180 BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 



excellence and positive qualities. Pedigree often sells trasn at 

 fancy prices. 



I do not wish to be misunderstood in this matter of horse 

 registration and the standard. It is all right and proper that 

 we have a registry, a standard, and a standard number for each 

 registered animal. But my idea in this matter is, I presume, 

 an original one, and many breeders may not agree with me, 

 but I believe no stallion colt should be eligible to record as stand- 

 ard to be kept for breeding purposes untilattaining suitable age 

 and development, and subjected to an examination of a compe- 

 tent, disinterested committee, duly and intelligently appointed 

 for the purpose of ascertaining his individual qualifications — 

 breeding included — to entitle him to a place on the registry as 

 standard-bred and worthy of public patronage. 



If this rule should be adopted and strictly adhered to, then 

 we should soon be rid of standard-bred weeds and no-account 

 animals as public sires. 



The French, as a nation, are far ahead of us Americans as 

 to selecting- and controlling the use of public stallions. (See 

 The French Coach Horse, Chapter XIII.) 



As to the standard as it now stands, neither Electioneer, 

 Nutwood, George "Wilkes, Red Wilkes, nor Alcantara would be 

 admitted as standard bred, while the book stands wide open for 

 the registration of countless numbers of worthless weeds or 

 culls. 



Lucas Broadhead, agent of the famous "Wbodburn Farm of 

 Kentucky, says that he " would rather have a horse that is well 

 bred according to the general idea of what a well-bred horse is, 

 than to have a horse that trotted in 2.30, and a man that breeds 

 to a horse without a pedigree, with speed, will be excelled by 

 the man who breeds to a pedigree without speed." He can 

 point to Woodburn as almost uncontrovertible proof of his 

 position. 



No pedigree can be a good one that does not generally pro- 

 duce good animals ; no pedigree should be prized above other 

 pedigrees unless it usually produces better animals. If tried by 



