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BREEDERS CAN HELP NATION. Security League Appeals to Farmers to Co-operate with Breeding Bureaus in Producing Good Horses. New York. April 4. — S. MuvnI Mnhn, chair-m:in of the National Security League, which lias on its raster tin- MUM* of tin* most prominent men in tin- Inited Mates, is gratified at tin- manner in wMril tin- nation is responding to the call of patriotism. "The manner in which the Presidents call is be-in;; unrated everywhere is heartening." said Mr. Mi nken at the leagues headquarters, "and indicates that the mafk of the past two years has not been in vain. When the National Security League was inaugurated it was a target for the pacifists, who fought our every move to arouse the country to the mi aallj of being prepared to protect our honor, but today finds a determined nation witlt every element rapidly i o-ordinuting and becoming a vital force. "We all have a part to play in this awakening. Whether we live in city or country," resumed Mr. Menken, "and it is time for the conservation of every resource we possess. The farmer must in- rrilf his acreage in order that every pound of foodstuff may be secured, ami it is a bonnden duty that we shall produce the maximum crop of animals, whether horses, sheep, cattle or swine, and of these I should place the horse first, because of the scarcity of the war type of animal in the 1nited States at the present time. I have talked to cavalrymen, who have returned fnitn the Texas border and they one and all condemn the quality of the horses furnished tliein for service in that region. They designate the- bulk of the remounts as "discards fn.m the supplies gathered from all portions of the liiiti-d States for the Entente Allies, which have neither the blood nor Ixme necessary to enable them to stand up to their work. Conditions Arc Deplorable. "It is a deplorable condition and disheartening to those wiio sounded a note of warning when the com-minsisnem of foreign governments began their buying campaigns which. 1 am informed on good authority, resulted in more than 1.7.TO.O00 liorses being sent abroad. Many of these were mares that should never hav- been permitted to have this country, but kept fir breeding purposes. The appeals of the War Department for an embargo on the shipment of mares fell upon deaf ears then, but there is a siu-n that a Bew policy is about to be inaugurated through the purchase of the famous Allen Farm in the Herk-Khires by the Federal Government as a remount station. This farm has been the birthplace of some of tin most famous trotters in the world, many of Which were taken abroad to improve the studs of Mtions which have 1 n more progressive than oiir- s, Ives in the science of hers.- breeding. For one of them, Baden, urn.".1,, s:in.iiiii» was paid. Other desirable propel titl will no doubt be secured for the Mime purpose in desirable communities. "Ko I think it may became essary to commandeer horses tor anay mnrpssen, in this country, as i:is .one in Fugland at the outbreak of hostilities there! That may come, but there are many pullic-s]iirit d men among the breeder* of the United States who could he dopemh i on to help in a crisis. as was done in Fugland. where racing and hunting devotees opened their stables and gave of their beat, England Saving Its Broodmares. "It was fortunate for Great Britain that hers was an outdoor people, for she had. unlike France. Germany, ttasaia and other Continental countries, ■ lone nothing in the way of scientific horse production for war purposes. Her cavalry was recruited from the race tuaaaia and the hunting field. Bad tin-best blood in the world Clean d in the veins of her best chanters. iTarlaad was prodigal with this Mead lor many year., the Catted States. South America ami all of her eoloiiis as well as Kurope sharing in it. but since last year, when she began the breeding of hoi-ses on her own account, we find it harder to secure desirable mares from abroad. They know that the future of their cavalry service depends upon tin conservation of these matrons. "it is in order that this Used may be kept at its highest state of efficiency if I may use that term in connection with the horse— that racing has bees kept alive in the countries which arc at war. Only these that are worthy of reproducing themselves are retained for breeding. A gcnllenian who recently returned from lllllla told me that racing in Ger-lnany was regarded as an institution vital to the future of the nation as an elemental adjunct of preparedness. Should Be Banner Year. "We shall soon be in the midst of the horse-breeding ■caaaa. Brery farmer and horse breeder in the 1 aited States should make 1S»17 a banner year in the way ef prodr.ctiici. Intelligence should be exercised in the matter of selection. Type should be adhered to and for those who are groping in the dark such authorities as the Bureau of Animal Husbandry of the Department of Agriculture at Washington, the various state institutions, the bureaus of breeding of the Jockey Club in New York or the Kentucky State Racing Commission, with headquarters at Lexington, should be consulted. The Jockey dab has in the .euesee Valley and other region- of this state first-hand exhibits which point the way to success. It takes sjmnt six nan to produce a horse ready to go into active service, and the time to in-rease our supply is now. In two months the season will be practically over, and a yi ar w ill hare bees lost. "It i- fortunate." said Mr. Menken in conclusion, "that are have so much good blood, tho.-oughhrcd. standard -bred and coaching, in the Halted States that great things may be accomplished in a decade. The country, indeed, owes a debt to those of our citizens who have kept these strains alive, most of the work being done at a loss, as the prizes offered in competition do not begin to reimburse them for tie- financial outlay entailed. Hut as in other forms of emteSTor, whenever occasion calls the situation is met. It is a tribute to the adaptability of the nation as a whole."
