231 



SECTION XIX. 



CROSSING. 



CROSSING, or intermixing the blood of different racing breeds, 

 has ever prevailed upon the tiirf; Init from what has been said, it will 

 be understood, that such crosses must still be ever within the pale 

 of the southern, or racing species; and not, as it has often been sup- 

 posed, that racers have been produced by crossing the southern with 

 our own indigenous breed. Crossing is a rational practice, Avhen 

 adopted with the view of an interchange of requisite qualifications, ex- 

 ternal or internal. Such as the union of speed and stoutness, slender- 

 ness and substance, short and long, shapes. Independently of these 

 considerations, which, indeed, I believe, have seldom weighed much in 

 practice, some benefit may be derived from the usual crosses, since dif- 

 ferent breeds are likely to differ in qualities. Thus our jockies have al- 

 ways deemed the elder blood a proper cross for that of the Godolphin 

 Arabian ; and it must doubtless be a good cross, to intermix the Arab, 

 and Barb, or those varieties which reciprocally partake most of both ; 

 nevertheless, an adherence to the practice cannot be held indispensably 

 necessary, on any sound theory : nor need any disadvantage be appre- 

 hended from coupling Morses and Mares of the same breed or family, 

 even the nearest relatives, upon the principles above and hereafter laid 

 down. I have often heard of, and indeed seen, miserably leggy and 

 spindled stock, resulting from such a course, but other very visible causes 

 existed for the result. According to the adage, " Like produces like," 

 Ave ought to follow form and qualification ; and if a brother and sister, 

 or a lather and daughter, excel in those respects, all others within our 

 reach, we may enjoin them with good expectations, lor ought I know, 

 to the end of the chapter; and the |)rejudicc(l fearof adopting this prac- 

 tice, has often led our breeders into the error of adopting an inferior 

 form, from the presumed necessity of a cro&s. Nature, in her course, 



will . 



