720 



FARMERS' RE G I S T E R. 



[No. 12 



The plough and carl horse is a mere ulililarian, 

 and pioDiihing and cartinjj;, however Hie poets may 

 have embellished tiiem in i^onsi, are known by 

 the f'Vorkies to be plam fact matters, and etteclu- 

 aliy achieved by the due and continued application 

 of bone and sinew. There evidently is no- fancy 

 in the afi'air to the ninn who liolds the handles and 

 iruides the team. Tliere is however, ample room 

 for the exercise of much practical good sense in 

 pointing out the best method of breeding, raising, 

 breakin^r, and working (iirming horses to the best 

 advantalre. The profits of agricultural operations 

 o-enerally are moderate, and managed as they are 

 in many instances, loss is incurred. Most breeders 

 of animals, it is apprehended, receive but a very 

 inadequate compensation for iheir tm>e and atten- 

 tion and money expended. It ought not to be, 

 and that it is, does not result necessarily, but from 

 the want of |)roper care and judgment in breed- 

 in^ and raising. They follow what has been not 

 inaptly called tlie hap-hazard mode, by putting any 

 sort oi'a female to any sort of a male, vviliiout re- 

 gard to qualities, and in raising they are so stinted 

 and starved, as to warp and destroy whatever little 

 of good ibrm and constitution they may have acci- 

 dently broujiht into the world with them. These 

 seem to act without object, except, that they know^ 

 a horse is a horse, and a sleer a steer, and that if 

 the colt was got lor a barrel of corn, and the calf 

 gratis, that they have saved their money. 



The business of breeding animals, in inodern 

 limes, is said to be science. It has not been how- 

 ever, and probably never will be reduced to exact- 

 ness. " Dame Nature" in her operations delights 

 to display endless varieties. But certain rules 

 have been laid down, by the observance of which 

 we may reasonably expect to approximate certain- 

 ly. " Like begets like" is tlic leading rule. It not 

 only lias its exceptions, but it must be understood 

 with limitation. Select a horse and f^ mare, such 

 as you Avant, or as near as you can find, the pro- 

 duce of their conjunction may resemble the sire, or 

 the dam, or neither ; but it may have an intermedi- 

 ate form, or may take after some remote ancestor; 

 and if the remote ancestors were indifferent, or 

 positively bad, the chances will be atjainst the rule, 

 in proportion to the number of worthy proirenitors. 

 It should be enjoined on beginners, "therelbre, 1st, 

 to select good animals to start upon, where no 

 better evidence can be had ; 2ndly, but where 

 it can, to select them from good Itmiilies. In 

 England, where more attention has been paid to 

 {he breeding and rearing the blood horse, than in 

 other countries, they have arrived at extraordinary 

 size, and power and endurance ; and it has lieen 

 done by combining the Arab, Barb and Turk, and 

 developinir the bone and mtiscle of the new race 

 by generous feed and judicious exercise. There 

 no one thinks ofbreeding^a racer from a mare who 

 has not at least five pure crosses. And many of 

 their most distinguished mares can number double 

 the amount, landing on a royal, or other Arabian 

 or Barb mare. There is something in the blood, 

 that o-ives family distinction, though the blood 

 may not tell in particular individuals, either from 

 mismanagement' or accident, or from some defect 

 in constitution or Ibrm. A third rule requires that 

 ihey be crossed; in other words, that we avoid j 

 the coupling together near relatives. The morel 

 remote ihelamilies, probably the better; ftut after j 

 prohibiting the intercourse of sire and daughter, | 



brother and sister, beyond these we may probably 

 be permitted to use our judgment in selecting the 

 requisite forms. Soirie of the double Januses 

 were very well proportioned, but they were very 

 small. Tlie double Archys evidently show a fall- 

 ing off. But Wagner by Sir Cliarles out of a 

 Marion is thougfit to be among the good ones. 

 And we need not look for a l)eiter than Highflyer, 

 liis (hi in by Blank, got by Regulus, both sons of 

 tlie Godolphin Arabian. 



There are some subordinate rules, that in the 

 ihcrougli-bred studs, should be well considered. 

 1. Ceriiiin families cross better than others, all 

 being good. 2d. Certain individuals cross better 

 than other individuals. 3rd. And certain indivi- 

 duals breed better than other individuals. Herod 

 and Eclipse were extraordinar}' racers and stallions, 

 and v\'ere of good ftmiilies, and they crossed well 

 upon other good families. But the union of 

 their bloods was rather transcending, and were we 

 to select from the best of Eclipse's sons, we should 

 take these — Benningbrough, Waxy and Gohauna, 

 all out of Herod mare-5 and Hamiltonion, out 

 of HigliHyer, a son of Herod. Sir Archy and 

 Eclipse of Long Inland are botli good stallions, and 

 tlieir blood is thought to cross well ; but the blood 

 of Eclipse and Rattler, son of the Sir Archy, 

 " nicks." These last rules are to be learned by 

 practice only. Who can assign the reason why 

 Rattler's immediate descendants have not shown 

 his worth ? In them it is measurably dornriant, but 

 it is shining with resplendant lustre in Mingo 

 and Job, of the second generation. And of Job 

 it was hardly to have been expected, as he com- 

 bines an unusual proportion of Diomed and Sir 

 Archy blood, being bred very much "in and in." 



The thorough-bred horse, standing evidently 

 and acknowledgedly in the first rank, the rule for 

 breeding and raising him being " considered and 

 freely understood," a variety suited to a particular 

 purpose is to be produced by considering the pro- 

 perties wanted, and the families and individuals 

 ii'om which such properties are most likely to be 

 inherited. Were the thorougii breeds equally 

 numerous, and bred and raised at the same or 

 nearly the same cost, I would say without hesita- 

 tion, and so would every one who understands 

 hisinterest,put thethoroughbredsto work. Eclipse, 

 or Rattler, or Tranby, or Mingo, or Job, if put to it 

 in their prime, would have done more work than 

 any inferior bred horses of their size. In June or 

 July, blood will tell as promptly in the corn field 

 as on the race course. My best breeds always then 

 take lead. But the above, and such as the above, 

 are not accessible to farmers generally. The 

 price forbids. What then is to be done? In this 

 glorious land of liberty, every one, who has the 

 means, does as lie pleases, and I only wish, I can 

 scarcely hope, that some individuals or companies 

 or agricultural socie'ies would import a bay Turk, 

 a biiy Barb and a Cleveland bay, and bay dray 

 or draught liorse. The Cleveland bays are said, 

 to be almost uniformly of bqy color and universally 

 gentle in harness. I Iiave seen a few matchea 

 li'om the north, apparently half breeds, excellent 

 in liarness, of the desired size and sliape. 



Draught horses, perliaps equal to any, might be 

 had in Virginia or Pennsylvania. The slock 

 should all be selected by a competent judge of 

 horse flesh, and the two coarser kinds ehouui be 

 chosen not only with a view to their own stoutness.. 



