HYGIENE OF BEEEDING 893 



breeder to attach great importance to the selection of the 

 male parents and breed from any sort of female, often, in 

 the case of mares, because they are too old and unsound to 

 be of any further use for work. The result of such a system 

 must be unsatisfactory, and the breeder will be fortunate 

 if more than a small proportion of such mares should be 

 capable of breeding. The successful breeder, on the other 

 hand is equally careful in the selection of both sire and 

 dam, and will seldom part with a prepotent female, as he 

 recognises her great value. We understand that the Arab 

 breeder does not attach very great importance to the 

 influence of the female on the progeny, but we feel sure 

 that every breeder of experience will be able to cite cases 

 of females of extraordinary prepotency which could be 

 depended on to produce good offspring, even when mated 

 with inferior animals. 



This prepotency is markedly hereditary, and in almost 

 every breeding stock of any size one can find whole families 

 descended from such a prepotent female which have inherited 

 this quality. Such a family is of incalculable value to a 

 breeder, and anyone who is collecting a nucleus should try 

 to get typical representatives of similar families, even if 

 they are not of exceptional merit themselves. The value of 

 prepotent females is fully recognised among breeders of 

 thoroughbred horses, and a ' dam of a winner ' is of con- 

 siderably more value than a mare which has not bred a 

 winner. Owners of young improved sires are also very 

 anxious to get a certain proportion of such mares to mate 

 with their young stallions, as they recognise that they are 

 much more likely to breed a winner than less successful 

 mares. 



We do not wish for a moment to minimize the importance 

 of the sire, especially as he is particularly concerned in the 

 transmission of the external characteristics which insure 

 success in the show-ring and on the race-course, but the 

 results can never be satisfactory unless he is mated with 

 good females. 

 Infiueyice of Age. — The question of the age at which 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



