652 ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



fact that they have some form of uusounduess, included in the list 

 named, they are getting a better class of colts than many of the horses 

 that are absolutely sound and pass all the requirements of the law. 



The reason 1 asked Mr. Powell this last question is that I think 

 this is a matter for the mare owner. I believe that the mares should 

 have all needed protection, but I still think one of the important things 

 is to discourage breeding, and there is a great deal to do in that 

 line. Nondescript stallions are represented as pure, and unsound 

 ones are represented as sound, and the first thing we have to do is 

 to educate the public up to a knowledge of type and conformation 

 and the importance of pure blood, and to get them away from the 

 old mongrel. 



Now, I believe that in order to accomplish something along that 

 line, we have to do more than disqualify the horse for unsoundness. 

 The certificate clearly states that the horse is pure bred or grade, and 

 if the recommendation of the committee is carried out it will state 

 in what particular form he is unsound, and leave to the option of the 

 mare owner whether to breed to him, or not. But it seems absolutely 

 necessary to disqualify some horses, and for that reason I would 

 not accept the report of the Committee as it was first made. It is 

 absolutely necessary to disqualify some horses to overcome the harm 

 they might do. Even then, I believe, it is better to merely state his 

 unsoundness than to disqualif}' him altogether. It is so hard to decide 

 positively this question of unsoundness in sires, and so long as the 

 least uncertainty exists, I don't believe I would disqualify such a 

 horse altogether. So long as we cannot specify any definite unsound- 

 ness, I think you will agree with nie that it is not to the best interests 

 of all concerned to absolutely disqualify them, and I think we will 

 find better horses in Pennsyvania ten years hence if we do not dis- 

 qualify them than if we do. I am not advocating the unsound horse, 

 but I know the class of horses that are being bred in this State, and 

 I think if these horses are passed over into Ohio or Indiana because 

 we disqualify them in Pennsylvania, that Pennsylvania will be the 

 loser. 



MR. BAYARD : They have a lot of them over there now that should 

 be in Pennsylvania. 



DR. GAY : That is one of the things for which I have it in for them. 



Lancaster Comet, the chief of the whole Shorthorn breed was so 

 faulty that he was rejected, and when a horse gets into such a class 

 out of the miscellaneous class, he is too good to be rejected because 

 he does not come under the law. 



You have, perhaps, been reading about the Stallion law in New 

 Jersey. Now, I happen to know that the conditions over there are 

 different. In New Jersey they have very little desirable blood. In 

 Pennsylvania we have just as good blood as you will find in any state. 

 I will pick out two counties in this State, and anybody who knows 

 anything about any county in any state in the Union, will agree with 

 me that they breed just as good coach horses in these counties as they 

 do in any state in the Union, and we have the same class of horses 

 in other breeds throughout the State, and unless the men who breed 

 these horses are protected by law, they are certainly not going to do 

 it. You will find the stallions here to produce good blood, and we have 

 reached the point where it is necessary to educate the mare owner 



