally accepted only in the East. Kentuckians as a rule
still referred to the English herdbook or depended on their own records. ,From
every standpoint, this was unsatisfactory, especially so to a rapidly expanding
industry. In l855 the American Shorthorn Herdbook was all but universally
__ adopted by the Shorthorn breeders of Kentucky; both the new importations and the
{`T older families that could be traced were included in its records, and the follow-
ers of the "Red, White, and Roan" were at last fully prepared to battle for the
breed markets of the West. A _ I l I
THE TROTTER APPEA§§_ A A I ° ` `
While the cattle-breeding industry of the State, and in a quiet way other
breeds interests as well, were strengthening their positions-- for the better
part of the sixth decade-- another factor of major importance to the story of the
fairs was entering the field.-
All through the history of horses bred for speed runs the story of the
ambler or Trotter (which includes the pacer), known and liked for the smoothness
of his gait under saddle and for the beauty of his action in harness. The modern
Standard-bred or Trotter derives from Messenger, a Thoroughbred imported to Amer-
ica in 1788. Messenger blood, crossed with that of the Canadian, the Morgan, and
individuals that have come largely from Thoroughbred lines, began to appear in
track events as early as the l800‘s. Trots, in those days, were scarcely dis-
tinguishable from_ running events. Both were under saddle, and the conditions
_ _ were similar. The runner had the edge, but only by a comparatively small margin.
TWE Instead of the long distances favored in running events the trots were broken up
A into mile distances, best three out of five. Comparisons of speed with runner
pitted against trotter were common. All this gave the spectator plenty of action
and excitement during the course of a five-heat race.
. Toward the end of the l8.'50's a further change had taken place. With the im-
provement or roads came light vehicles in place of the saddle horse of forner
years, and farmers, professional, and business men naturally took pride in a fine
turn-out drawn by a pair of good roadsters. Canadian trotters, among them St.