BREEDING PROBLEMS. 
G15 
rians that in spite of this rudimentary system inaugurated it has 
proved its great superiority over the previous contract system of 
purchase of army horses, mainly because the middleman in the 
deal was eliminated, the purchase being made directly from the 
breeder. While unserviceable horses still come into the ranks, on 
the whole the remounts secured in this way are of a better class, 
better in comparison to remounts formerly offered and accepted, 
but still far below the standard set by those armies and countries 
where a typical cavalry horse is being bred for the purpose. 
It required only a few years of existence and work of our re¬ 
mount depots to demonstrate that suitable horses can only be 
bought under any system, if they are produced. That the pro¬ 
duction of these horses had practically ceased, was the next dis¬ 
covery. The breeders generally, with few exceptions, were not 
seriously interested in a matter that concerned mainly the war 
department, and the latter was forced to seek the good offices of 
the agricultural department to help them out of the quandary, as 
more in touch with the horse breeders. 
Anyone who has followed the birth and development of this 
move of the war department towards the department of agri¬ 
culture cannot help but admit with pleasure that the problem was 
nicely met with in conception. Dr. Melvin and Mr. Rommel of 
this department proved themselves equal to the new task before 
them. They worked out a plan of government control of the 
breeding of army horses that is quite in harmony with the-con¬ 
ditions in this country, and they put it into practical working or¬ 
der. While the results likely to be attained appear yet as doubt¬ 
ful to many army officers who detest any idea or practice im¬ 
ported from abroad, it will all work out well towards the end, if 
only great mistakes are avoided. 
Such great mistakes have been made by all foreign gov¬ 
ernments in the beginning and early development of their 
horse-breeding operations. They were always followed by 
dire results, stretching over longer or shorter periods 
of time. On£ cannot study the history of such government ^tuds 
as those of Trakehnen in Germany, of Mezoheo-ues in Austria- 
Hungary, even of the less militarv and more civil administraTon 
of the British breeding studs in India, without being impressed 
with the waste of time expended in unfruitful clashes of opinion 
on theories of breeding, of wanton experiments in mixing breeds, 
and, not the least, in the stubborn attempts of horse fanciers pos¬ 
sessed of fantastic ideas of breeding, to keep themselves in lucra¬ 
tive offices. In all of these countries the veterinarian has finally 
