Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 January 1892 — SHE DEALS IN HORSES. [ARTICLE]

SHE DEALS IN HORSES.

THE ONLY FEMALE HORSE-TRAD-ER IN THE WORLD. Miss Kittle Wilkins Tells How She Hot Into the Business nnd Gives Interesting Information on Range Breeding. Miss Kittie Wilkins enjoys the distinction of being ti e only woman in the United States whoso solo occupation is horsc-dculing. She is a tall nnd stately blonde, with a profusion of light golden hair, clear blue eyes, regular foatures and n mouth and chin denoting a firmness no doubt acquired in her businoss. “A head for business and an eye on tho world,” one could truthfully say. Her manners arc perfectly lady-like, though somewhat frank; her language is untainted, nnd she possesses a great faculty for conversation. Miss Wilkins, her father and two brothers own one of tho largest ranches in Southwestern Idaho, on Brown River, in Owyhee County. They have now on the ranch, after this season's sale, 2,. r ioo bond of horses nuo 1,500 cattle. Tho horses have none of the mustang, broncho or cnyuse blood in them. They are bred from American mares originally brought from the older States and crossed with Clydesdale, l’erchcron and trotting stullions; and good judges say tho horses formally brought by her to St. Louis aro far above the average Western horses, chiefly from fifteen to sixteen hands high and from IKK) to 1,200 pounds in weight. They are shown and sold in the rough, as not one of them has ever tasted grain or hay until they aro rounded up for shipment. Miss Wilkins, when interviewed by a reporter, said; “Now, I don't soe why it should interest the public one bit to know übouf mo.” She was assured the public was interested, and continued; “1 have boon engaged in the business with father nnd two brother! six yours. They attend to tho work nnd business on the ranch, while 1 mu chiefly engaged in the shipment und sale of both cattle and horses, though 1 haven’t ono hit of uso for cuttle. I have transacted my business in most of the largo cities west of the Mississippi rlvor, also in Chicago, and shall curry it ns far us Now York in the future. “My futherhas always boon engaged in horso dealing, und when I was quite a little girl I commenced going around with him when lie was soiling horses, nnd as the years went by lie found I knew ns much about tho business as he did. I was always independent and I induced him. to let me do the soiling, and they toll me I’m a pretty shrewd judge of the value of a horse. 1 guess I am, for I have learned a great deal, since I adopted this as a profession. “1 have been referred to as the Cattle Queen, rogurdloss of ,my great distaste for oattle. 1 go out to the round-up every spring nnd fall and enjoy myself ever so much. It is a fascinating business and grows upon you. "It was real romantic, tho way l got my first sturt. The way of it was this. Ovor twenty years ago my parents had removed to Oregon und wore returning to San Francisco, when our friends gathered round to give us mementoes of various sorts. When they got to me they snid, ‘Well, now, she's only a little thing’—l was about two yours old—‘we’ll just give hor some money to ho invested for her,’ and they gave me two #2O gold pieces. Shortly after wo wont to Idaho as it offered bettor facilities for stock-raising. Father went to Oregon to buy a lot of horsos fertile ranch. When ho wont to pay over tho money ho bethought himself of my S4O. and seeing a fine little filly yet left offered the owner the S4O for her. Ho at first hesitated as he had asked SBO for hor, but as my father was taking the entlro lot he lot her go at the price mentioned. That was the first horso I ever owned." On the question of range breeding Miss Wilkins said; “Our ranch is about sov-enty-five miles from the range on which we turn our stock uftor tho rounding up and branding is completed. It. is about 8,000 feet above the sea level and gives us a pure, dry atmosphere, which goes a long way in giving the young animal bred out there strong lungs to start with. Thou the wholo country is underlaid with a stratum of limestone which impregnates not only the springs and water ootirscs but even the grass itself, und, of course, this abundance of limo gives plenty of bono, und of good quality. Tho climate is sucli tlmt liorseß aud outdo can run out of doors the your around. It wo wish to iucrcusu tho size of our horses wo secure larger stullions; if our colts become too leggy we employ stout, compact stallions, standing on short legs. When we find wo have sufficient size nnd substance we turn our attention to style and action. I hold that in open-air breeding we can obtain just us good results as thoso who trout their colts like babies. Of course, much can bo done by special preparation, und foroed in the direction of early muturity, and thm is ail very well lor high-priced trotters nnd race-horses. “Now, I will give vou my reasons why I beiieve in range breeding for horsos for every day use. In tho first place they are always in the open air and breathe no impurities und take into their system no germ of discuso and take ail the exercise nature intended. You will, perhaps, understand the principles of this when I tell you in our whole herd we haven't an animal with spavin, ringbone, curb or splint, whilo distemper, pinkeye, epizootic nnd such ailments are equally unknown. lii time, I suppose, this range will be surveyed and divided up, and ultimately this system of growing stock on big ranges will como to an end, but you cun rest assured that by that time the range system will havo produced a stock of horses that will bo found hardy, sound and thoroughly salubie.”— [St. Louis Republic.