22 



BREEDING OF 



While I have used the above strong protest against 

 breeding from diseased animals, it is not considered 

 that the progeny of diseased animals will all be affect- 

 ed; in fact a great many will probably escape, and this 

 will depend to a great extent on the degree of prepoten- 

 cy that may be present in the diseased parent. 



Lehndorff, a great authority on breeding racehorses, 

 says : " The principal requisite in breeding a racehorse is 

 soundness ; again soundness, and nothing but sound- 

 ness." 



TEMPER. I cannot refrain from uttering a warning 

 against the too frequent practice of sending bad tem- 

 pered mares that are uncontrollable in ordinary occu- 

 pations to the stock farm for breeding purposes with 

 the remark that " she is not useful for work, but she 

 will probably drop a good colt. There is nothing more 

 certain than the fact that the temperament of the par- 

 ent is very frequently reproduced in the offspring 

 and every breeder knows what a useless article a colt 

 with a yicious and uncontr > able temper will prove to 

 be; in fact, he will be more profitable dead than alive, 

 and will certainly be less dangerous to the lives of at- 

 tendants that might be brought into contact with him. 

 A good temper is one of the most valuable traits in the 

 constitution of a breeding parent. This should be made 

 a cast-iron rule with breeders of all animals. 



