6 
ON BREEDING. 
live state of purity: they have never crossed with other races, 
but keep continually (if it be a good one) in the same family, 
and prefer using a stallion, although old and blemished, to em¬ 
ploying one of different blood, however perfect he may appear; 
yet they have not degenerated. 
The same practice succeeds best in the vegetable world; 
“ the finest and most perfect productions of the sort being pro¬ 
pagated by sowing seed selected from the best and most per¬ 
fect plants of the same kind, and taking the buds or offsets from 
the best and most perfect trees of the same species*.'’ 
A late authorf on breeding says “ that when in possession of 
good blood, it is right to continue it with one cross ; but at this 
time almost every body objects to it, if directly incestuous, as 
not only being unnatural, but that colts so bred degenerate. 
I cannot” he says “ take upon me to say how often an incestu¬ 
ous breed may be carried on before a degeneracy takes place, 
as I am not aw are of that being the case in any instance, and 
experiment is in favour o f breeding from son and mother , and 
father and, daughter .” The author then relates examples to 
prove the good effect of this method; and appears to be decidedly 
in favour of the in and in system of breeding. But the author's 
favourite mode of breeding, and one that he strongly recom¬ 
mends, is “ by crossing for once into fresh blood, and then back 
again.” We beg leave to put a question, and one which appears 
to have struck the author himself—Why not continue incestuous 
if it be right ? 
But this method of breeding is evidently introduced for the 
purpose of recommending a cross with the Arab blood; under 
a supposition that the latter blood has not received fair play of 
late years, since none but worthless mares are put to foreign 
horses at the present day. “ The fair trial w ould be,” he says, 
“(supposing an Arabian of good symmetry and appearance, and 
high blood, to be found), to give him a mare that had bred 
runners.” By this method the author anticipates producing* 
such horses as “ Flying Childers, Almanzor, Regulus, Blank, 
Chaunter, Crab,” with a dozen or two others, all m high form, 
and all the immediate get of different Arabians, and foreign 
stallions. 
When horse-racing was first established in England, we pos¬ 
sessed nothing in character with our present breed: the intro¬ 
duction of the Arab, Barb, and Turkish blood w r as then a 
decided improvement; and by breeding out and in w ith the indi¬ 
genous stock of the country, the advantages to be derived were 
* Dickson. 
t Mr. Hanckey Smith. 
