THE BREEDING AND REARING OF COLTS. 



I8D 



IX. Transmission of Qualities. 

 In breeding, there are two points to be taken into consideration, in 

 relation to the transmission of the qualities of the sire and dam. As a 

 rule the sire of pure blood, coupled with a "cold-blooded" mare, by 

 which we mean a mare of mixed blood, will get a foal more strongly 

 resembling himself than the mare. Some sires have this power of im- 

 pressing their characteristics upon the progeny in a remarkable degree. 

 A fact that is still more striking is that some females have the faculty of 

 bringing young remarkably like the sire. This is a species of atavism. 

 If a mare possesses this peculiarity, she is invaluable, and if of pure 

 blood should never be served by any but the best sires. If of cold blood 

 then she should be served by a sire of like peculiarity as to the transmis- 

 sion of blood, and possessing the qualities which are wanted in the foal. 

 Again, the oftencr a female is served by the same sire, the stronger will 

 be the likeness of the i)rogeny to the sire, as a rule ; and the oftcner the 

 sire is changed, the greater will be the danger of variation in the progeny. 

 Hence, the absolute importance of breeding in such manner that the blood 

 sought will l)e more and more impressed with the characteristics required ; 

 and, hence, again, the imperative necessity that the first time a female, 

 especially one of pure lineage, is allowed to breed, it be not only to 

 an animal of known purity of blood, l)ut to one bred in the same line, 

 that is, having the same qualities as herself; for, not only is the dam 

 impressed with the blood of every sire with which she has had contact, 

 but the first impress is stronger than any succeeding one. It is not nec- 

 essary here to go into a demonstration of these facts. They are so well 

 established that they may be taken for granted. 



X. The Impress of Color and Form. 



Breeding to color is also an important point to l)e considered. Never 

 use a parti-colored stallion, but always use one of self-color. Ba3^s and 

 chestnuts with darker manes and tails are the best colors, as a rule. These 

 colors may be broken with white at the fetlocks, and by a star in the 

 forehead; but too much white should l)e avoided, while "calico mark- 

 ings" are the least desirable of all. Certain breeds have characteristic 

 colors, as the gray in the Percheron, bays and browns in the Clydesdales, 

 and black in the English carthorse. Adhere to definite colors, whatever 

 they may be ; if others incline to crop out, especially marked ones, be 

 sure they arc due to atavism, from some near or remote cross. 



With regard to form, the rule more generally acknowledged to be cor- 

 rect, and the one borne out by many facts, is, that the sire impresses 

 outward form and color to a great degree, and the mare the inner and 

 physical form to a corresponding degree. If the sire be of the purest 



