BREEDING (CONTINUED). 135 



five miles to Graysville, and the roads are awful 

 muddy, and he concluded to breed to Jim Jones' 

 dog just over the way, saying he ain't much of 

 a dog, and a cousin to the bitch, but his great- 

 grandmother got more foxes than any dog over 

 in these parts, and some of the pups will breed 

 back. He gets eight or ten pups, which he gets 

 perhaps fl.OO a piece for, and it costs just as 

 much to raise a poor one as a good one. The 

 owners spend a lot of time trying to make dogs 

 of them and have nothing at last. 



In a running dog these are the qualities I 

 think are needed. First, endurance, because no 

 dog can make a race after a red fox without 

 it. Then speed, a good nose, lots of ambition, 

 good sense and the more of that the better; 

 and will need to be able to hear well to enable 

 him to cut corners if he happens to get behind, 

 as any dog is liable to do. 



After the pups are born, don't let the bitch 

 run until they are weaned, for it will hurt both 

 mother and puppies. Should she get very hot 

 and then get to her pups you would likely lose 

 some or perhaps all of them. 



Here we have still another favorite breed 

 for 'coon hunting, advanced by an old and tried 

 hunter. Says he : My choice of a breed of 'coon 

 dog is a grade hound crossed on a bull or one- 



