New-York daily tribune., 1857-10-21
New11 11ork DAILY Grib1uut
IMPORTANT TO FARMERS.
IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF
HORSES.
cscond Article.

IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED OF
HORSES.
lSecond Article.l
In an article on this subject last week, we took
occasion to place before ou. country readers some
thoughts relating TO general principles concerning
this very interesting and important subject Our
views, there expressed are these: That the great
point to be aimed at s the combining in the same
animal the maximum Of speed compatible with suf.
fcient size, bone, strength and solid power to
carry heavy weights or draw large loads, aud at
the same time to secure the stock from the proba
bty, if not certainty of iaheriting structural do
formity or constitutional disease from either of the
parents. We stated, in the first place, as an 81.
tablished axiom, for such it is-and an article in
journal such as this has not space for arguments
tion on the point-,hst the first point is only to be
attained, first, by breeding as much possible 10
pure blood of t,e right kind, and second by breed.
ing what is technically called among sportsmeo
and breeders up, not doun That Is to cay, by
breeding the TO a male of superior, not infe-
ror, blood to her.e except whe re it is desired to
breed like TO like as Canadian TO Canadian, or
Norman to Norman for the purpose Of perpeta.
ating pure strain Of any particular variety which
may be useful for the production Of brood mares
BY superior blood we mean that which approaches
nearer to thorough blood. Thus, a hsl.bred mare
should never be put to q haf-bred stallion, as in
that case the produce will, in nine cases out Of ten,
degenerate below the DAM whereas, if she be bred
70 thorough. bred, the produce will be superior,
and will continually improve, ad infaitum, by ad
herring to the same process of breeding up. 10 the
second place. We showed that reasonable prObs.
bty Of raising sound and healthy stock can oaly
be attained by carefully selecting parents free
from disease which is either hereditary, apt to
become so 1t is idle, for persons at this time Of
the world, to sneer ut the idea of disease or other
qualities, being hereditary, transmissibe 10 the
beod-it is known, both medically and physiology.
cally, that they are so. It is known that the
chances are fearfully in favor Of a consumptive,
scrofulous, insane or epileptc mother producing
children tainted with the same diathesis-that
idiots will generally beget idiots, and deaf mutes
deaf mutes. Gout is hereditary; ard it is proba
bic also, that many other diseases of the arterial
glandular and nervous systems are Likewise trans.
missble in the blood. So it is with hOrses-all
diseases OF the lungs and windppe, known rs the
heaves, a, broken wind, as roaring, whstlius,
thick wind, and the like, are, incontestably so
transnissible. Blindness is, if possible, Jet more
SO; and even when one eye is destroyed by acci.
dent, if the other eye, through sympathetic affec
tioD follow il, we should consider it by no means
safe to breed from horse so injured. Lameneu,
arising from pure accident, is of course not trans
mssible; but where ra a,e- horse has broken down,
as it is termed in running-that is to say, where
the sinews, or smaller metacarpal bones, commonly
know as the spint bones have given way, from want
Of 9Th sufficient to endure the strain laid upon
them-it will be well to observe whether there be
nOt some visible defect Of the conformation of the
parts, tending TO undue weakness; such as dis
proportionate length of the lower or cannon bono
of the foreeg, which can scarcely be too short; OF
the defect which is generally called tying IN, con-
sisting of an improper contraction Of the volume
of the leg, Immediately below the fore knee, and
indicating On insuficiency Of the splint b,ne.
These malformations are distinctly hereditary. II
horse therefore, break down in his forelegs having
such malformston, the breaking down itself may
be said 10 have been hereditary; and one would,
therefore, e,chew breeding from such horse.
Now to give two in point there is probably not
horse in America which good judge would sooner
select, in regard to size, strength, power, and al
other qualifications, TO which to put country mares
than Boston. He is in every respect the beau idea
of what, in England, would be con.idereda Hunter
Retter. And the English hunter is precisely the
stamp ard style Of horse which is the most profts
bic for the farmer TO raise, for al general purposes
No one in England would drive before their car
rage, or ride on the road, anything but English
hunters, if they could afoId the price; and as
their powors for draught or burden, it is only no
cessary to isy that men weighing twenty hor'smsn'
stone, or $50 pounds, find no difficulty being
willing TO pay the price, in getting hunters neatly
thorous shbred-none others than such could DO
it-capable Of carrying them across country, over
hedges, brooks and timber, as fact as fox hounds
can run. But-for there is 9 but-BostOn went
blind, and his best SOD, Lexington, has gone blind
also, first of ore eye, and then completely
ard this fatal fact sets Boston aside for
ever a. country breeders horse. For
,re Of racing stock, the defect is not quite 80 fA.
tai; for it appears likely that the stock Of that ad
mirsble horse will not fail in their eyessht until
they have reached an age when horses racing
career, which rarely lasts more thAo eight or nine
years, may be considered as finished. Bot for AMI
mails for general use, the objection is, as it has been
observed, fatal. In the Like manner, but in another
direction, Priam, notwithstanding his high blood,
great beauty, undeniable performances, and his
areat SUCCESS in England as q sire Of racer'-in