86 BREEDING AND REARING OF 



lieve, to England. The island of Malta is small in 

 circumference and exceedingly sterile in soil. Dr. 

 Plumlee, who imported from there recently, tells me 

 that the soil in no part is more than a few inches in 

 depth, and that what there is, is a made soil. A few 

 inches below the surface it is a solid rock. Dr. Plum- 

 lee says that the supply of pure-bred jacks there is 

 exceedingly limited ; in fact, when he was there and 

 bought eight or ten, and as many more jennets, he did 

 not leave more than one jack on the island that was 

 worth his transportation home. 



They are by nature a smaller jack than any of the 

 Spanish breeds, seldom, if ever, going over fourteen 

 and one-half hands. The average height of those im- 

 ported would not go over fourteen hands, and of 

 course they average smaller on the island. 



Dr. Plumlee has his kind of theory as to their size. 

 It is that as they are found on an island entirely 

 sterile, with little vegetation and inferior grain crops, 

 they naturally grew small, but with proper treatment 

 in this country, plenty of feed and an abundance of 

 pasturage, they will in a few generations attain the 

 desired size. 



They are either black or brown in color, the pure- 

 bred generally inclined to the latter, have good heads 

 and piercing, upright ears, and a great deal of vitality, 

 showing an immense amount of vigor during the 

 breeding season. They are about the gamest and most 

 fiery little jacks that we have, and while some of them 

 have good bone and feet, their limbs have always too 

 much resembled the thoroughbred horse. 



If we rode jacks to war as the ancients were said 

 to have done under Marius, or drove mules to our 



