The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-02-09
AGRICULTURAL.
tFor the VERMONT wAToHMAN.l
Breeding and Raising Colts Educat-
Ing for ROadsters.
BY ]. W. DAVIS, FA1RLEE, VT.


thing by his own experience. A
shrewd man, also, learns and profits by
the experience of others, and any man
is fortunate who gains his experience
at some otherman's expense. BY this
we mean the faithful employee who
does his best for his employer, the lat
ter paying the bills and suffering the
losses resulting from the mistakes of
the former. All will agree that ex-
perience is an impressive, though per-
haps expensive, teacher, and many of
us who have paid for what experience
we have had, realize that the little wis
dom we have so gained in the horse
business is not worth its cost to us.
Such is the feeling of the writer, and
it is only in the hope that the conclu-
sions he has drawn from his own ex.
perience and observations may save
some others from going over the same
ground to gain the same unsatisfactory
result, that an attempt is made to in
terest the readers of this paper, under
these head lines. Knowing well that
such an article will be very incomplete,
convey misunderstanding, and be
sharply criticised land wishing it distinct
ly understood that this is not an attempt
10 teach professional breeders and train
ers, nor TO be considered as authority
on the subject, but cfferiDg it for just
what it may be worth to whoever gives
the time and patience to read it.
Whenever we use the words do, or do
not, it is not ded as imperative,
but as a short way of saying this would
be our advice if asked 10 give it.
BREEDING THE COLT.
DO not breed one if you are not 60
ing 10 give it the necessary care and
nourshment to keep it thrifty and
growing from the day Of lis birth un-
ill its natural and full maturity. 1t is
not only improbable to owner, but is
cruelty to animals, and thwarting the
kindness and wisdom of nature to keep
them half starved, lousy, and unshelt-
cred. Lice are the most con mon and
the most damaging pest that colts suf-
fer, as they live by consuming the
blood and flesh, thus stunting the very
life and growth out of the young ami
mails.
But if you have decid,d TO breed a
colt, don't do it blindly and without
reason, but breed with purpose and in
a manner that sc ems likely or possible
to attain it. Although all English and
many American authorities on the sub
ject insist that the mare should be larg-
er than the stallion, thus obtaining
sound constitution, size, bone, breast,
and muscular development that are 30
often minus where the mare is smaller
than the stallion, we would say, Don't
have the sire and dam of great con-
trast and feel sure Of "cross," or av-
erage, between the two in the off
spring. Remember that the sire or
dam each has equal right TO transmit its
own qualities and characteristics, or
those of its ance stor, and either one
may give the folm, disposition, gait or
quality-and such results may be very
unsatisfactory. The old sayings that
"blood will tell" ard "like begets like,
or the likeness of some ancestor" might
be changed in form thus: Like, if bred
alike, may beget like. We do not es-
pecially favor strong inbreeding, but
any breeding is good breeding that
proves to give good results, and none
is good that does not give good results,
no matter what may be claimed for
"the pedigree" The days of "pedi-
gree" or STANDARD" without individu-
al and near ance stral merit, we hope
are gone. The kind of pedigreed ami
mails we want for breeding are animals
that themselves possess the qualities
we wish TO reproduce; and these quail
ties having been transmitted to them,
and being transmitted by them, are
family characteristics.
1t has been said that nearly all truly
great men, and horses, have had great
mothers. This statement, in itself, is
no slur on their fathers, and we know
that some of the great have come
from parents that were both possessed
of the requisite qualities of mind and
physique to be truly great, though per
haps not enough developed to demon
strate it. But wherever true greatness
appears, it is pretty safe to believe thai
there is quality back of it in the ances
try somewhere, and the more quality
there is known to be the more reason
to expect it to prove out again by de-
velopment.
Thus we find nothing to show thai
the mother has not as great an inau
ence as the sire in fixing, or making
the natural ability and quality of the
offspring, and in consideration of thu
facts that the mother carries the f@tui