CHAPTER IV. 



THE SIRE. 



There are certain general views touching the influ- 

 ence of the sire on his stock, which every one who 

 is intending to breed should be aware of. There are 

 certain cautions which it behooves every writer, who 

 attempts to give people instruction in the business of 

 breeding, to give frankly to his readers. I propose, 

 therefore, in this division of the work, to enter into a full 

 discussion of the matter, and give my ideas at length 

 concerning the influence of the sire on his stock. In- 

 deed, as I have already sketched the outlines of a per- 

 fect horse, and described the different points and char- 

 acteristics which must distinguish such an animal, I 

 now propose to sketch a perfect stock-horse, and there- 

 by supply my readers with a standard in breeding, as I 

 have already done in purchasing. In short, having 

 described a perfect horse, I will now describe the way 

 in which he can be propagated. 



The first, and to my mind the most essential fact to be 

 borne in mind by a breeder is, that the propagating 



