The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-12-18
FARMER AND PLANTER.
HEREDITARY uallNEss.
Animals Predisposed to Vicious Habits
UnprOfitable to Ireed From.

Improbable to Hreed From.
Some time ago / saw mare, heavy
with foal, with her head tied down. 1t
was plain that she was bold, chronic
jumper. The man that breeds to such
a mare is either unwise or dishonest
unwise if he intends to keep the foa1s
for his own use, dishonest if he designs
to sell them. The dam, much more
than the sire transmits mental quail
ties to the offspring. A breachy or kick
ing mare is almost certain to transmit
bad traits to her foal5 Very often the
faults of the dam will reappear in the
foas; but often the faults will be diff
ferent For example, neigh Dor bought
a young horse out of a mare noted for
her bad temper; she is continually
biting and kicking other horses,
making her disagreeable in harness
and dangerous in pastures; butshe is not
breachy, nor has she ever been known
to kick at human being or vehicle.
The young horse is not cross to other
animals, but is kicker and jumper.
No ordinary fence will stop him. Sew
eral times he has demolished a good
part of the vehicle to which he was
hitched, and ne is dangerous to human
beings. Before he was tested and had
his bad qualities revealed, he sold for
1928; his present owner would be glad
to get $50 for him. / once had mare
that did not kick or jump, nor was She
cross; she was of very nervous tenn
permanent, what is often termed high
strung" She fretted easily, and would
soon tire herself out in mud or when at
tached to an unusually heavy load; she
was easily startled. Two of her
foals have proved like her; but
others have exhibited other bad
qualities. One would run away
if rabbit jumped out of the hodge;
another would kick at any thing that
approached it from behind, and kick
until the harness or vehicle was broken.
1t is easy to trace these bad traits to
the same super-nervousness that char
acterized the dam. This mare would
usually "hy back" when the hardest
pull came, allowing the load to settle
in the mud; she was too nervous to pull
steadily and long; and one Of her foals
balks when put to a heavy load. l
might multiply examples, but it will be
better for the reader to get them from
his own experience and observation, as
he easily can. Almost every farmer
thus bring up abundant evidence that
when the dam has bad characteristics,
the same or other bad characteristics
will appear in her offspring.
| think this is sufficient to make it bad
policy to use such females for breeding
purposes. Some of us do not give proper
weight to the disposition of farm an
imals. For example, the agricultural
papers frequently contain directions for
controlling kicking COWS. The strap
around the body just in front of the hips
is good, but | am of the opinion that tho
only proper rule as regards COW prone
to use her legs or horns is to fatten ana
kill her as soon as possible. If it pays
to keep spch COW for her milk, she is
fancy mixer surely; and if it pays to
keep her for breeding purposes. it
is because there are fools to buy
Such COW, or kicking, vicious
horse, or a vicious sow, is q dangerous
animal, and we are in duty bound to
have some consideration for the safety
of our own families and height ors, if
not for our own comfort and peace of
mind
Such animals are not so profitable as
those of good dispositions. The steer
of bad characteristics, or the vicious
hog, does not fatten so well as does the
good tempered, quiet steer or hog. If
the vicious animal is Improbable in
the dairy or breeding lot, it is scarcely
less Improbable in the fattening pen.
1t should be taken into account that an
animal may not be absolutely unprofit-
able, yet comparatively SO; it yields
less profit than an animal that would
cost US no more, and therefore we
should not have it
1t is the common opinion that the off
spring gets far less of its mental char
acteristics from the sire than from the
dam. l believe this is correct A no
tably example occurs. One of the most
noted Percheron stations of Northern
Illinois was man-killer-killed one
man and crippled for life two Others.
During the seven or eight years that
this stallion was owned and handled by
my friend, Mr.. Poundstone, he nevor
entered the Enclosure, specially con-
structed, in which the animal was
confined. This stallion got hundreds
of colts, none of which, so far as have
been able to learn, were remarkable
for viciousness. Notwithstanding this,
and the common opinion noted above,
| would be slow to use bad DISPOSE
toned male for breeding. While l
would not allow the bad disposition to
outweigh considerable difference in
merit of bodily conformation, if the an
imal OF good metal qualities was not
much inferior in physical qualities,
would prefer him, if compelled to choose
between the two,-John NJ. Stahl, in
Southern Cultivation