Year: 1876

Profits on Horse Breeding.


As the season is now at hand when the
amateur breeder as well as the practical
farmer is considering the question Of sires
for his next crop Of foals, few suggess
tiOns Of a practical nature viii not be out
Of place. There can be no question as to
the fact thatunder circumstanceso ordinarily
favorable the breeding and raising of hOr-
ses is a profitable business Good horses
are always in demand at prices that
abundantly pay for the raising.


No matter whether the breeders efforts
be in the direction Of producing horses
adapted for the road, the turf, carriage, or
draft, it pays to breed only the best Of its
kind. If the farm be properly arranged
for the business, the cost of raising colt
until he Is four years old is but little if
any greater than that Of raising steer to
the same age, and the cost Of raising a
good horse is no greater than Of raising a
poor one. The main difference, however,
is found in the fact that the scrub will not
sell, while the really good horse Of each
leading type is always in demand at a re-
muneratiye price. The difference in value
between good and poor horses is very
much greater than that which exists in
any other kind Of live stock. Hogs and
cattle are raised mainly for the value of
the carcass, and are bought and sold by
weight, with only slight variation as to
price in regard to quality; but not 50 with
the horse. His form, style, and color, the
sparkle Of the eye, the cut Of his head, the
quality Of the bone, the carriage Of the
tail, the shape Of each individual part that
goes to make up the whole-his gait as well
as his size and mental characteristics
all carefully considered and taken into the
account in estimating the value of the
animal. Itshould be borne in mind that
nearly all Of the qualities which determine
the value Of the horse are inhsrited ones
arc bread in the bone--and if they be
not tpossesseaby the foal when first dropped
from the dam no amount Of subsequent
care, attention, or outlay can remedy the
defect. To make the business of raising
horses a profitable one, saleable horses
must be produced, and to do this with
certainty the breeder must procure good
brood-mares. and then breed to good stall
lions only The quality and blood of the
horse, and not the price at which he is
held forserviee, are the important matters
for consideration. Have constantly in
mind the points which give value, and seek
diligently for sire that from his own form
and blood is likely to transmit these points.
What is bred in the bone viii be transmit
ted, and no mongrcl can be relied upon to
transmit anything but his own defects.
Experience was long since demonstrated
to bctbe bestof al schools, and if you
find a cross that ''nicks' well, or sire,
that has demonstrated his excellence, pre-
fer that cross or that sire to all Others. 1t
is not to be taken for granted that you
have found the best stallion when you
have found the one that commands the
highest fee for service; the best rule is to
pay no attention to the price until
you have examined the horse and his
pedigree carefully, and then, when you
have found him al right in form and
action, purely bred, descended from an
ancestry uniformly possessing the same
good qualities, or if you find that the horse
himself has demonstrated his excellence
as sire Of such horses as you wish to
breed, you may venture to consider the
price Of service. Having thus carefully
chosen the sire and dam, success is reason
ably certain, and the business is a profit
able one. The ordinary farmer can scarce
y invest in any business that viii give
such sure andlarge returns as the purchase
Of one or two really good brood mares
provided always that he breed them with
indemenf. ---.-.--...