AGRICULTUKE A:ND THE HORSE. 870 



ion ; and the character of her offspring be so different 

 from her own or that of its sire, that she is ashamed of 

 it (or ought to be), and her owner despises it. Every 

 man knows that some families of horses are easily 

 broken to harness, in fact have a natural gift in that 

 direction, and take kindly to the strap and the shaft ; 

 and that other families are rebellious and violent, and 

 almost untamable. That this quality is inherited, there 

 can be no doubt ; and, if you do doubt it, take the Eng- 

 lish thorough-bred, with his inheritance of stormy pas- 

 sions and impetuosity on the turf, and his days of idle- 

 ness in which his vices grow apace, and compare him, 

 on all points of submission, docility, and usefulness, 

 with the American horse of all work, the heir of every 

 accomplishment which can make a horse useful at the 

 plough or the cart, or on the track or road. Now, 

 these qualities may easily be transmitted, and they may 

 easily be destroyed. A rough master may upset all 

 the virtues of generations, and unexpectedly find him- 

 self the owner of a colt inspired with all the wildness 

 and savagery of its remote ancestors. It is a good deal 

 to ask, I know ; but, if a man means to raise up a good- 

 tempered and civilized family of horses, he must be 

 good-tempered and civilized himself. 



And then the unexpected physical variations : who 

 can account for them? You can generally be pretty 

 sure of breeding a pig which will weigh a given num- 

 ber of pounds at a given age. You can generally breed 

 a short-horned cow with certain specified lines, a de- 



