492 THE HORSE. 



also, equally with herself, inherited the trotting quality. In 

 either case, her colts would take the trcttting from two directions, 

 and would consequently transmit it with more certainty to their 

 descendants than if they inherited it from only one side. The 

 trotting quality was a peculiarity of Messenger, and by in-breeding 

 it was perpetuated ; so would any other peculiarity have been 

 any imperfection. If Messenger had been lop-eared, that quality 

 could have been perpetuated in the same way ; but as breeders 

 would not choose his lop-eared colts to breed from, and would 

 choose his perfect colts, the desirable qualities of the stock could 

 be, and would be, perpetuated, and the defects would become 

 extinguished from his family. 



The purpose of in-breeding the Messenger family was not, at 

 first, to produce trotters ; but the result followed without regard 

 to the intention. Whatever loss of stamina accompanied the 

 practice was remedied by out-crossing, and the trotting was still 

 preserved by careful selection. 



Taking this view of the subject, we see how the perpetuation 

 of any particular quality may be effected by in-breeding, and how, 

 also, the evils of the practice may be to a great extent avoided. 

 It should be borne in mind that Messenger was remarkably free 

 from defects, and had so much strength of constitution that his 

 descendants from good mares might be in-bred and still give good 

 constitutions to their offspring. It was because of this excellence 

 that the in-breeding was practised. Not for the purpose of re- 

 producing in the progeny any particular quality, but with a desire 

 to get as much as possible of the general characteristics of a horse 

 recognised as greatly superior to all others in the same vicinity. 

 The same reasons that induced to the practice made it physiologi- 

 cally safe. 



Now let us suppose that another equally good trotting family 

 had existed at the same time and place, and that instead of breed- 

 ing Messenger's descendants together closely they had been crossed 

 with the other family. The result would have been equal speed, 

 with equal power of transmitting it to offspring, and better con- 

 stitutions. There came to this country another thorough-bred, 

 that was foaled in England one year before Messenger, and died 

 here, one year before Messenger died. His name was Diomed, 

 and a reference to the tabulated pedigrees will show how much 

 many of our best trotters are indebted to him for their speed. 

 He was not brought to this country until he was twenty-two years 

 old, and was kept in Virginia, while Messenger was in the North. 

 Diomed's colts were nearly all thorough-breds, and used for run- 

 ning, not trotting. Trotting did not become so highly valued in 

 the South, and how much trotting quality the immediate descend- 

 ants of Di-omed possessed was not known. The best results have 



