126 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



sums up the entire law by saying- that the thinking organs are in 

 equal and distinct portions derived from both parents ; while the 

 dam gives the whole of the nutritive, and the sire the whole of 

 the locomotive organs. Now, while I believe this for the most 

 part true, yet experience proves many individual cases exactly 

 opposite from the writer's theory, and I am prepared with living 

 witness of the fallacy of this conclusion as a rule. 



I now have one mare who has five colts, the first four with her 

 exact shape of leg, and motion, and subject to the same difficulties 

 which the dam had, — curb and infiltration of the hock joint, — 

 the fifth was formed like the sire in the leg, and had the sire's 

 motion. This mare was by American Star, and higher bred than 

 the 'stallion stinted to her, and of tremendous nervous power. 

 She determined her get, until, by a happy condition of the same 

 stallion, he altered the produce. This change was looked for and 

 prophesied by my superintendent. 



While speaking of mental influences, I wish to cite an example 

 which I believe illustrates that point. A black mare whose sire 

 and dam were black, was coupled with the black horse Black 

 Ilawk Telegraph whose sire and dam were black. And this was 

 her first produce — it was chestnut, with white face, wall eyes, and 

 four white legs. I was disappointed in the result, and was led to 

 conclude that a colt of Trotting Childers which had those marks 

 must have been stinted to this black mare, but my superintendent 

 convinced me by reference to the books that this Childers' colt 

 was castrated some weeks previous to this mare's coming to my 

 place, but that while in heat she was in an adjoining yard, and in 

 communication over the fence with this odd marked colt, and that 

 while under this influence she was taken to the black horse, which, 

 not having much service at the time, came out noisily and 

 abruptly, terrifying the mare very much. If breeding is subject 

 to such influences, how many are there who endeavor to counter- 

 act or contrt)! them ? 



The subject of in and in breeding ought to occupy more 

 attention among the breeders of horses than it does. Because the 

 efl'ect is bad if kept up too long or injudiciously, is no reason that 

 the effect is not excellent to a certain extent, especially in fixing a 

 type. 



There can be no doubt that Nature fixes about two generations 

 as the limit that may be profitable. 



The wild horse of the plains selects his own daughters until his 



