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WOULD CROSS WITH THOROUGHBREDS, Virginia Writer Sees Necessity for Government Aid to Horse Breeding. Andrew P. OConor writes entertainingly in the Virginia Pilot, commenting on a Washington Post editorial on the breeding of horses. The editorial comment in the Washington Post was: "There is no strain in America from which to got a nucleus to begin with. It would be necessary to go to France and Hungary for both sires and dams and it would take years, unless the importations were on a large scale, to supply the army." Mr. OConor lias to say in answer: "It may be possible to select the desired blood in Europe, as a great many valuable animals have been exported from this country for breeding purposes during the last century, among thorn Tom Thumb, a little wooly Indian poney from beyond the Missouri, whose trotting record of 100 miles at Sunbury, Eng., in 1S29, with a driver weighing 140 pounds, in a lOS-pound sulky, in ten hours and seven minutes, lias never been equaled, to the peerless Rhoda B., which produced Orby, Mr. Crokcr.s Derby winner, for which the Italian government has recently offered him 100,000. Orby goes back in breeding through Fanny Washington to the great Virginia sire, Sir Archy, which gave to the American turf its greatest performers over a distance of ground. "Since the introduction of power driven vehicles the market for horses is vanishing, and but little interest is being paid by farmers and breeders to the improvement of the few animals which are being bred, and the recent adverse legislation in connection with horse racing in America has caused many of our best breeders of the thoroughbred to either dispose of their stock or to ship them to Europe, where the laws rather protect racing. "So, if our government is to be supplied with suitable array horses it must encourage their breed ing while it is yet possible to procure the foundation upon which to build a family suitable for all branches of the army service, and to establish a distinct type it will be necessary to pay oarticular attention to the selection of the mares as well as the sires it being granted that the sire must be of sound thoroughbred racing blood. The Morgans, while tough, are rather light; the Hackneys are too soft and too extravagant in action and too thick and heavy in the shoulders. "The shires and percherons are slow movers and seldom blend with the thoroughbred blood. The common bred mare may possess every outward appearance of quality, but from her It would be impossible to produce a distinct type of animal. "The Clydesdales breed well to color; they are sound, fast walkers, handsome and breed remarkably well when crossed with the thoroughbred, and with a few years of careful mating a distinct type of horse could be produced, suitable for troop, transport and gnu. Such a type could be produced at comparatively small cost, and I suggest the following plan: "That the agricultural department be supplied with sufficient funds to purchase say 500 maiden mares of from three to live years old. "That these mares should be distributed gratis among farmers in the section of our country best adapted to the successful rearing of horses, and to remain the property of the government. "That the mares should be served only by approved thoroughbred .sires and that the female product of these matlngs shall be kept exclusively for stud purposes, and that the board of agriculture shall have the right of option over the male produce, aud the progeny to .be bought from the farmers and paid for according to their actual worth at the ago of four years. "The first cross would be: Thoroughbred sire, pure bred Clydesdale marc, one-half thoroughbred foal. "The second cross would be: Thoroughbred sire, one-half thoroughbred mare, three-quarter thorough bred foal. "The third cross would be: Thoroughbred sire, three-quarter thoroughbred marc, seven-eighths thoroughbred foal. "Thus it will be seen that with a small outlay of money and a few years time, a distinct type of animal can be produced possessing every desired quality. "In selecting the blood lines for the stallions it will be well to adhere to those in whose veins the most copious infusions of thoroughly Americanized blood can be found; for, while I am willing to admit that the English horses are great on their native heath, recent importations from there have given us few really great race horses over a distance of ground. American sportsmen have for centuries imported the best iblood in England, aud In the days when four-mile heat races were fashionable, the blood of Sir Archy invariably vanquished the descendants of Saltram, The Shark, Diomed, Spread Eagle, Sir Harry, Gabriel, Buzzard, Eagle. Chance, Priam, St. Giles, Rowton, Margrave, Barefoot, Sar-iiedon. Caestiis, Trustee, Emancipation, Glencoe, Riddleworth, Leviathan and others. "Of course, Fashion, by Trustee, defeated the great Boston by Timoleon, by Sir Archy, but she traced back also to Sir Archy, through old Reality. "All of this great blood has been infused in our best strains, and in all the world there is not today better racing stock to be found in any part of the globe. "The racing in England is usually on the turf, while here the tracks are hard, which is conductive to a high rate of speed, and probably for that reason our great strains, of thoroughbreds are looked upon merely as a breed of sprinters, when such is not a fact. "Most of our richest purses have been for two and three-year-olds, over distances of less thau a mile, which has been an incentive for breeders to produce sprinters, and among the best, of these have been horses bred from high-priced English sires. "The army requires horses possessed of stamina, speed, strength, size, courage and conformation, and with a moderate outlay of money, intelligent management and a few years time, this government can originate a distinct type of animal suitable in every way for its requirements and at the same time restore an industry which modern inventions and reformers threaten to destroy."
