The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-26
APPROPRIATION
must Be CHARGER
Bureau of Animal Husbandry
to Appeal to Congress for
Funds for Breeding.
RESULTS INTERESTING

The result of the governments ex.
detrimental work in horse breeding, be.
gun in 1913. is interesting, and sta.
| tistics for the season just closed will
give an idea Of how the work Is be.
ing prosecuted.
Unlike foreign governments. the
United States had made no experiment.
in the scientific breeding of horses fol
army uses, and it was only as the re.
suit of a recommendation to Congress
by a number of experts who had in.
spected foreign studs that an appropri-
alton of $4,000 was set aside and the
work turned over to the Department
Of Agriculture. which in turn delegat-
ed it to the Bureau of Animal Hus'
bandry. The object was to produce de-
sirable types of cavalry remount and
artillery horses.
Thoroughbred sires had been pro-
nounced most serviceable by continent
tai experts and the project was under
taken along the same lines here,
though there was a desire to try other
light horse types of stallion. and q
feE trotting. saddle and Morgan sires
were included in the original stud.
The War Department had received as
a donation the thoroughbred sires Oc-
tagon by Rayon dor, dam Ortegal by
Bend Or. and Henry of Navarro by
Knight of Ellerslie out of Moss Rose
by the III Used. from August Belmont,
president of the Jockey Club. and these
were turned over to the Department OF
Agriculture.
Other Horses Bought.
Other thcroughhreds were purchased
and there are now at the station at
Front Royal. Va. eighteen sires. of
which ten are thoroughbreds. the
others being trotters and saddle stall
lions. All these horses were passed
upon by experts and no unsound or
faulty gated mares are allowed to be
bred. In every instance the aim has
been to secure a horse thar was not
only a good individual but was pos
sessed of a sweetness of disposition. a
soundness of fiber and a quality of
bone that would make their progeny
desirable for army use.
The prepotency of the thoroughbred.
experts declare. make him ideal for the
work in hand. and. as racing was in its
darkest days when the work was in
augurated. the task of securing horses
of quality was easy. There was a dis
position from the start to render the
government every assistance in a work
that is regarded rs second to none in
economic Importance. With Russia =
appropriation for horse breeding total
ing more than 100000 for 1914. and
the Car adding more than sl.000.0G0
in the same period from his private
purse, there was cause for fault finding
when the appropriation for the work in
the United States during the same pc
riod was cut from the original $4,000
to $4,000. Now the department has
been notified that it must carry on the
work for the coming twelve months
for $4,000, and there is certain to be
an appeal to Congress as soon as the
House convenes.
Have Set Price.
There will be agitation also concern
ing the price the government binds it
self to pay for three-year-olds. the fig
ure al present mounting TO sl15, or to
be exact. $50 and a refund of the ser
vice fee of s.. though no fee is charged
If an option Is given the government
on the resultant foal at the time of serv-
ice. Breeders in the East claim that
they cannot produce a good two-year-
old for this sum. and experts like Mai.
Gen. Scott declare that the amount
should be increased. and in fact there
should be no set figure for a good horse.
The governments option is exceedingly
fair. for if a breeder finds he has pro-
duced a high type of animal which will
command a big figure in the open mar
ket or at private sale he may pay the
service fee of S. and obtain a release.
In talking with G. Arthur Bell. who
has the work in hand for the Bureau
of Animal Husbandry, that official
said:
We find desire to patronize our
horses growing constantly, but unfort-
unately we are hampered by the lack
of sufficient money TO 60 on with 1t in
the way its importance demands. 1t is
a work that would make a big showing
in year or two, and it is a project
which calls for much thought. In 1919
We had Al stations, to which 1857 mares
We're bred. In 1914 43 stations were in
service, and lob mares were bred. Be-
cause our appropriation was cut to $780,
900 for the past season We had to re-
duce the number of stations to 81. Not
withstandinG this. there have been bred
to date more than 1900 mares, and when
the return for the Morgan horse, which
left the Middlebury, VT, depot late. arc
all in there will be more than 1000 mares
on am average OF about 81 mares per
horse. as against a in 1914 and 80 in
1918.
Accomplishing object.