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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ON THE BREEDING OF HORSES AM) Ol IIKK DOMHSTICATKI) ANIMALS IN CANADA Principally Crosses of Thoroughbreds and Laroe Mares Jiiii I'.iiitiiui, /\,Tis,;i ,ini/,iri;,;/. IIV H. QUETTON ST. GHORGH Oakkidce--, Canada. TOKONTO; Williamson vS: Co., s Kin(, Stkkki Wksl Kruer.a acc„r.lin« „. ,he A.:, nf F'arliamcn, of Canada in the v.ar „„. ,h, us-uui ddu dre.1 an.l n.noy-.nc hy NVillKunson ^ C. L, ,he ,„i1cc of .he Minis.e,- .f AKncl!,-? In ()\ TllH BRHHDIXG OF Stylish and Useful Horses IN CANA13A. Canada, and at present principally ()ntari(), may l)c considered as a ^real Held for breeding horses as well as cattle and sheep. We have l)een success- ful in producing valuable and useful draught horses, which the Americans are constantly buying from us. Hut the sivlish ride and drive hf)rse has been left almost entirely to chance ; the Thoroughbred, his best foundation, has not been jiatronised liut by a few whose oliject was the turf. ( )wr young men ride very little but like to sit behind a good mover, and in conse<|uence trotting stallions have been very much in re(jucst. I'nfortunately they have lu-en so far, with very few exceptions, th'rd or fourth class animals, and the mares being, as a rule, a very inferior lot, the result has been a lot of mongrels, without si/e or style, and very seldom any si)eed. To breed a tine, stylish, usehil ride ar d drive horse is not so simple as it might appear, and rc(juires a good deal of experience and judgment in the selection of both sire and dam. In conscfpience, it is a scarce article, the demand being far in excess of the supply ; when of the right sort, it is sure to comman(' a high price. Having for a numl)er of years been very much interested in the breeding of blood horses, I will take the liberty of giving here the result of some observa- tions, hoping they may prove intere-ting, and perhaps useful, to horsemen and breeders. THOROUGHBRED CROSSES WITH LARGE MARES. 7i; the Editor of The Canadian Breeder : Dkar Sir,— I have read with much pleasure and interest, in your issue of April 24th, a letter of Mr. Douglas about the breeding of carriage horses of good size and style by a Thoroughbred sire anil Clyde mare. I fully agree Brccdin}^ vf Horses in Caiuida. with him and liavt; loii^; ciUcrlaiiicd the same idea. A tjodd many year-, a^o I was very much interested in a Inxik on Intermarriaf^e l)y Walker, in which he a)>d"SMisome i)riiiciples which, l)y my own ol)servations, I found, if not alisohilely correct, at least well worth attention, the same ideas having l)een suggested to me first hy the appearance of the mules in Spain, where great lunnhers are to he seen all over the country. I will further give a detailed account of my observations. According to Walker's theory, the organs of Ixith |>nrents are*not Mended in the offspring, but conniuinicaled in distinct series, and the only modifications which the organs communicated by either parent undergo are chiefly, if not allf)gether, such as are necessary to harmony of action with those communicated by the other i)arent, and such as are produced bv ilifference of sex. ( )ne parent gives the locomotive system and posterior part of the head, including the cerebral organ of will; the other parent gives the vital or nutritive system and organs of sense, the anterior pari of the head. 1 la\ ing from my own observations, first of mules, and afterwards of other animals, whose parents were known to me, come to the conclusion thai there was a great deal of truth in ihose i)rinciples, I thought I would try to breed large and stylish carriage horses by a Thoroughbred stallion and i>ig mares. It is true, as Walker says, that either parent may give either series of organs, but in the great majority of cases the locomotive system is derived from the sire and the vital or nutritive from the dam, and this I altril)Ute to the follow- ing reasons : In the male, the sexual desire being generally stronger, he is more likely to imjiart the organs of will attached to the locomotive system, and this is still more likely to be the case when the male is a 'Ihoroughbred, who from his long established jiedigree is more likely to be prepotent than animals of a breed more recently established or mixed. To obtain the results I am looking for, it is desirable that the sire should give the locomotive and the dam the nutritive system. The sire will in that case give the general appearance and symmetry, a stylish one, the bone, the muscle, and tiie organs of will or staying powers. As the sire of the fietus is generally governed by the mother, the big mare will have a large foal, for which, with her more gentle disposition and good milking (pialities, she will be a better nurse; there- fore it is desirable that the mare should give the vital or nutritive system. The idea of a Thoroughbred sire and large mares to breed from has long been a favorite of mine. I tried it with Charon and Kuric, but did not always succeed to my entire satisfaction, although I raised some very tine animals. The fact is the mares were mostly of mixed breeds, often old and blemished. Besides, my time being very much taken up in those days by other occupations and a great deal of travelling abroad, I could not give it the attention it neces- sarily required for success. I have now come to the conclusion that both parents should be of a breed well-defined, so as to have fixed points to trans- Ih-ic'ii{)ii^^ (if Horses in Canadii. 5 iiiit. A^ for till- Th' )r()ii^hl)rf(l, lii^. l<>n^ line of ancestors is a siitticMcnl mi.u- antcf, ami I hclicvc a wt-ll •select t.iij^h not >o lonj; established a> the Thor()iij;hl)red, the hreed is fixed by many |,'enerat ions. The nnres oii^ht to he youn^' and soimil. As you see, I fully aj^ree with Mr. I )ouj;las, \\ho>e letter I read with j^reat interest, and I shall he happy to furtner ronimunicate to you such observations as 1 may think useful on this important and intere->tin^ subject. 'Jo till' Editor of I'll! Hrmivr : I'KAK SiK, -In my l;i>t letter I |iromise(l tu write aj^ain on that imi^l inter- est in}^ subject, " Ureedinj; I.ari^e Mares to Thoroughbred Stallions." It has attracted a ^reat deal of attention lately, because as we see in every direction the demand for lar^e and at the same time stylish carriaj^e horses is {greatly in excess of the su|)ply, and as there i> not at present any distinct breed ol that kind, ue nnist f;el it by juflicious i rossinj^. Mr. I)out;las and mysell lu'.ve apparently come to the same conclusions about it independent of one aiiutlRr. Crossing is not in itself objectionable, for as a rule the nffsjiring is healthier and stronj^er than when botli parents belont^ to the same variety, and the ^ad results of breeding; iti-and-in too lonj; are well known ( )nce in ami once out is a better rule. I stated tliat from a c.ireful study uf some scientific men who ha\e written on the same subject, and from m\' own oliservations on horses and other animals, I recognised a great de.d of truth in Walker's theory of intermarriage, when he says that the organs of both parents are not bleixled f)ul conmumicaled in distinct series, the only moditications which the organs so communicated undergo being chiefly and altogether such as are necessary to harmoay of action and such as are produced by the difference of sex, onepireiit giving the locomotive and the other the vital or nutritive system. I ■-laled that from my own observations I Ijelieved that in most cases the locomotive system was derived from the parent who, for some reason or another, wa- the most prepe of more recent date or mixed blooil. .\ remarkalile illustration )fthisrulewe find in the breeding of cattle, tlie offspring of a ihorouglibred Shorthorn bull and a counnon cow i> in most instances very like a thoroughbred in appearance ; but if the half-bred or three-(|uarters bred heifers are put to a thoroughbred bull the result is not so good, and in many cases very common looking. This I attriiiute to the fact that the thorough- bred bull, being a great deal more prepotent tiian the common cow , breeds after himself, whereas in sul)se(|uent. crosses the cows, having through the in- fusio;. of thoroughbred blood ac<|uired more prepack to some remote ancestor of common Breeding of llnrscs in Canaihi. Mood. My contiiuii'd cro^sinj^s with the ihoroii^^hhretl hull, tin- nniniiiil of pure l)li)o(l so ovcrpowciN oil the roiiimoii that the animal-, may he coiiiidereil to ail intents ami imrposis as thoroii^hlireil. Seven crosses of thoioii^h- I red used to he, I liiliive, the rule in our old reyi>ter, hut in the new I)oniinioii Mook lioth >ire ami (hun inu>t trace to iMi|)orte of Auveryiie; the' result was a miser- ahle failure, the hnnhs retained all the cliaracteri-.tics of the mountain sheep witliout any ai)parent improvement ilerived from the .Southdown. It was a ^reat disapi)ointmenl, which no one could understand. To me the case ap|)ears clear enouj^h. The mountain sheep is a hreed whicii has heen kept hy itself for cenuiries without an) admixture of foreign hlood and therefore very |>re|)otent ; the fact of their l)eing on their own ground, with the ;:limate and food they had heen so long accustomed to, heing an inqxjrtant factor in the case, where is the imported .Southdowiis must have heen somewhat upset hy the change, lo^ing tlierehy some of their nitural prejiotency. I only reinemher what happened when those enterprising gentlemen for the tir.-.t time imported rams from i'.ngland. and do not know whether they gave it up in tlisgusl or whether lliey persevered. If they did, I have no douht that in a few generations the .Southdown hlood would have overpowered the native, and a '.treed of almost pure Southdowiis would have inken the place of the olil mountain hreed, a sorry looking animal. This rule which, I think, I will jirove hy illustrations is suhjecl to occasional exceptions, due proiiahly to the respective stale of health and condition of the animals at the time of pairing, and perhaps also to age and other causes yet un- known. In accordance with those principles, as I look u]ion the Thoroughhred as the hesl variety in our jiossession, and I expect him from his long pedigree to he the most prepotent, I select him for a sire. I'or the dam I like a Clyde, on account of their heautiful proportions, and hecause the hreed, if not so long estahlished as the Thoroughhred, is now a fixed and well-defined one. I look to her for the nutritive or vital system. She is larger, and the female parent generally governs the si/.e of the fcetus. She is more ([uiet and a hetter nurse; and as the organs of either parent must undergo a moditication sufficient Ut harmony of action, her more lofty action ought to correct to a certain extent the low daisy-cutting motion of the Thoroughhred. It may not he out of place here to state what may appear a contradiction. The gait or mcKle of />';'tY( //;/;; of Il( rsc^ in (\vhida. I(i("oin(iti(iii uiii;lit In lie iKrivtil innstly from ihf.' parent wh<» ^»ivf.s llic iMComn- tivc -y>tcni, and still from lun^ ami canfiil oliservatioii I am sali^tieil Uial il is mi>,ily tlcrivcil fnun tlu- iiMthcr more than tlie >ire, and (or this reaMHi in the lireedinj; of trotter^ I would .rely on the mother more than on the sir*-. A trotting mare put to a 'l"lioroiighl)red stallion often produces a ^;oud ir^iller with the appearance of a Thorouj^hiired. Such w.i> ( lear ( Irii. >on of l,,ipidist. I'lora 'I'emple, out of a Kentucky hlood hor>e, wa-. out of a clever fast trot'.ini; mare. I'ocahontaswasbyCadmus, aTlmrouj^hlired. I ler dam wa> aline natural trotter. I couhl nauiei^ood many more celelirated trotters bred in the same way. 1 have often l)een told that in pairing the Thoroughlired with the Clyde mare I \souM f^et i:olt> with hairy le^s, hut nf thi> I was not afraid, for the simple reason that when the Thoroughbred i^ives the loi-omoiive system, it means the frame, the bone, .md the hair is a sort of bone. I have not been disappointed in my previsions, (tfaj^'oxj manv colts I have bred in that way, without pretending to sav that they have the soft silky hair of the Thoroughbred, their coat is not roui^h and their legs not at all h.iiry. .Such a cross, when successful, is a very valuable one. l'"or the high, heavy carri.iges of the noble or wealihy families of London and other places, a horse big and stylish at the same time is re'piired and not t-asy to tind, the demand iieing greatly in excess of the supply. .\ choice jiair will readily cnmmand fn'm three to live thoM>and dollars and sometimes more. In the evynt of the colt not lieing <|uite stylish enough to command such high prices, he will still be a very useful and valu- able one ; powerfid enough for any farm work, he will earn his living on the farm one or two years till he is disposed of to reach his ultimate >comotive system from the ^ire by using a male of the oldest and best established breed as the most prepotent, and I |>romise(l to supi)ort these notions by some illustrations. The tirst I will notice is the mule, as the most striking. I saiil before it was the mule in Spain which tirst suggesteal/tts) and an ass (t-qiiitj a.siiiu>). Naturalists look upon them as one species descended from some remote ancestor, but they have so long diverged that they must now be classed as distinct species, not merely a variety of the same, and this is proved by the fact that although they couple freely together the produce is no longer a mongrel, but a hybrid sterile. In lircciliu'^ of Horses in Canadu, su|i|«iil of my lln'or) thai till" nldist atnl liosl cstalilislifd lucfd i^ llK-mi»t |iK'iiut hard am! free from disease. In temper ihe nuile is almost id.'utical with ihi' ass, i)atienl hut obstinate, thriving on food on which a horse would starve. .\l the same time, from the lar_i;e mare il attains a much larj^er si/e than the ass. In sheep I tiud some invalualile Mosses, which may now be called estab- lished varieties. I'y the Southdown and larger ewes of other l)reeds, tlie Southdown sire bein^ of a loi)^, well-ileliiu-d lireed, and therefore the most prepotent, communicates the locomotive system, which carries with it the skin and liner wool. I have such tirades of Shropshire rams and Cotswold ewes whose tli-eces sell for the same price as thei)ure Shru|)shires, that is. three or four ceiHs more per pouni\'iiiin:^ 11/ Ilcrsrs in l\iihhiii. 9 i-i>. Thi^ iiit'.\h> tlu' l.icniiic.iivc >y<ur. 'I'lu roOirr s\i- miisi um.- tin- \'i)iU>liirf !>i'.ir. I In- Hfrk^hirc has, I l.elifvc, a l.tttLi- vital >\>t«.ui, niul I'm- tlii> wt- mi ^t lia\c a Ik'iksliirc m)\v 'Ilic result uill l.c moii' >i/c, \>vUur >u\c> ami liaiii>, ami as the >Uin amlliair, tluiii>cl\cs a '<'it «>f Ixmc, follow tliu locomniivi- .ystoiii, the cross will l)c white ; luit a> thfie must lie Mime imiditiiatioii nei-es-aiy to Iiarmmiy of .u-linii in a cro^s, the Ixxly \sill lie -tiiiitwliat im'ie icinul, (-.1 the l/iire llerkshire is alim)>l a> ruiiiitl as a >aasa^e Mieh would lie the ie>wlt acrordiiii; to my theory, which in this case tuiiis out te tlu- o n.uch alxnil iioiscs, cattlt , sheep, and pi'^s, i; may appear -o., what irreK\aiil .md 1 ncourleous to introduce man as the last sptci'iien i i our meii.'.j^erie. < 'ur excuse must he that the most interesting or unporlant p'lt ol a letter is \ery often the post scriptum. Alas for man, if he h i> a ^oul and m rial powers far aliove nil the others, lie is also an animal. "• i le is developed from .in ,)s nle which dilkrs in no re-«pecl from the ovahs of >i!ier anim.ds ; ihc einiiryo itself at a very early period can liaidly ho distinguished from that of o;her memliers of the vertelirate kingdom." ffamin. '•It is (|uite ir; the latter statues of de\ elopmcnt that tlic >oiinL; h iinan hein^ [ireseiits marked dillerciices fiom the voun^ ajic, uhile liie lallir departs as much from the do^ in its development as the man docs. Staillini; :i> diis last assertion may appear to he, it is demonsirahly true.'" /'/d/hsor Ilit.xlty. The endiryo of a man. an a[ie, or a dog, can scarcely he distini^uished in its early stashes. Leaving discussions about the immortal soul and human lace divine to theologians, we uill contine our^ehes to the animal p.irt ot man. We liave alreaily said so much ahout oreans heiiii; communicated in ilistinct series rather than hlendeil that it would l^e useless t.. repeal it. We said that the locomotive system was j;enerally derived fron the sire and the \ ital or nutritive from the dam. .M.my people who have not Ijcen much interested in animals could scarcely he expected to detect it, hut in the human form, so much more familiar, they can easily see it. In man. as in oiiier animals, the sire is in most ca.ses the most preiiolent, f;ivini; the locomotive system, while the mother gives the vital or nutritive. l!ut this rule is occasionally reversed. It may l)e noticed that when a child viewed in front re-emhlcsone parent, \iewed in prohle he resembles the other. This I have often seen noticed hy [.ecjple r lO PiVCi'diii;^ of Horses i)i Canada. wlio kiK'u iKithinL; (if tlif cou.>l-. With the vital .system goes the anterior part of the head, which coiitain> the oliserviii^r faculties on which cleverness (lepemls. A chiM \iewLil in front re-.eiiil)les the parent from whom he takes the vital ;v,--,lcin. With tin- locomotive system i;o the li,ick!u'aarents will he noticed, ami this will in- crease a> the child L;els older. The powers- of will with t!ie locomoti\e .system lieint; in nio.-^t case.- derived froin the faiher, and llie jiowers of oli.servalion with the vital -.yslcm from the n, other, I will say that tlie cb.ild wlio stands the best chances of heini; inleliiLjent is the offspring of a clexer mother and a father who>e powcr.sof will are -ironj^r. D,, ,-),,i j^.t ,|^ confound the force of will with obslinac)-. ( )l)stinate men. parti/ans, are al\\a}> weak and narrow-minded. A child w iio mit^lii liav e inhcriled L;ood oh^-rrvant facuUio from one p;irent stands a |i»or chance of heini; very intelli^t nt ii' the other parent has not a .slronj^f will to imparl, for tlie will i- necessary to stimulate the observant facul- ties. We will fmd tliose ruh> t-xemplified by tracing,' the jiarentat^e of great and prominent men. I;i my travels in I-',nL;!and and the continent I have -.tudied ui'.h i;reat rUtcniion tlie iiorlr.-'ils of i^real men. ]).>st and presciit. who have leU ihi ir mark in sciei\ce or diplomacy, and whenever 1 got a chance the porlr.iils ol iiieir jiarents, and also collected a good deal f)f informalioii from the con\er>a!ion of iiilciligi,nt men who sometimes liad ha of a woman whose inlellectiial faculties Wire .diove the average. I could ^ive a great many instances, but will confine i: •■ I li to ihrce. high enough to be an o])jecl of interest to every reader. < )ur most gr.icioiis maje-ty ,ai.y low standard of intelligence of the lialfd)reed or nuiiaito. >ince we have ..een that the vital or nutritive system carries alop.g witn it the observant faculln- Reasoning by anal >gy, codd we not get, ny judicious cros.-jrig ot Thi.rougii- bred stallions and larger mires, a variety >uch as we know is now iii great deman 1, a carriage horsj kxr^e and stylish, looking for cpialily and symmetry to the .-.ire, and for size an 1 good constitution to the dam .^ .Should the first cross of a Thoroughbred and Clyde be too heavy and not stylish enough, the Thoro.ighbred stallion might be used again, and the .second cross would pro- bably answer oar |)arpo,e and establish a class of stylish, large carri.ige horses. Such was my idea at first, but e.xperionce has dem )n-rci(ii}!!j; of Horses in Canada. n|i|ifaie(l of late years a v'ly i^odd variety called ('levehuid ]!ay which pro- lialily is due to the mating of stallions and mares, both crosses of a Thoroiiyh- lired and a hi^ mare. The Orloff l)reed of trolter> in Russia was the result of a cross very like the one I advocate. Smetanka, a tliorout^hhred Arali, and a Danish mare jjroduced I'olkan. I'olkan, out of a large Danish mare, jiro- (hiccd Fiars, who coml)ined the Mood, muscle, power of endurance, and tem- per of Smetanka, with the size of the Danish mare. 1 fere evidently the prepotency of the Thorouj^hlired, owin!.,^ to his loni; pedit^ree, had giviii the locomotive system, tlu' organs of will and symmetry, and the mare had tjiven tlic si/',' and somewhat nioditietl the action. Prince Orloffs object was not the carriai,'e hoise !)Ut the trotter, and he subsequently introduced a great deal of Thoioughbred blood in this stock and succeeded in establishing a remarkably good bree in America might account for the difference. The Russian trotting- horse i> tht.'refore an offspring of the Aral) and Ijiglish Thoroughbred .stallions, tl'.e biu mares being tiie fertile soil where the good seed was sown. It may not lie out of place here to notice a few other varieties obtained, as far as we can ascertain, from t'le same source, a)id this is not conlined to I'lngland, whiae the Cievehmd Hay, the \'orkshire Coach horse, and the liackney are the most ])rominent, but e.\tends to the continent of iunope, principally France and Cicrmany, who now boast of their splendiil carriage horses, awl also to Anu'rica, where \mdoubtedly the trotter is largeh indel)ted to the importation of lOnglish 'I'lioroughbred.-. I read somewliere that the landing of .Messenger had been worth miliions of dollars to tlu' I'nited Stales. The Cleveland ISays and N'orksliire Coach horses are also breeds produced by cro.sses of Tlioroiighbreds and large mares, but now eslabli.shed and coupled amongst themselves, with an occasional fresh introductiiMi of Thoroughbred blood by the male. They are both very tine breeds, larger than the I'rench, but perhaps not (piile so stylish, which probably is i\\\c to tlie fact that the l'"rencl> are still ofU'u introy Hackney, in my estimation the hest specimen of the ride and '.Irive horse that any man can wish t(.) have. C.KKMAN that they had a very lofty action hut did not throw their O.-et forward, and therefore there was very little progress made. In that they were inferior to the Anglo-Norman, who has a lofty action, but cnnd)ined with speed. In fact, their lofty action was very like the sjiasmodic jerking of a horse attlicted with the peculiar disease called string-halt, but I am toUl l)y compe- tent judges that their action is now greatly improved. The (lermansare intel- ligent, observant, and energetic. They have, I have no doubt, worked assidu- ously to correct the defect I have alluded to, and have succeeded in producing a very good ("onch horse. I have had no opportunities of judging fur my>elf of late, not having crossed the Atlantic for many years; but ns tliey are now being imported into America, I trust I will before long come across some of hem. IKI'.NCII CdAClI IIUKSKS OK NOKMANS, ( AM KD IN 1 KAM 1., AM.I.o- .\ OK. MANS. In l'"rance a very good hreed of horses is now well-established. Many of them have been imported into the I'nited States, where they are very well liked and command high prices. I was tohl by a very competent judge that at the last exhibition in New N'ork, 1890, some remarkably good s|)ecimens camo under his inspection. The t"nst-iiri/e u inner in that class, first prize also in Coach horses of any country, Intrepid, is, he tells me, as tine a moilel of a horse as any one could wish to see. I have heard them described as an en- larged Hackney, and I think a greater compliment could not be paid to them. The fact is they have the synnnetry and style of the Hackney with more size; and as the French have always been very fond of trotting, the liotling action has always been with them in breeding the principal consideration, comliined 14 lh'ccdin<( of Horses in Canada. with size and style, and niusl of those horses arc very good movers. I am glad to see that a company in Montreal, called the llaras N'ational, is now intro- ducing them into Canada. If they will import some of the right sort, it will undoiibtedlv be a success for themselves and an undou'ited benefit to us. 'I'his breed has, I might say, been created by crossing the English Thorough- bred with the large mares of Normandy and IJrittainy; but after one or two crosses the stalbons and mares so produced have been coupled together, and at last a good rmd well-defined breed has l)een established. It has taken a good many generitions to accom])lish it. I remember some thirty or forty years ago the horses who came out of Normandy were greatly inferior to tho>e I have seen of late years. This great improvement in the breed is mainly due to the ( lovernmertt, who maintains in different parts o{ the country what is then' called Ilaras, that is, station or depot, where a certain number of stallions are kept for service, mostly English Thoroughbreds, Arabs, Normans, and I'ercherons. What we call here Normans or I'Vench Coach horse is calleii ill I'rance Anglo-Normans, thus acknowledging that the breed is the result of a cross of English and Norman blood. The choice of the stallion for a mare is generally left ti) llie manager and vet. of the establishment, as well as the number of mares that each stallion is allowed to serve. Some of the best mares in the country are allowed l)y the (iovernment prizes from $40 to $200 aimually when in foal to a Oovernment or licensed stallion. Hesides their own stallions, the Cioverimient allows to stallions kept by private individuals and approved by the directors of tlie llaras an annual subsidy ranging from $20 to $600, t'> prevent their l)eing sold and taken away from the country. There are two classes of stallions only allowed to collect for service of mares. The best is called (approiwis) apjiroved, the other simply authorised. The best colts are invariably bought by the tiovernment at a very liberal price to supply their llaras with stallions. These are wise laws; they keep the best mares and the best horses in the country to breed. I have seen it suggested by sporting and agricultural papers that our (io\crnment ought to estal)lish a similar system of llaras. How far it might be atlvisable for our (k)vernment to become the proprietor of stallions is somewhat doubtful, but some regula- tion?, by which the travelling of runts and unsouml stallions would be prevented and the use of the better class encouraged, by prizes givenannually to the best stallions and brood mares, would certainly be a great benelU to the country. Instead of that we see our best h very similar to tile I'rench. and I lielicve also with great success. 1 Rt'i riN<;-ii(tR>i;s in amkrk a. We have now giseii a lirief .sketch of sc^me lireeds all in(iei)teil to the I'.ng- li>h Tlioroughhreil for the great improvements elTc "ted of late years in their style ami usefulness. IJut there is another also largely indelited to the Tho- roughbred for the immense strides it has made l)oth in -.peed and appearan'.-e, the trottingdiorse, that wonder o{ wonders, the pride of the .\merican, the result of his ingenuity. Ihe light luiggy has always heen more popular than tr.e saddle on this continent; therefore trotting, the natural pace in harness, is the fa\()rite. 15red at first at haphazard, a get liy (•hanc(,', a> it were, he wa-, an ungainly animal, witii drooping (piaiters and uiany oilur ugly points. Thanks to the judicious introduction of a great deal o( Thoroughlired l)lood, he is now a very ditTerent animal. The great jxiints of the Thoroughlired, besides his stylish appearance and iion frame, are his staying powers, due to his courage and determined will. .Ml that he has imparted to the trotting- horse of the present day. Tmlting is not the natural pice of the Tlioroughbred, but every now and then one may be found with good knee action and a dis- position to trot when properly encouraged. This has been ilone by intelligent breeders and now we see the residl, a great increase in speed; and instead of the vulgar trotting-horse of old limes, who happened by chance to trot, we have a splenilid breed, which i> now getting more clearly delined every day, sij that you can ])reed with ahr.ost the certainty of getting a faNt horse. We camiot expect every one to trot in two-ten, any more than we can expect every Thoroughbred to be tit to win a Derby or a .St. Leger ; but a> in l^ngland a great number of Th.iroughbreds which could not win a great race are still splendid animals in the hunting field or in the parks, so in .\merira weiind a lot of magnificent animal> who can trot about as fast as the be>t did in olden tim.s, but not fast enough for the tracktin our day, driven by gentlemen prin- cipally in New N'ork, Chicago, and other places, (ientlemen wIkj can atford the long prices they are sure to command are provul to sit l)ehind them, and justly so. There is no doubt that in .America the trotting-horse is the most profitable to breed when properly umler.-tood. The liest mare to the best horse, keeping always in view the great cond)ination — the holy trinity — size, style, and speed. Radsvay advertised hi> goods with three K.R. R., Radway's Ready Relief. 1 would say to breeders, three .S.S.S., size, style, speed, lireeding even with the best material we may expect to be sometimes disap- i6 livccdiu}^ of Horses in Canada. |H)inte(l, iirincipally in speed, hut a stallion and a mare l)()tli lar^e and stylish will almost to a certainty prDducc a colt large and stylish also, and if speed should by some ine.\i)lical)le chance he missed, the hie; stylish horse will s'.ill fetch a remunerative price, and if he has speed along with it he is almost invaluable. In the breeding of trotters, therefore, perhaps more or at least as much as in the breeding of anything else, I would say, do not grudge a few dollars more for a good stallion ; bear in mind that those few dollars more may rejtresent a few hundred more in the value of the colt. We see that the Thoroughbred is evidently the foundation of all the good varieties in our possession. On the turf, where wc fmd him pure, he has no rival. I'.ven his ancestor, the Aral), cannot compete with him any more in speed. When we trace the origin of tlie hunter, the park horse, the ( oach horse, the Hackney, the trotting-horse, whether in Mngland or France, Oer- many or America, we always lind the 'riioroughbred at the bottom of it. Those countries have now succeeded in creating new breeds, well establi^heil, and who can propagate themselves. In Amtrica, as yet, it has only been done with the trotting-horse, but there is no reason why we should not do it also with the Coach horse an and have the I)ree(l ready cut and dry ; very true, but it would rcfpiire a large outlay of capital. We have an inunense number of brood mares in Canada, and our l)est plan is to turn them to the best account possible. The ipiestion is, how far is it advis- al)le to use the Thoroughbred as a sire ? The Thoroughbred will improve anything. I will say to those who have capital and can afford to wait, by all means l)reed from a Thoroughbreil sire. I'or the turf or for the ride and drive you must have mares [)roperly selected, and for such mares you are likely to have to |iay a long price when you can find them. I'hen your colts mu>t be properly cared for, about four years. I am not including tlie Thoroughbred coll raised for the turf; that one will often fetch a good price at two years olil if not as a yearling. DiM'ing those four years your half-bred colt will reipiire a great deal of handling before you can dispose of him, and unless you get a good price you will find yourself money out of pocket. As for the common farmer who has only been accustomed to handle tlie good-natured, sluggish draught horse, I cannot conscientiously recommend him to breed from the Thoroughl)red. lie has not, generally speaking, the skill to select in the big mares the few who, mated with a Thoroughbred, will produce a good Coach horse. .Such a mare must not he too heavy ; she nnist l)e rangy and staml well in front, with good, sloping shoulders. Behind, she must have a straight back and hocks well let down. She must have a good knee action. From such a Brecdiui^ (if Horses in Canmla. ^7 marc and a j;(>o(l sire, Tlior()Uf;hl)rc(l, with plenty of 1)wik', a good Coach horse may l)e expected. iJul how many do we see with immense wide chest, whicli unfortunately are almost always coupled with low wither^ and strai^;ht shoulders. The heart and lun^s must have room for a good constitution, hut that room shoulil he found in depth as well as in width, else the animal is like a toad dragging its chest and helly on the ground. Such a mare could not cross well with the Thoroughhred : they are too wide apart : and although we look to the sire for shape and symmetry, we must hear in mind that in a cr.izc than any other horse. lie has also more vitality, he li\es longer, he often recovers from fatigue, occasional starvation or illness, where another would sink. I> tiie farmer prepared to treat him better than his other colts ? If not, let me tell iiim that in his hands the blood horse will degenerate: he will be stunted and his good points will ultimately be lost. A common horse will till his jiaunch with coarse grass in summer and straw in winter, and still live and even after a fashion thrive. The Jjlood horse reipiires better jjasture and more concen- trated food. A little oats and bran will go a long way with him in winter. I have said that the Arab knows it is corn who maile his good steed ; he is intel- ligent, 'and as the horse he rides is all in all to him, his subsistence, his very life depending on the swiftness and endurance of the horse he rides, he has stu- died him as no one i Ise has. He will tell you, "Let me see your hor^e walk and I will tell you how he gallops," and in that he is right, for a good walker is always a good horse. It has been generally believed that the Arab attached more importance to the dam than to the sire. This is a popular error easily accounted for. It is cpiiie true that he i)refers keeping a mare, l)Ut for two reasons : A mare who breeds valual)le colts, which does not prevent him from using her the greater part of the time, is to him a fortune. Being a roiiber by profession, he goes out on his predatory excursions mostly by night, when his mare carries him swiftly and silently, whereas a stallion would proclaim his presence by loud ntighings. For these two reasons the Arab of the desert prefers a mare. As for breeding, he goes rather too far when he says of the mare, " What can you get out of a bag but what you put into it ?" .Still we may be sure that for breeding as weH as for riding he likes a good mare, and he lakes her enormous distances to a good stallion, passing by inferior ones whose services might be had with less trouble and expense. Like the .-Vrab, I attach more importance to the sire, expecting from him bone, muscle, and symmetry. The mare I like young, sound, and of a good constitution, as I look to her for the vital system. As for color, I think I can say it is oftener derived from the sire, but there are queer stories about its being often governed by impressions made on the eyes and mind of the dam at the time of impreg- nation, and with some animals it is rather uncertain. It is sometimes said that a good horse cannot be of a bad color, and this is a matter of some importance to breeders. We all know that buyers are very particular about it, preferring dark W i Brccdiui^ ( overworking their stock when too young, thus breaking down the young ones before they have developed into horses." Note this, young farmers. Many of you I 'lavc seen driving your colts l)arely two years old, not merely for breaking them ir and exercise, but pretty much as if they were old livery hacks. " 9. A malformation in the Canadian horses which might advantageously be brought to the notice of the Canadian breeder is, that their fpiarters are short and very drooping, a serious defect in a military horse. Indeed, we had to reject as unsuitable a considerable jiroportion on that account. It has resulted from the too excessive use of the American trotter for stud purposes, this defect being very ap])arenl in that horse. This is an additional reason for the more continuous introduction of the Mnglish Thoroughl^red, or such horses which are very straight in their !)acks and (juarters, with tails set on high.'" The importation into I'.ngland alone is over 1 7.00x3 annually, all from foreign sources, .so that this trade is worthy of consideration. Of those 17,000 horses I am sure Canad.a could supply the greater part if farmers would only breetl the right kind. There is very little more to be said about breeding. The draught horse is undoubtedly the one a farmer can breed with the best chances of profit, if he will only bear in mind that as the bull is said to be half the herd, so is the sire for all other animals. There can be no worse economy than grudging a few dollars or a little more trouble to procure the services of a good stallion, or the purchase of a bull, a ram, or a boar. The i)est is always the cheapest. As for the dam, if she is roomy, young, of good vital powers, or, in plain Knglish, a good constitution and tolerably good shape, mated with a good sire, the result may be expected to be satisfactory. As for l>reeding from old, unsound, or prematurely worn-out mares, I would say, if you have no other you had better not breed at all. What it will cost you to raise a poor colt will b\iy a much better one, and this, I believe, is the most valuable piece of advice I can give in taking leave of you.