170 
COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 
convinced is not only erroneous, but most disastrously false, in 
view of the stupid practice which grows out of it. 
The quality of the mare is just as essential as that of the 
horse—a truth which will strike you as being confirmed by the 
current maxim in human society, that “ all great men were born 
of great mothers.” 
The greater reproductive power of the horse, however, as 
compared with the mare, that is the larger number of offspring 
to which he may become parent, is a sufficient explanation inde¬ 
pendent of the false notion adverted to, of why the male has 
received more attention than the female —economy would dic¬ 
tate that the money to be devoted to the improvement of the 
breed of horses, should be expended upon the male. 
Practically, then we must first regard the quality of the stal¬ 
lion. Let the owner of the breeding mare, avail himself of 
the best horse within his reach, regardless, so to speak, of the 
expense. In a word, let him breed to the horse, and not to the 
'price. The stupidity of those who ignore this injunction is easily 
made apparent by the application of figures. For example : 
If I pay twenty dollars for the use of a horse, and obtain a colt 
which at four years of age will readily sell for 200 to 500 dollars, 
instead of breeding to one whose price is three, getting thereby 
a colt saleable for 75 to 150 dollars, nothing is clearer than 
than that I have saved 125 to 350 dollars by the liberality of 
my policy, and have the pleasure of keeping the best stock, 
in the bargain. The keeping costs no more, necessarilly, in 
one case than in the other. 
In the second place, we must look to the mare, and the rela¬ 
tion which she bears to the horse as to form and general char¬ 
acteristics. 
The Arab understands this perfectly, and accordingly thinks 
more of his mare, whose character, as a breeder, has been estab¬ 
lished than of all the other horses he owns—can rarely be in¬ 
duced to part with her, though his starving children should 
piteously beg for the bread the price would purchase. 
