DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 13 



provement in the progeny will frequently happen, but 

 by suitable pairing the improvement can generally be 

 reproduced. If we can lay down a rule to guide us in 

 accomplishing this very desirable object, a great ad- 

 rance will be made in scientific breeding. This we 

 shall now attempt. 



It has been found that in some families of animals a 

 tendency to reproduce their Jike is much greater than in 

 others. I will only mention one which will be familiar 

 to breeders all over the country, namely, "Rysdyk's 

 Hambletonian." It used to be a very common observa- 

 tion: " How much like the old horse he or she is," even 

 to grandsons and grand-daughters of this horse, in 

 form and style as well as in action. This horse had a 

 great individual tendency to reproduce this improved 

 form, style and speed, even when mated with very in- 

 ferior mares. This tendency in one parent to overcome 

 what is lacking in the other is called "prepotency." 

 We say therefore that in Hambletonian his prepo- 

 tency to produce his desirable qualities was very 

 great. It may also be said that the prepotency 

 of Electioneer was also very great, in fact, so great was 

 it that it seemed to make no difference scarcely what 

 kind of mare he was mated to, a fast colt was sure to be 

 the result. Even to thoroughbreds his influence was 

 so much greater that fast trotters were almost invari- 

 ably the result of the pairing, a result of such a mixed 

 union being the celebrated Palo Alto 2.08f Electioneer 

 himself, being a son of Eysdyk's Hambletonian, thus 

 inheriting a very strong tendency to reproduce fast and 

 well formed trotters, as we have seen. How are we to 

 tell with reasonable certainty, whether an animal is en- 

 dowed with unusual prepotency or not ? If it were pos- 



