142 A YEAR IN AGRICULTURE 



ket. a class should be decided upon that is having a brisk 

 demand in the sale ring, and a brood mare should be selected 

 of that type and conformation. This will gradually eliminate 

 for breeding purposes all those specimens described by the 

 horseman as unsound, " stork" legged, "wasp" waisted, 

 1 1 washy ' ' coupled, and of faulty action. Those chosen should 

 not only be sound and of the desired conformation, according 

 to breed and type, but should show their sex characteristics 

 in head and neck, having expressiopi mild, forequarters fine 

 but well formed, chest deep, barrel roomy, and hips wide 

 apart, indicating ability to exercise the maternal functions. 



By mating these "hand-picked," sound, suitable grade 

 mares with sound, muscular, pure-bred, registered stallions, 

 the result cannot help but be promising. Continue to use the 

 best obtainable pure-bred stallions of the same breed on the 

 mares, and thus profit by the accumulation of the blood of 

 the desired breed in the grading-up process. To mate a 

 draft mare of the farm chunk type to a high strung, standard- 

 bred, 2:10 trotter with plenty of stamina or "class" may 

 result in a fairly good foal from the cross, but one which 

 does not fall under any of the established market classes 

 and which, would have to sell at a sacrifice. Not only will 

 that particular cross be unprofitable, but further progress 

 in grading-up will be stopped because the preponderance of 

 blood of the recognized breed has been lost. If, on the other 

 hand, a grade mare is bred to a stallion of the same breed 

 used in her grading-up, her filly foal will be one step nearer 

 pure blood than her dam ? and, if the process is continued, 

 further progress in establishing purity of blood and the other 



