782 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



ting horse breeder: Palo Alto and Chimes, the first-named with a 

 trotting record of -.1-1, and Chimes, that never could take a record 

 of 15.30, unless he was capable of it in his two-year-old form, Palo 

 Alto was a failure as a sire of speed. Chimes ranks great among 

 great sires and is the greatest of his sire's get. I'alo Alto's dam, 

 Dame Winnie, was by Planet, a Thoroughbred. She could not trot, 

 had no trotting inheritance and could not impart the trotting gait 

 or trotting instinct. This she left to Electioneer. She may have 

 given I'alo Alto lung capacity, texture of bone, courage to speed 

 fast. Chimes' dam, Beautiful Bells, was by The Moor, a Clay, second 

 dam by Bald Chief, a Mambrino 3d, dam by Strader's Cassius M. 

 Clay, Jr. 4th, dam by Abdallah, sire of Hambletonian, trotting-bred 

 for generations. 



In a prospective sire we want individuality and breeding in the 

 two currents that compose his blood line — great sire and great dam. 

 Don Dudley transmitted his own type to both rams and ewes; Bex 

 and Kaiser that of their dams. Hubbards' Leader had objection- 

 able characteristics that were not found in his sire, Jason — his dam 

 had them. This ram got more spotted noses and black feet than 

 any other ram I ever saw. The dam of Burwell's Hercules, son of 

 Bismarck, had a straight, wiry fibre. This ram did much to destroy 

 the beautiful highly-crimped and lustrous fleece imparted by Bis- 

 marck. 1 would not buy a ram without personal inspection and a 

 thorough knowledge of sire and first and second dams, and as many 

 more as could be reached. 



Is in-and-in breeding a correct practice to follow? We answer 

 yes and no. Safe with wise selection and a mighty lever for im- 

 provement carried down to the danger line, and a powerful engine 

 for destruction carried beyond that point. Many are the one-time 

 noted breeders who have plunged headlong into that pitfall. They 

 became giddy over success and were too proud and narrow to recog- 

 nize merit in other strains. They harped upon concentrated blood 

 for potency, forgetting that type was the measure of individuality 

 and that type depended upon type breeding. With how close re- 

 lationship is matting admissible? Never with sire and daughter, 

 mother and son, or full brother and sister. If conditions seemed to 

 demand it I would mate half brother and sister where 'the dams of 

 each were of remote blood, and the progeny of half brother by the 

 same sire whose dams were remote from each other. This is con- 

 spicuous in this respect. To my mind the greatest danger that lies 

 before American Merino breeders is the kindred blood of all our 

 flocks. 



Are so-called violent crosses dangerous and unscientific? No. 

 What are violent crosses? The matting of a fine-fleeced ewe with 

 a strong-stapled ram, a small ewe with a large ram, a plain light- 

 fleeced ewe with a wrinkly, dense, heavy-fleeced ram. Go beyond 

 your ideal in a ram in the object sought for the first cross and to 

 your ideal for subsequent crosses, and stay there. This is the cross- 

 lot route to the goal. 



Is uniformity in a flock the test of a breeder's skill and a measure 

 of the value of his blood line? No, uniformity is but another name 

 for mediocrity. The blood that improves a breed comes from the 

 flock of the breeder whose motto is good, better, best. Never use 

 a ram more than two seasons on the same ewes if it can be avoided. 



