302 WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Arab, and mixing it with his own more sluggish strains, and by 
careful selection of the best specimens for breeders, the English¬ 
man, after a time, produced an animal that was as sure to run and 
stay, barring accidents, as a short horn is to lay on meat. To 
maintain this purity of blood and for the prevention of fraud, the 
English Stud book was instituted. In it, every animal of running, 
lineage is registered soon after it is born. In England, to be 
absent from the stud-book is fatal to a horse’s claim to thorough 
breeding. America is indebted to her English cousin for the 
thoroughbred horse, the first importation being made about the 
year 1750. To establish a claim to the title of thoroughbred, a 
given horse must trace back on the side of both sire and dam, for 
at least five generations, to animals registered in the English Stud 
Book. We have as yet no complete thoroughbred record in this 
country, but I understand that Mr. Bruce is collecting the mate¬ 
rial for one. A recent infusion of Arab blood is permitted in 
thoroughbred pedigrees, as that is held to be the fountain head 
from whence the stream of thorough breeding flows. It is not 
often resorted to, as the modern race horse is thought to be supe¬ 
rior to his Arabian progenitor. Still, A. Keene Kichards and 
others, have imported the blood of the desert into this country, 
with the expectation of bettering our running stock. The result,, 
however, I believe has not been satisfactory. 
As an example of the requirements of a thoroughbred’s pedi¬ 
gree, I will read for you that of Lexington, the best runner of his- 
day himself, and now the most successful getter of race horses that 
we have: 
“ Lexington, by Boston. 
1st dam by imported Sarpedon. 
2nd dam by Sumpter. 
3rd dam bv Kobin Grey. 
4th dam by Melzar. 
5th dam by imported Highflyer. 
6th dam by imported Fearnaught. 
7th dam by Ariel. 
8th dam by Jack of Diamonds. 
9th dam by Old Diamond (called Duchess.) 
