152 Breeding Plants and Animals. 



kept under the 'auspices of experiment stations or 

 by the United States Department of Agriculture 

 cculd not be made a practical aid in breeding 

 draft horses. A family of horses which could 

 show for a goodly numbed of its members a high 

 yearly average of days' works through long life on the 

 pavements of large cities, in "the woods" or on farms 

 would have another record of performances to aid 

 breeders to secure a wider market for good blood. 

 Once we have more records of real merit mere talk 

 will not "sell stallion beef at a dollar a pound," too 

 often regardless of real quality. 



No doubt some of the records of intrinsic value 

 cannot be secured, as the expense will be too great 

 or the avenues through which the data must be se- 

 cured would not be reliable. But investigation as 

 carefully and intelligently conducted as is given to 

 better methods than the present plan of importing from 

 other agricultural problems will certainly result in 

 Europe, where breeding is carried on not very system- 

 atically. While inventors are devising new locomo- 

 tives, automobiles, autocycles, bicycles and airships, and 

 the public is paying vast royalties on these mechanical 

 motors, should those interested in the horse fall short of 

 bringing into use every possible device in science or art 

 to improve man's noblest beast, the horse, which helps 

 man to subdue the earth and has a place in our houses 

 and in our hearts ? The call is rising for as strenuous 

 improvements in our control of living matter as over 

 the non-living mattier. Our scientists are ready to escape 

 from studying dried specimens of plants and mummified 

 advance from mere growers of European breeds and 

 all unite in making America the great world-center of 

 creating new values in families, in breeds and even in 

 the new species of both plants and animals. A gener- 

 ation or two from now the problem will not seem to 



