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! 1 1 1 1 ■ • ■ ■ ■ • • i t . . . . ; , . • . 1 , i SOME PRESENT DAY BREEDING THEORIES. The Rubjeci of tie- breeding ■ £ tboroughbreds Is to many pople a moat fascinating study. Hitherto no amount ..f research baa imabied breeder- of race bora - to Bad ■ royal road to success, and although inbreeding lurs in the eaeea of cattle and aheap keen attended with moat satisfactory re-ults. the aaa gangers baa not fotloared tbe attempt- ••! aerae breeders, lnbiee.iing ha~ at times reaalted in 1 in prodiieiioii of excellent race boraee, but similai re -nil- have followed the mating of animals in 9 * pe.iigic - there were imi common aaceators, at all events in the aeal St. or -i genera tioaa. Similarly we oceaakmallj get good stalUoas by eloae labreeil-lag, and also bj the u- of an outcroas, but when are iin.l that of tare stallions b] tbe same banc ami out • •I tbe -am. inai~ one j- a brilliant -tinl aucceas and tbe other tbe reversal it la borne in oa oae that own If naliue ha- certain "act law-" whi.li govern the production of race bon««, are arc sttt as far from their disc ver a- is tbe case wiih regard to [be human race. It i- true that certain broad principles in the breeding Of th aghbredl have been laid down a- the re-ult of H-xpcricace. but although tbe piobai.ilii lea are thai following tbem out uia end siicce— fiill.v there is no approach to certaiutv. and the proportion ot resultant dlsappoiBtmeula 1 au always been so hug.- that it i.- not sarpriaittg that the rlew that borai breeding is a lottery abanld have been in the paal widelj accepted. Whetliei by means i. Mciideli-m vv - -hall ever be able to reduce the breeding Of thoroughbreds to a more or leaa exact science may lie doubted, for the reason that the qualities required In race borees or. with the Water!.... Cm. iniiiiiie tit . let me add grerliouuds differ m marked degree from those ol plain-. 01 .yen of cattle or sheep. Anything which tends to add to our knowledge " the subject how ■ v .. i to be areleomed. I am -ore. fOI example. I ha I I he Brace Lowe Iheorj has been in lnanv Ways belpinl to breeders, more 1 specially In regard to building up a tamUj bj mean- of judicious crossing. as for Instance was tbe case with Rascal, the besi horse oi hi- year in Austria-Hungary a couple of seasons a-o. 11. ...- the resull of contlnnoua blend in- of successive generation- of mare- belonging to an obscure outside familj with sires of the heal run inn-, and sire lamiiie-. i hi- gradual process may. oi course, al the outsel have been rule of thumb •■ •■*•■. chance wojk. but breeders in Hungary and Austria were quick !• appreciate iin .....l In Bruce low -idea-, and even ii chance was responsible for tbe a il nig- ol some i»l the earlier mares in the boin.ni lim of Ka- al- peiligree. there j- bo doubt thai tin- .-u Linuance ol tbe principle involved eras due to design. and th. dual mating of hi- dam with Raebarn can only have been Ibe resull of careful study. Aa books of refer act and pointers such works aa Bruce Low. - and Hermann Coos table- are invaluable, whether are believe in Heir main theories or not. i:.iuall valuable, perhaps, will be found ■ a newh |.iii.li-he.i bv Horace Cox ..1 He "Field oilh, . This 1- entitled "The Great Sire I.ne-ami it -how- in tabular form their successes and failures. Practicallj all tbe sir.-- belonging 10 the three "je.it lines are given, and one can are almost at a glance all the stallions of the slightest not ■. from iviip-e. Herod, and kfatcbem down to the present day. together arith the various male de , 11, 1 mi- ,.r every prominent sure. Oae i- thus enabled to see exactly how each line of sires stai Is and whether ii is -till flourishing. Improving. ••• sbowlug siun- of decay. The ..im of tb - authoi ■ piler. Ml. . II. E. Wanklyu .author of In Australasian Racehorse1 . Is to make dear to his readers rather tie failures ban he successes, and in hi- latrodnctory remark b expr sees hi- beliel thai the fundamental cause ol tbe failure ol ai in- line, however promising at the outset, i- In atiabh attributable to a particular Form of ii breeding. He goes on to explaia that there i- 1. Instance »f the male line surviving where it- founder and hi- dam- sire are descended within three gen ciation- from tie same horse. Be gives aa an ex ample Petrarch, which aras a great-grandson Toucbsl ■ iia I."id tllfdeu and Now uiiusl or . . and whose dam aras ly Orlamlo. son ..t: T ?hstone. 1 !.•• author particularly wishes 11 made clear that this inbreeding to the male line ot a horse is tbe can-, of Ibe line -.b.h ile«-a ing, and underneath the nam ,.f each of the hundreds of sires tabulated he gives the name ami in. heat.- tbe line of descent of tbe .lams sire. To make it the plainer thai his objee lion to close! inbred stallions only applies when tbe inbreeding com.- through tbe male line of tx.th the sire an. I .lam Mr. Wanklyu sets out side b. side with Hie pedigree of Petrarch that i»f Calopin, w is likewise iubr.d. Voltaire being tbe graadslre Plying i io io--. 1- well as of Veile te. li aras Fly-in Oiiche-- dam. howevet aol hei -in . Fl.vhis Dutchman, that brought in tl ther cross of Vol laire, and this, of course niakes ■ deal of differ, n the ajore especial 1 as inbreeding of the kiu.i -lan.ed in Hie case of Petrarch would n.u ha mattered In the slightest had Petrarch lK eii a mare Instead ••! a horse. Tii- Is, ol course one of th. authors contentions, ami there is certainly 1 good deal to be said in favor ..t his tins 1 argument. His further statement that "as far aa perpi lag the male line •_•«■- 1 sire i- seldom successful before he 1- - - years old 01 after eighteen." be ndiuits lias exceptions to the rale, pointing out that It irdca tcber was twent.i three when he sired Oxford stoekw.il igramlson 1 Blnlcatcberl twenty wbei In -11..1 Dow-aster, and Voltaire also Iweuty w|, n be -ii.-. I Voltigenr. Tli - • exeeptlona. throogli lb dosrviKlaiits -•■in ■• me rath«*r to knock the rat . into h . „ -k« d !;.,: •, .1 the n,an tail mall d -.ndain- oi tie extraordiuarilj successful Ualopiu and St. Siaaoa lines, and tbe alaiosi equally nine ■ •11- and «Hccessful •!• -eeiidaut- of D -aster, and his sous Heel ti K.iida .etc.. and Hie likewise niirn 1 •ii- and again successful i aeal rlesivudants ef fonl -iieh as th.- Sterlings. Isonotnys, Bnthusiasts eti are so widelj dlstrilaiteil that tbej comprise Hi.- greater part .u lie existing horses of tin great tamih ..I" Eclipai The mthor might have also noticed 1 notalde exiipthm on the side of yototh in -lead ..! old age whici in- I., inc. for Hen! 1 w.i- .iiiv ,1 ii. year old when in- sired Ormonde .. i Kendal. Illness and his subsequent expatriatioi wen tl til j reasons ia| arl from bis being a war win Ilneaide did not wake a greater atnd auecess than he did here in heg tting such excelli at 1 b.r-e- aid -in- •- tiiiie and C.ddlin.b. also in Qrst -ui.l ii, -fVigilaut," u London tiportsmau
