The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1908-08-13

4 grade" horse. strictly speaking
I5 one that was sired by pure-bred
stallion. Always the sire must be
pure bred. n the progeny Is 20 be en-.
titled TO the name of grade" Where
a pure bred mare Is bred TO grade
ltallion her progeny Is not grade
Such breeding is degrading step
backward and downward the
progeny which has not been graded up
but degraded down 10 OF mongrei
breeding
When a pure-bred stallion is mated
with a native or mongrelbred mare
he product OF this first mating IL a
'one-top-cross" grade. the offspring
being one.half pure blood and one.half
impure blood n the first progeny is
female and In turn IL bred 20 a pure
| bred stallion. OF the breed used for
he original top-cross. her progeny will
/ be a "two-top-c grade or three
quarters pure-bred when Eve top
/ crosses Of the same kind of blood have
been put on. the last resultant on
| spring Is practically pure-brod. and ~
/ the work OF further top-crosslng Is per
sistently carried on. without single
turning aside 90 a sire OF some other
/ breed. the blood OF the offspring be.
! comes purer all the while and purity
/ n blood. when fully established pro
/ iuces In IT'S possessors decided heredl.
iary power (prcpotencyl 10 stamp
upon their progeny che fixed charac-
/ teristics OF the breed employed In the
Iradiug-up OF top-crossing process.
When a grade stallion Is mated with
a native or grade mare the resultant
progeny Is OF mixed breeding II is
not grade, strictly speaking. for
there has been no grading up In the
breeding process and no advance can
/ possibly be made So long as grade
sire is used in place OF purehred
/ stallion. This applies 10 the stallion
that Is still a grade. by reason Of too
few top-crosses TO make him practical
ly pure.breed.
Where five or more top.crosses OF
pure blood have been employed in the
grading-up process the final product
no longer is an ordinary grade, but is
practically pure.bred. and being such
has gathered some Of the prepotency
OF the pure blood OF the one predomi.
nant breed and so may be enabled 10
stamp. with a fair degre OF fidelity.
the characters Of that breed upon the
progeny of all classes OF mates such
horses, however. are not eligible TO
record in a majority Of the govern
ment recognized stud books. hence
their retention for breeding purposes
Is inadvisable when legitimately re.
corded pure-bred stations may be had
In their place.
The pure breeds OF horses have
been bred In one line for 80 many
years without an admixture Of allen
blood that each stallion representing
a pure breed is possessed OF the power
to transmit at least the designating
bred characteristics Of his kind Some
pure-bred stations have more power
than others In this way and the degree
OF power (prepotency) may be said to
/ depend largely upon the degree OF pre-
potency possessed by each individual
Il hh''oAoA anu Aht iSn6Au OI time those
ancestors OF the individual horse have
bcen bred pure in direct line. Some.
times the pure-bred stallion may not
be so Individually excellent as we
could wish, but almost inevitably. n no
is well bred and OF a good family. he
will transmit successfully the charac.
teristics of his breed and In many In.
stances some of the superior qualities
OF his ancestors. Always a pure.bred
stallion must be employed. n the
breeding operation is to be true grad
Ing up process, and the better bred
and more perfect the individual stall
lion is the more quickly will his grade
progeny attain the type. character
quality and valuable attributes OF the
pure breed.
This grading-up process everywhere
should be patiently and persistentlv
followed In practice, the males beine
each time castrared fer the work.
horse market and the females re-
tained for the furtherauce of the i'm.
proved horse-breeding operations.
The grade stallion may be. and
sometimes is. good locker" and nos.
sessed Of superior vlgor. by reason Of
hard work In harness but there is III.
| tie IL any breed preuotencv hack 81 ~.