CHAPTER XIV. 



FARMERS AS HORSE BREEDERS. 



We want the farmers who have good brood mares to fully understand 

 that the future promises a greater demand for horses of high quality, 

 \n any of the established types, than for many years, notwithstanding the 

 trolley cars, automobiles, bicycles, etc. The decrease in the number 

 of horses in the United States was nearly 300,000 head within the past 

 year, yet the total valuation (even with this heavy loss) has increased 

 $32,712,417, regardless of the hue and cry by the newspaper writers that 

 "the horseless age is upon us." 



FARMERS BREED AND RAISE NEARLY ALL THE HORSES 

 OF THE COUNTRY. 



Now, don't forget that the very large majority of all our horses are 

 bred and raised by farmers. Then should not all the farmers who have 

 brood mares of high quality fully understand the true situation? It is 

 from the best brood mares that we must expect to get the character of 

 horses demanded by the buyers. Unless we have brood mares of good 

 quality, we will fall far short of our expectation in the produce, no mat- . 

 ter how much quality is possessed by the sire. 



THE STALLION CONSIDERED HALF THE HERD. 



While it is a trueism that should never be forgotten, that the sire 

 is half the herd, and we must look to him to make improvements in 

 conformation to a great degree, it is also as important that the brood 

 mare possess the quality, stamina, nerve force, endurance and intelligence 

 necessary to enable her to transmit these essential characteristics to her 

 produce. 



MIXING OF BREEDS IS FOLLOWED WITH DISASTROUS 



RESULTS. 



There is another thing the horse-breeeding farmer should clearly 

 understand, and that is, we can never mix our several breeds and types 

 of horses in the breeding relation without great danger of losing some 

 of the best qualities possessed by sire or dam, whereas when we adhere 

 to the same class, our chances are much better for improvement. When 

 we cross-breeed we often lose the identity of both breeds, and the mix- 

 ture in the ofifspring (if a filly) will require several generations to eradi- 

 cate by the most careful methods. 



