Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1901-05-16
Horse, for Farm Work.


Some of the articles We see In the
papers regarding this subject are truly
remarkable considering the experience
which this country has gone through
in the past twenty years in seeking to
improve its horse stock. The expert
ence has been sad one in many re-
spects in that in many districts it has
led to the creation of new breed of
insists and mongrels having few if any
of the virtues Of the original stock of
the country and as few of those of the
imported breeds used to effect change
in the blood. Despite the results OF
lll-advised crosses and mixtures Of
blood in horse breeding alleged teach
ers are still busy spreading false doc
trine as to methods of obtaining suit
able stock. The latest conglomeration
OF utter bosh which we have seen is
found IN an essay on the ideal horse
orthewestern farmer" which has been
awarded the first prize by the Indian
Head Agricultural Society canadian
NorthWest and asserts that the Cleve-
land Bay best fills the bill for the pur-
pose stated. This assertion we are not
going to criticize for the breed men
tloned is good one, but what we OBJ
Ject to is the argument which is made
IN connection with the matter of the
essay. The writer after describing the
breed and dilating upon it's character
lst1cs says under the head of breeding:
"A Cleveland Bay mare may be to ad-
vantage put to three-fourth bred or
hackney stallion. It is most i'm
portant to remember that like pro-
duces like therefore this fact should
be taken into consideration with re-
gard to the selection of the parents"
what rot this is to be sure! If Cleve-
Land mares are selected as the best
molds from which to produce farm
horses like will only produce "like"
when the breed is kept pure. The law
OF heredity teaches that only the fixed
characteristics of a given breed are
hereditary and transmitted to the
progeny. Why then cross the pure
bred mare with a three-quarter bred
stallion or cross with stallion of an
other pure breed? It was by making
mistakes of this sort that the country
became flooded with nondescript horses
which could not be used for breeding
purposes and were Of little profit or
utility being without any special quail
lf1cations for anything. Only where
one breed of horses has been chosen
and stuck to has real progress been
made in filling district with uniform
stock of good qualifications for the
special breed purpose of the breed
adopted or bred up to by continued
grading in the same direction by con-
tlnuous use of pure bred sires of the
same blood. Nothing was ever accom-
pllshed by the use of three-quarter
bred stallion, bull, or boar in breeding
towards desired ideal or type and
nothlng will ever be accomplished by
such foolishness in breeding. Little
has been accomplished by the crossing
OF one pure breed of horse with an
other pure breed outside of the product
OF the first cross and that cross can
not be successfully used for breeding
purposes. The three-quarter bred
morse and the cross-bred horse possess
no fixed breed characteristics hence
they have no prepotence from heredity
to reproduce their own good qualities
upon their progeny. For this reason
the three-quarter bred stallion should
not De used for breeding purposes and
this is equally true of the cross bred
progeny of two pure breeds. The fe-
male progeny should be retained for
breeding purposes but should always
be bred to the same breed of pure
FLOODED males which gave them origin.
Five top crosses of pure blood of the
same sort upon females graded I'D in
this way from native or improved
stock will result in a practically pure
bred animal and even that animal
should not be used as sire; the blood
should be further improved by con-
tinued use of pure sires upon the fe-
male high grades. For farm use we
want a suitable animal for the given
work to be done but no matter what
breed is considered best Improvement
will never be attained by occasional
changes of blood by crossing or admix.
ture with other breeds.
Secretary Wilson in his annual re-
port says: Much interest in the Bel
gian hare has been developed during
the last three years, especially in Cali
fornia, Colorado and other Western
states. But however valuable Belgian
hares may be for meat or fur, their in
PRODUCTION in large numbers is accom-
panied by certain element of danger
which should not be overlooked. Some
are sure to escape, and the state board
of horticulture of California has esti-
mated that several thousand of the ami
mails are already at large in the state.
If they increase as rapidly when at
large as they do in captivity, they will
undoubtedly become source of dan
ger, and stringent measures may be