TIMELY THOUGHTS ON CLYDESDALE BREEDING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 8 March 1921, Page 11

TIMELY THOUGHTS ON CLYDESDALE BREEDING.

A paper with the foregoing caption by Mr Edward Wentworth, of Armour’s Bureau of Agricultural Research and Economics, was read at a meeting held in Chicago during the International Show. Some extracts may interest breeders at this end of the world. Mr Wentworth characterised the past half century as an era of constructive Clydesdale breeding. The experiences of the first two-thirds of the last century clearly established in the minds of the Scotch breeders the true mechanics of the draught skeleton,- and they broke definitely away from the fenland ideal of height and substance as the prime requisites of draught power. The Scotch were the first to appreciate to the fullest degree the relation between endurance and quality, even as they were the pioneers to formulate the ideal of conformation as related to draught power. Out of a broad recognition of functional details came really the fundamental differences in the evolution of the Clydesdale as compared to the Shire, despite their similarity of blood, since Scottish selection has been based on trueness of K a it, set of limbs, quality, and a pleasing conformation. There are obviously two ways in which breeders may develop a horse capable _ of handling heavy loads. One method is to increase the size, and the other method is to increase the efficiency of the animal due to improved conformation. How often in athletics do we see the small man, who is capable of delivering all of his energy at one point, put the shot several feet farther than the larger and heavier fellow. The Scot took as his ideal improved efficiency, and stuck to it during the first two-thirds of this last century, while the supporters of the other draught breeds were fighting for mere size without the question of function being thoroughly understood. Hut t^ ere was a drawback in this, and out of it has grown a school of breeders sufficiently strong to have resulted in an actual breeding down in the size of representatives of gome strains of blood, a practice that has diawn criticising of practical horsemen on both sides of the Atlantic. Similar phenomena have been seen in the case of the breeders of Foland-China hogs, who brought out the perfectly chiselled and efficient pork makers, the so-called hot-blood type, that represented in the hog world the same breeding that the qualified high-going Clydesdale has made in his own sphere. So also with the standard-bred trotter and paoer, which was crowded from the farm and even the road, because its breedefs mistook the means for the end, in perfecting their wonderful piece of machinery for the race track only. Clydesdale efficiency, true proportions, uniform breeding powers, gaiety of action, and magnificent draught power all point to the possibility of its travelling the same path if the breeders who insist on carrying their policies to the ultimate are not reformed. Breeding for Quality Only.—As a result of the skilful methods of concentrating the Darnley and Prince of Wales bloods during the last 5U years! Clydesdale breeders have it in their power to reach near perfection in quality, type and movement, providing they ignore the matter of size. The temptation is great. It seems so easy to say, “Let us get this perfection, and then we can select for size,” but thus runneth not the lessons from breeding history. The Clydesdale breeder to-day has only two problems that lie between him and complete domination of the draught horse world. One of these is the question of size, and the other is of earlv maturity. It has been frequently asked during our last State Pair season why there }?. s " ch f marked difference in the size of Clydesdale geldings and Clydesdale breeding stock. How many times this fall have we afi been told that there must be something wrong about the blood lines of the geldings claimed to be Clydesdale, since they were so much larger than our breeding animals. It is the giving or withholding of the feed bucket that accounts for it. Many may not believe this, and because of the unfortunate resemblance of the Shire in general skeletal make-up, colours, and the possession of feather, but larger in the breeding stocks, we possess the possibility of a constant accusation against the correctness of our breeding records. ■ — Breed for Size.— Hence it is that I make my plea for a determined attack on the size question. We must produce size, and we must produce early maturity. Arguments are used against developing the maximum size in our horses. Eirst we hear that the necessary feeding to get the maximum size at the younger ages makes the animals develop a ‘shorter straighter pastern, and a chuffy dwarfed type that is inconsistent with true drafudit character. Second, we are told that the horse that is pushed too rapidly is more nkely to develop unsoundness. Third they tdl us that the horse that is fitted out too quickly loses more in years of service on the far end of his life than he possiblv can gam through forced growth. All of ‘these arguments have but little merit I am positive that the Scot would never have been able to understand draught quality and the true proportions for real draught service if he had not grown his animals out so sparely that he could observe under the skin the changing proportions of the young animal’s skeleton. But he has learned those proportions now, and has bred them into his horse most successfully. We must push our stallion foals so that they weigh at International time at least 7001 b to 8001 b. At one year they should reach 12001 b, at two years 16001 b, at three years 18501 b, and a generous ton at maturity. We may allow our mares to weigh a little les3, hut we must always appreciate a two-year-old like Langwater Jessica, that balanced the beam at 18001 b. as the two-year-old junior champion of 1919. What we need is not to develop a new policy of selection, but to add to our old. On ton of superior walking gait, quality, soundness, and true conformation, let us add size and rapid development. Many of our cautious and conservative breeders may say that it cannot be done, but it has been done, and is daily being done in the development of dozens of valuable geldings that are working each and every day on the Chicago market! They are being subjected to heavy feeds and heavy loads, and are thriving on them to a degree that is most remarkable. It is true that they have abundant exorcise while developing, hut you should provide that for vmir young stock too. Do nqjt pamper them ; do not baby them. Many times the liest fed horses fail to grow until {bey get the exercise or work necessary to stimulate them to utilise their feed properly. Last spring, at one of John Delanoey’a sales, Mr

Wilson bought a three and a four-year-old Clydesdale stallion, neither one of which weighed 13001 b. These horses were castrated, and are being worked daily, and to-day are tipping the beam at 18001 b. They are by no meang finished in growth now, but they have proved what the feed bucket will do, and next season will see them show horses. They are not falling to pieces, even though they are submitting to the dreaded overflowing feed bucket, so widely feared by the thrifty Scot, and are doing a full day’s work in the collar. If you posses* the judgment necessary to breed constructively the best draught horse in the world, you must possess the intelligence to feed him out to the limit of his size without ruining him.