The New York herald., 1921-08-28
HORSE BREEDERS IN
EUGENICS CONGRESS
Pedigrees Of Trotters and Run
ners to Provide Tips on I'M
proving Human Race.
ONE LAW OF HEREDITY
It's Working Recognized as Be-
ing Common Alike to Plants,
Animals and Man.
ONE LAW OF HEREDITY
ny GURNEY @. CUE.

ny GURNEY G. CUE.
In connection with the Second Inter
national Congress of Eugenics, to be
held IN New York from September q
TO 2s. theye will be an exhibit OF Amer
ican and European studies in heredity.
to which several horse breeders asso-
Citations and societies have been invited
to contribute.
BY thus holding out the hand OF
fellowship those interested in the i'm
provement OF the human race have
recognized THAT they are working under
laws OF heredity common alike to
plants, animals and man.
The proposed exhibit. so It Is an
nolnced, will embrace pedigree records
Of our most scientifically bred domestic
animals which raises an interesting
question as to which animals best
answer this description.
Since the introduction of milk. cream
and butter tests for dairy cattle and
of block tests for beef breeds the pedi-
grees of some OF these bovine creatures
can qualify for the honors In 9. way
that will be hard to beat. Not so many
years ago the breeder of short horns.
Angus or Herefords could learn little
or nothing from the pedigree OF a bull
he might be considering 60 head his
herd except the bare names OF its
sire and dam, Its grandsires and
Urandans and more remote ancestors.
It told him nothing about the value of
tho animal or his progenitors in con-
vertins grass and grain into beef OF
the best quality In the shortest time and
with the smallest percentage of waste
when slaughtered.
Pedigree and Performance.
SO. too. with the milking breeds.
There was until q generation ago little
in the tabulated pedigree OF Jersey.
Guernsey or Holstein to guido the man
who was after milk, cream or butter
I'm the largest quantity or best quality
at the lowest cost. In other words. the
pedigree was not based on performance.
But the system of milk and butter
tests devised since then. supplemented
as they are by advanced registration"
for animals Of demonstrated superiority
at tho pail, has put something very
tangible and very valuable behind the
bovine genealogy of to-day. with the
result that men pay tens of thousands
of dollars for the inheritance Of bull
that In mere physical attributes Is not
noticeably superior to ons they would
not take as a gift to their herd.
When II comes to horses the breeder
Of drafters Is still cropping In the dark
almost as completely as the cattle
breeders were In early days. True
enough. no has the decisions OF the
show ring to guide him. but many of
these are of questionable or negligible
value so Tar as concerns capacity to
draw heavy loads Is concerned. No
stud book for Percherons. BelgIans.
Ctydss or Shtres shows tho actual per-
pulling tests are held. The main thing
set forth is that sire and dam trace
back to animals imported from the Old
World. There is nothing 70 indicate
their degree of vigor or weakness, their
soundneas or unsoundness, their weight
or anything else indicative OF excellence
for the purpose for which they were
bred.
Horse Racing Best Test.
How is 1t with the light horses--the
runner and the trotter? The breeders of
these have g much more difficult prob
lem before them than the breeders of
draft horses or OF cattle. But they have
this greet advantage, that the value of
their podigrees is every year put to the
severest practical tests The winning
or races means robust, vigorous health,
Tor long continued physical endurance
courage. good sense and other attributes
that come by inheritance. When the
trotter cannot trot or the runner cannot
run fast enough to win he Is branded
~ failure on the turf and Ia usually
cast aside and eliminated as a factor In
perpetuating the breed. This process of
eliminating the unfit is one of the great
est benefits OF horse racing and one Of
thA m1paf Grfanftar -
the propagation of equine detectives.
Mere "BIoodv Not Enough.
Tho breeder OF trotting horses has
probably made greater and more rapid
advances than any other breeder of do
mestio animals, and his methods in ac-
complaining this win be likely to win the
approval of all students of heredity.
Pef1ormance has been the guiding star
IN all his operations. The founder Of
tho stud book was the first man who
set forth comprehensively the value of
authenticated records of performances
H. the selection of domestic animals for
breeding purposes. and for forty years
such authenticated public records of the
speed OF tho trotting horse for one mile,
expressed In minutes and seconds, hayo
been the basis OF admission to that stud
book Mere Blood" however arfsto-
cratic never opened the door unless 1t
could meet the performance test.
The breeder of running horses has
followed In practice substantially the
rarno course as the breeder OF trotting
horses. But his stud book Is founded on
q worry different principle. There "blood'
fs everything: performance nothing.
When IL was established about 1876
years ago, the compiler selected some
hundreds OF mares and stations as foun-
dnticn stock, and descend9nts of these
horses alone were admitted to subse-
Quent volumes. The result has been that
many Of the great performers of to-day
winners Of the Derby and St Leger
gtakes--are outside the fold. and an
other stud book, less narrow and exclu-
ffve In Its scope has ccrne into existence
In England TO preserve the pedigrees of
shese half bred" performers and their
families.