THE BEST HORSE FOR THE FARMER TO BREED 



J. 11. S. JoiiJSSTOA'E, Chicago, 111. 

 Author of " The Jlorse Book " 



It is beyond doubt that the exportation 

 of so many horses for service in the 

 artillery branches of the British, French 

 and Italian armies will very materially 

 inlluence the demand and supply in our 

 equine trade for many years — perhaps 

 for all time to come during which a horse 

 market may exist on any large scale. 



It is peculiar, but nevertheless true, 

 that the majority of our most useful horses 

 in town and country have for many years been bred haphazard. 

 Xo one denies that, taken by and large all over this country — 

 on city pavement and in the farmer's field — by far the most 

 useful and generally used type of horse has for a long time been 

 the chunk, weighing from 1,200 to 1,500 pounds. ]\lost of 

 them are and always have been the get of pure-bred draft 

 stallions. Previous to the establishment of the stallion importing 

 business, and the consequent pure-bred draft horse breeding busi- 

 ness in this country, the chunk, as he is universally described 

 today, was not known in North America. To be sure there were 

 stockily built little horses of the same shape and much lighter 

 weight, but they were more on the cob than on the chunk order. 



When the importation of British and French draft stallions 

 began, there were no large mares with which to mate them. As 

 a result the progeny was of medium poundage, but considerably 

 heavier than the maternal parent stock. As cross after cross 

 of draft blood was added, it became possible to produce horses 

 of real draft size — from 1,700 to 2,000 pounds — but to this 

 day, the same preponderance of chunks exists. Only a very few 

 of the colts begotten by any ton drafter ever exceed the chunk size. 

 Hence it follows that the great bulk of the chunks bred in this 

 country have not been what they had a right to be. Sired by 

 stallions weighing from 1,800 to 2,000 pounds, and from 



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