CROSS-BREEDING. 39 



immovable trottiiiii- tendencies or inclinations of their own to conflict 

 with, combat, or stand in the way of those of the trotting stallions 

 Avith which they are crossed. Hence, the stallion had his own way in 

 this matter of gait and other ti'otting elements. Hence, Lady Thorn, 

 "Woodford Mambrino and Brignoli were Mambrinos; Lucy was a 

 Patchen; Lady Stout is gaited like all the produce of her sire; Erics- 

 son and Clark Chief differ from all the other sons of Mambrino Chief, 

 for the reason that Mrs. Caudle and her daughter, while good mares to 

 cross with the Chief, yet had trotting blood and ways of their own 

 that they refused to yield to him. Hence, these two families have 

 their o^wai t^-pe. But it does not absolutely follow that long and rich 

 pedigrees may not be found in the dams of our best trotters and trot- 

 ting stallions, provided the breeder will carefully study the character- 

 istics, both mental and physical, that enter into his chosen combination. 

 Unless this is done — and in most instances it is not — the result will be 

 failure. 



Violent or remote crosses must be avoided, for the very reason that 

 thev will brina: toa'ether elements both of i^livsical conformation and 

 nervous organism that will not harmonize, but will ojDerate against and 

 neutralize each other. 



The question, how shall we cross-breed so as to prevent our stock 

 from degenerating, and at the same time bring no disturbance of the 

 liarmony of the physical and nervous organism of our trotting stock, 

 is of great importance, and one which calls for the exercise of the 

 greatest circumspection and intelligent discrimination. 



The following brief extract from a lecture by an eminent divine of 

 our own country, affords a text that has some force and may be studied 

 to advantage by the breeder of our trotting horse: 



The marriage of highly-gifted persons of different lines of descent, is a 

 method of improving the upper, but only the upper, that is, the most intel- 

 lectual and virtuous, portion of the human family. 



This being applied to the subject under review means plainly, that 

 in making our selections for breeding purposes with a view to freshen- 

 ing up or re-invigorating the blood of^our animals, we should at no 

 time descend to a low or ill-bred cross. While all foreign and very 

 remote or dissimilar crosses should be avoided, we should in making 

 our selections, at all times look to the elevation of our strains of blood, 

 and have a jealous eye against anything that could debase or lower our 

 standards. We have done that in the past, in the infancy of our 

 trotting breeds in some of the Canadian elements of blood that were 



