10 BREEDING OF 



almost fabulous amounts that are yearly spent by some 

 of our wealthy men in efforts to become successful 

 breeders of one or more species of domestic animate. 

 On close scrutiny it will be found that there are certain 

 well denned principles which it is necessary for all 

 breeders to adopt if they wish to be permanently suc- 

 cessful, especially in a pecuniary sense. And perhaps it 

 may not be out of place here to sound a word or two of 

 warning against what seems to be a tendency to the 

 production of a degenerate race, so far as horses are 

 concerned. 



I presume it will be admitted that the aim of select 

 breeding in the domestic animals should be to obtain 

 an animal that is most suitable for the accomplishment 

 of the labor that is required to be performed by that 

 species. Of course it is too much to ask breeders to 

 forego a prospective present profit for the good of the 

 future generation of horses, for there are very few men 

 with public spirit enough to refuse to breed horses 

 that can run a fast half mile, and for which they can 

 obtain an exceedingly profitable price, notwithstanding 

 that in most cases at the present time those same 

 horses are entirely useless for any other purpose, not 

 even making good hacks or hunters, and certainly 

 useless on a farm. And the numerous small race tracks 

 in the neighborhood of large cities where short races 

 are being run all the year round seem to increase the 

 evil to a tremendous extent, and will probably lead to 

 the development of immense speed for short distances, 

 to the detriment of the general advancement of all 

 breeds of horses that would naturally take place were 

 speed and stamina combined to be the qualities necessary 

 to profitable ownership. After all, it is perhaps easy to 



