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1 , I . j i I | THOROUGHBRED FOUND MOST DESIRABLE For Breeding Army Remounts According to George M. Rommel of Bureau of Animal Husbandry. Washington. D. C. May 5.— George M. Pommel. Chief of the Pureau of Animal Husbandry, has made public facts in connection with the horse breeding industry in the Patted States which possesses grave significance at this nerhsl when a million head of cavalry, artillery and transport animals must be secured for our army. "I have just had a visit from George K. Went-worth. general manager of tin Cnion Stock Yards at Chicago." said Mr. Rommel yesterday, "and he confirms what this department has known for sometime concerning the shortage of the military horse supply in this country. In Mr. Wentworths judgment an order for a million head of horses of the true army type would be difficult to fill. The transport horses and those for artillery purposes could be found, but when I spoke about the remount supply he threw up his hands and said that this type had lieen practically exhausted by purchases for European war account. "Those who are fond of figures and like to theorize point to the fact that we have approximately- 21.000.000 head of horses of various breeds in the United States. We have Also ,;ooo.M0 farn s. and that means an average of four horses to each farm. If you take one of these from each fanner you reduce the efticiercy of that farmer and lessen his crop production. It is a situation which is both perplexing and disquieting. Co-operation All Along the Line Necessary. "The policy to pursue, in searching for a solution of this problem of a horse supply, in my opinion, is an enlargement of our present scheme. The best results abroad have been secured through the -o-opera tion of the war and agricultural departments, with the last named in active charge of the work. All that will be necessary to achieve results would be an appropriation of ample proportions and the proper spirit of co-operation all along the line. We lind a 4eafcM on the part of men prominent in the production of thoroughbred, standard-bred and ether light horse types to be holpfull in this emergency. Success is going to mean a cohesive effort, with every one doing his level best. "We are now reaping the first fruits of oar army remount breeding plan which was inaugurated in 1912. There are only a few four year olds available in the districts where Governmental sires have heeu stationed, but between .",00 ami 000 three. y.-nr-olds an* now ready and our inspectors began their work at Mount Sterling. Ky.. ten days ago. This is the third district and comprises Kentucky and Tennessee, la which standard -bred and saddle sires have been used. When they have finished, they will go to the first district represented by New Hampshire and Vermont, wle-re Morgan stallions have been stood, after which the second district, which includes Virginia and West Virginia, will engage their attention. In these states thoroughbred, standard-bred and saddle stallions were deemed best fitted for tin- mares available. "Vaster our system the farmer using a Governmental sire gives an option for the purchase of the produce at KIM in the fall of his three-year-old form. This spring we instructed our inspectors to encourage farmers possessing fillies to retain them for breeding purposes. We have made friends by this policy and at the same time are building for a steadily increasing supply of the type of animal this country must have. If we had been permitted to go on with the plan when it was first formulated as the result of recommendation on tie- part of such experts as Mnjor-Ccncral Carter, who visited European breeding stations, we would Bear have some five-year-olds ready far active service. Stallions Must Br. Supplied to Get Results. "There are essse prahfesua in horse breeding which are not encountered in the production of other live- stock. We have learned that you must carry your male to the community in order to g-t results. The stallion ami the jack are the only males of the animal tribe that have been highly commercialized. The farmer having a manor two cannot afford to keep a stallion of his own. and eonse.piently is at the mercy of whatever ha]. pens to l e in his alallh I in the shape of a sire. To give you an idea of the scarcity of pure bred males in certain communities we learned recently that a Morgan sire sent into a county in North Carolina two years ago was the first, pun-bred stallion ever seen in that district In the Corn Pelt good sires of the draught type are fre-• pient. but in the hilly, mountainous regions, where the light horse typo prevails, males of pun- blood an- few and far between. This is where we hope to be useful. "Octagon, the big thoroughbred which was donated to the Covcrnuieiit along with other horses of blood by .Mr. August Pclmont. chairman of the Jockey Club, has been our best sire to date, and the demand fur his servicea an- great. He was mated with ighty-one mares in 1910. and a large propi.rtion of them are with foal. The standard bred sire Pie!-ford Jay is getting a laige percentage of foals of artillery type, and we have found the combination of the thoroughbred and standard hens most stesstahle, especially where .the eraser is utilized as a top cross. This would seem to bear out the result of experiments in other countrie.. particularly France. Wheat cavalry is unapproached."
