EXCEPTIONAL FECUNDITY AND LONGEVITY 
Henry M. Jones, Lexington, Ky. 
HE picture herewith presented 
and the history of the subject 
should be of special interest to 
breeders of horses. It is an 
impressive lesson to young breeders that 
before selecting breeding stock a thor- 
ough historical knowledge of the family 
is imperative; that no animal can found 
a great family that does not live a long 
life and produce many young; that 
fecundity and longevity are racial 
characters, therefore inheritable, though 
in varying degree. 
The subject of this sketch is the 
chestnut mare Mantua Maker by Red 
Wilkes 1749, dam Milliner by Harold 
413, foaled May 22, 1891, and now 
25 years of age. The foal is a bay filly 
foaled July 22, 1916, by General Watts 
(3) 2:06%4 and is the twentieth foal of 
her dam, each of which has come by 
single birth. The complete list follows: 
June 3, 1895, ch f Junie Fleetwood by 
Simmons. 
June 4, 1896, ch c Wanamaker by Simmons. 
June 2, 1897, b c The Major 2:1334 by Dr. 
Hooker, 
June 10, 1898, b f Ruth Paddock by Dr’ 
Hooker. 
Not bred in 1898. 
April 22, 1900, b c Richmond by Dr. Hooker. 
April 11, 1901, b f Summer Morn by Electric 
Bell. 
March 27, 1902, b c Wiltondale 2:20144 by 
Adbell. 
April 19, 1903, ch f Kentucky Girl by 
Constantine. 
April 26, 1904, b f Priscilla Bond 2:24144 by 
The Bondsman. 
1905 missed to Prodigal. 
March 25, 1906, b c De Soto 2:2714 by The 
Bondsman. 
March 22, 1907, b f Merrie Todd 2:23144 by 
Todd. 
April 27, 1908, b c El Vivillo 2:14144 by 
Libretto. 
March 31, 1909, ch f Rosanante 2:2214 by 
Libretto. 
March 26, 1910, ch c Don Jaime 2:20144 by 
Libretto. 
March 26, 1911, ch f Ruth Coleman 2:17144 by 
San Francisco. 
April 11, 1912, ch f Modiste by General 
Watts. 
562 
April 4, 1913, ch f Clara Coleman 2:2444 by 
San Francisco. 
April 29, 1914, ch f Mistle Thrush 2:1914 by 
Axworthy. 
June 4, 1915, b f Mary Frances Gay by 
General Watts. 
July 22, 1916, b: 4 th. cee by 
General Watts. 
There is so much of interest in a 
thorough study of this mare’s history 
and record that minute detail does not 
become tiresome: 
1. An exceptionally high fecundity. 
2. Correlation of fecundity and lon- 
gevity. 
3. Inheritance of both characters. 
4. Correlation of cestrus and fecun- 
dity. 
5. Effect of environment upon fecun- 
dity. 
Available records do not show another 
trotting bred mare that has produced 
twenty foals. She was bred first when 
3 years old and produced four consecu- 
tive foals, each of which came in the 
month of June. In 1898 she was not 
bred, it being desirable to have the 
foals come earlier. She then produced 
five consecutive foals and in 1905 
missed to the cover of Prodigal. These 
foals came each year in the months of 
March and April. Since this she has 
produced eleven consecutive foals, each 
of which came in the months of March 
and April except the last two, one of 
which came in June, the other in July, 
the result of having broken service in 
each of the last two years, at that most 
critical of all periods, the seventh and 
eighth week. Prior to this she had 
never broken service since foaling. She 
has been again bred and as her physical 
condition is most excellent there is 
every reason to hope that she will 
produce other foals. The writer defines 
high fecundity as the ability to carry a 
large number of foetuses to successful 
parturition and rear the foal to six 
months of age. This would seem the 
highest standard by which to judge. 
