Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1916-03-30

| (From the United States Department of
| Agriculture)
| In the past ten years twenty states
have enacted laws regulating the pub
lie service of stations and jacks. The
principal objects Of these laws are
to improve the quality of horses and
mules raised and to protect breeders
against Misrepresentation and fraud
on the part of INSCRIPTIONS stallion
owners and dealers.
In order to accomplish these re-
suits these laws require the owners Of
all stations and jacks intended for
public service TO secure a license from
the stallion registration board or COM
mission. Licenses are issued for pure
breds, grades, crossbreds, and mon
grels or scrubs, according to the pro-
visions of the law in the particular
state.
Those stations or jacks offered by
their owners as purebred must be rec
orded in the studbook published by
a society recognized by the state as
authentic and reliable. The certificate
of registration and pedigree issued by
one of these societies must be present
ed to the board with an application
for license and an affidavit certifying
to the condition of soundness.
In their general provisions all of
these laws are similar, but IN certain
details vary in a greater or less de-
gree. In some states certain diseases
or unsoundness disqualify stallion
or jack for public service, while in
others the stallion or jack is permit
ted to stand, but any unsoundness
must be mentioned on the license GER
tificate as well as on all posters, cir
culars, etc., used by the owner for adj
vertising purposes.
The states having laws Of this char
acter are California, Colorado, Idaho,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michi-
gan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska,
New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota,
Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.
The last-named state was the first to
pass such law and Oklahoma the lat
est one. Under the law in the latter
state stallion owners are not COM
PEELED to secure a state license, but it
is safe to say that the holder Of state
license has great advantage over
the one who does not.
1t Is deplorable fact that hundreds
of farmers and mare owners have pat
ronized the inferior stallion with the
cheap service fee. These men seemed
to have failed to appreciate that in
paying higher fee for the service
Of the sound purebred sire the service
fee will be more than Offset by the
higher price received when the result
ing colt is sold. Nor have they ap-
peared to consider the fact that it
! costs as much to raise a grade or mon
grel as it does a purebred.
A lack Of consideration in the mat
ters of soundness, breeding, and regis
tration have been the cause for much
of the patronage secured by the in
ferior stallion. However, these laws
have now made it possible for every
farmer and mare owner in these states
to know exactly what a stallion or jack
is before breeding their mares. They
have also benefited the owners Of
sound purebred sires because they dis
courage the use of the unsound, grade,
and mongrel stallion.
The results thus far show gradual
increase in the percentage of purebred
stations in service and decrease in
the percentage Of grades and mon
grels. At the present time there are
approximately $4,000 stations in serv-
ice in these states, Of which more than
so per cent are licensed as purebred.
This indicates that breeders are be.
coming more particular in the mat
ters of soundness and breeding, and
that the owners of stations who at
first were, In some instances, inclined
to oppose are now aiding in the en-
forcement OF the provisions Of the
laws.
The question may be asked as to
what is becoming Of the unsound,
grade. and mongrel stations. The re.
ports from the various states show
that as the patronage Of inferior ami
mails decreases they are either castrat,
ed or shipped out, undoubtedly into
those states where there is no law to
compel them to stand under their true
condition Of soundness and breeding
thus continuing their destructive work
to the horse industry.
? It is in these states that breeders
) should exercise the greatest caution
before deciding to which stallion they
will breed their mares. They should
demand Of the stallion owner that they