2C6 CLOSE RELATIONS. 



breed foals that are the exact image of the father, and do not 

 seem to influence them at all themselves, but a horse that 

 conveys none of its own qualities to his offspring can never be a 

 very satisfactory parent. 



G45. — There are some few horses that transmit their good 

 qualities with great certainty to their offspring, and also confer 

 on many of their decendants, the same overwhelming power of 

 transmission. It is easy to understand that such a power is 

 more likely to be possessed Ijy a horse that has descended, for 

 many generations, through ancestors of exactly the same character 

 as himself, but it is also found to be most potent in animals that 

 have been long bred through exactly the same strain of blood. But 

 with every advantage of breeding some horses do not possess 

 this power, and you can only be sure that they do, by actually 

 seeing it in their progeny. 



G46. — Thus we see that there can be nothing certain about 

 the production of a first-class animal unless we know that both 

 parents are good, their ancestors good, and their reared 

 progeny good. When we know all this there will not be much 

 risk about it. 



647. — Breeding in and in, or from animals closelv related to 



CD ' %, 



each other, is full of danger, and is bad as a rule. It has a 

 tendency to lessen size, hardiness and vigour, and to fix and 

 exaggerate defects and diseases. In the cart horse, where you 

 must have size, hardiness, and a thrifty constitution, and only 

 require a moderate degree of fibrous and nervous capacity, it 

 need never be adopted, as all you want can be better secured 

 without it. It should be avoided for common purposes and by 

 common breeders, but in skilful hands, who know all its dangers 

 and how to avoid them, it answers a purpose, iu breeding 

 pedigree animals, and endowing them with a power of trans- 

 mission that can be achieved ia no other Avay. It is the only 

 way to hand down the undiluted influence of some extraordinary 

 animal, to perpetuate and give a fixed character to rare and 

 desirable peculiarities and qualities, to produce au animal that 

 will not be half one thing and half another, as most animals are, 

 but will be all one thing, all one blood, one strain : one strong 

 predominating tendency of form, quality, or character. 



