1070 New York State Bkeedeks' Association 



A few thoughts iu connection with this matter of breeding. 

 After jou have selected your mare and your sire, your success as 

 breeders will largely depend on how that mare is cared for and 

 how the little foal is cared for. Throughout your state there 

 ought to be a systematic line of education along this line. It is 

 not at all the same law that applies to the breeding of dairy 

 animals that applies to the breeding of draft horses on your farm, 

 or horses of any description. ISTow one thing is pre-eminently 

 true, that we must, if we are going to raise a good strong foal 

 from this mare, give her exercise during the winter. This is 

 absolutely necessary. I would not say for a moment that this 

 mare could be worked without injury; but if you are going 

 to get every bit out of her every day, do not work her. She 

 must be fed properly but not overfed. I find that when a man 

 gets better stock on his farm it gets noised around in his neigh- 

 borhood, and he will, as a rule, overfeed that particular animal. 

 This is true of every line of live stock on the farm. A brood 

 mare should not be fat; do not feed her on fattening food. She 

 must be fed a good strong ration, but one not having an inclina- 

 tion to fatten her, and must have absolutely regular exercise. 



At foaling time. One-half or more than one-half of all the 

 colts that are lost throughout the ISTorthwest are lost through one 

 trouble alone, and that is what we call nave] infection. Let us 

 see how we can prevent this; because if we have paid a good 

 price for her, and a good service fee, we cannot afford to lose this 

 little colt. As a rule the farmer does not understand it. One- 

 half of the Northwest farmers will tell you that they did not lose 

 a colt through that line. The trouble comes through misunder- 

 standing. The colt perhaps will be dropped all right, and then 

 perhaps we will find that one of the joints is enlarged; in a day 

 or two perhaps another knee is off, and then we begin to accuse the 

 brood mare, when the brood mare is not the trouble at all. But 

 what is the troul)]c ? It is simply blood poisoning — navel infection. 

 How can we avoid it? First of all, the ideal place for this little 

 colt to be born is God's outdoors, out in the green pasture, and 

 then you will probably have no trouble whatever. Many 

 colts, of necessity, have to be bom indoors. Then what shall we 

 do ? First of all, let us see that the stall is thoroughly clean, and 



