December, 1913 



.'12:5 



Willie " and " Darnbv Apain," lu 

 illustrate this contention. Year 

 aftiT year, thoso siiws have occu 

 jiivd ])rcn'ier places at the Royal 

 Agricultural Society's shows in 

 Svilnoy. Not onlv have they 

 scoriHl in the hijjhest i)ositions, Init 

 their stock have jijaineil excei)tion 

 allv hii^h awa'rds in the show ring, 

 and excellent prices at the horse 

 sabs. The knowlcdjje of pcdijrree, 

 stoutness, prepotency, qnality, 

 weitrht, action and other desirable 

 iiualifications is thus eclipsed in 

 ijuidin'T the lirveder by absolute evi- 

 dence of the very best kind. 



— Serxnce Fees. — 



No owners of a mare should hesi- 

 tate to pay a reasonable fee for 

 the services of a pedijjreed sire, 

 that is sound in sip^ht, limb and 

 foot, and that possesses a certifi- 

 cate of rejristration, and a good 

 local reputation. It is at this 

 stage that a farme'r should exhibit 

 enough courage to resist the blan- 

 dishments of the man with a 

 cheap, unregistered stallion, and 

 by so doing he is rendering yeo- 

 man service to his country. The 

 complete exclusion of unnegistered 

 stallions would prove an immense 

 gain to our farming community. 



Farmers have the settlement of 

 the difficulty in their own hands, 

 and thev can approach it with the 

 knowledge that an inferior colt got 

 by a cheap, imsound sire, costs as 

 much to feed and rear as a pure- 

 bred. The latter will always re- 

 pay a reasonable outlay on service 

 fees. It is a wise expenditure, 

 even if the mare has to be sent 

 some distance to a reputable sire. 



r — The Influence of the Mare. — 



K There is diversity of opinion 

 Pmongst farmers as to the age 

 at which a mare should first be 

 stinted. Happily, adverse criti- 

 cism has met the practice of put- 

 ting an immature two-year-old 

 fillv to the sire, for it is unreason- 

 able to expect a young mare of 

 that age, whikst still growing, to 

 assumie the additional task of pro- 

 ducing a foal, as both mother and 

 foal must suffer in development. It 

 appeals to any fair mind that tjie 

 most rational p'.-actice is to wait 

 nntil the animal's body and func- 

 tions are fully matured and her 

 growth compl'ete. The earliest age 

 recognised is from three to four 

 years, but some discretion must be 

 exercised in each case, seeing that 

 certain fillies are precocious and 

 mature quickly, whilst others are 

 slow. 



Neither is it always advisable to 

 breed from old mares, seeing thfe 



result is often disappointing. Otcca- 

 sionally it happens that a farmer 

 works a n'.arti continuously until 

 she gives e\idence of being worked' 

 out. She is then looked on as only 

 lit to turn out and breed from. 

 This class of ujare is not alto- 

 gether satisfactory. It often hap- 

 hapens that she fails to .secrete 

 enough milk to nouri.sh a foal > at 

 otlior times the foal is a weakling 

 and hardly worth rearing ; and 

 again, diniculties in lo ling often 

 ])resent themselves owing to the 

 hardened or atro])hied condition of 

 the muscular mouth of the. womb. 



Successful breeders invariably, se- 

 lect young, vigorous mares for 

 stud purposes. 



A mare is always sexually more 

 fit for service and in the best con- 

 dition for impregnation when she 

 has been given regular work dur-, 

 ing the previous winter, for when 

 kept in idleness, there is a i)ossi- 

 liility of an infertile service, or (if 

 put in foal) the progeny is not 

 vigorous and sturdy. 



The selection of a mare for 

 breeding purposes is to some ex- 

 tent controlled and determined by 

 local conditions, combined with 

 the circumstances of the owner, 

 and in order to ensure good stock 

 it is advisable to be guided by 

 some general principles. 



— Grade Mares. — 



We recognise that grade mares 

 are useful to breed from. Frequent- 

 ly our necessities give us no other 

 option, but, however much the 

 limitation is to be deplored, the 

 best should be made cA the situa- 

 tion, and only the cream of those 

 available set apart for breeding 

 purposes. We all readily admit 

 the need for more pure-bred mares 

 of the right type, soundness and 

 conformation, because from these 

 only can be produced purerbred 

 stallions, suitable for our require- 

 ments. Pure-bred mares pay hand- 

 somely for their keep, both in their 

 work on the fa^rm and in the excel- 

 lence of their foals, and inquiry is 

 therefore as es.sential to success 

 as discretion in selection. It is 

 not enough to have a mare of 

 good qualitv and stoutness with a 

 iocal reputation. More remote 

 evidenoe in relition to breeding, 

 type, and pedigree on both sides 

 for at least three generations 

 should be available as a safeguard 

 against the intrusion of some de- 

 fect or objectionabh characteristic 

 in the progeny. 



Deficient heart and lung action, 

 weak sight and ill temper in the 



foal are often traceabld to the 



iivare. She should l)e Toomy, 

 staunch, of even temper, gentle dis- 

 jiosition, with strong maternal in- 

 stinct, and a reputation for being 

 good in the collar and (juiek in 

 moving. Sluggi.sh marcs transmit 

 thwr obje.etional)le habits. 



In connection with freedom' from 

 hereditar\- disease or unsoundness, 

 it may l)e s])ecially emjjhasiscd 

 that it is of great importancie to 

 the owner to have the mare ex- 

 amined by a qualified veterinary 

 surgeon to determine whether or 

 not either of these defects are pre- 

 .sent in any form. At the same 

 time appearances often mislead the 

 best judges, for splendid stock have 

 been bred from mares showing no 

 special fitness, though evidently 

 })osses.sed of a cajiacity fo'r trans- 

 mitting vigour and quality. 



— Balance. — 



A brief inspection of the future 

 mother should includje a keen ex- 

 amination of the way .she stands. 

 Correct balance on the ground, 

 standing, walking or trotting, with 

 even movement, is essential, for 

 balanced action is the source of a 

 mare's ability to do a long day's 

 work and to come home compara- 

 tive fre.sh, showing minimum waste 

 of power. Any tendency to awk- 

 ward pace, or abnormal spreading 

 of the feet inwards or outwards, 

 means unusual wear, and early sus- 

 pension from work. The shoulders 

 contribute in no small degree to- 



H. DEMVIVIS 



IMPLEMENT MAKES. 

 (Lai* of MOBGAN). 



YOUNG STREET 

 (Old Methodiat Hall) b«tWMn 

 FBANKLIN & WAYMOUTH STS. 



DENNIS' PATENT 

 STEEL BUCKSCBAPBE AND SILT 

 SCOOPS, GATES, ETC. 



Wriia for Illtutra-tod Caialog^u* Mid 



