horses, but, knowing what I do, I never think I have said enough. I have hinted at the great difference between the want of care and attention taken by the breeders of horses in their selection of stallions, as compared with that taken by the same class of persons breeding cattle, sheep and pigs, and think I have not overstated the truth. Every person who has seen the great change which has taken place in the quality of the animals produced throughout England, Ireland and Scotland (horses only excepted) will admit that the improvement of them is marvellous; while horses alone have become deteriorated almost in the same degree. Why is this? It is because they have all had more care bestowed upon them; the production even of pigs has been more actively cared for than the breeding of thorough-bred horses (except by racing men for racing purposes.) It is simply because the breeders of the inferior animals, since the establishment of agricultural societies, have been well rewarded with prizes, while the best thoroughbred horses in England, the most important class to our national welfare, have been very much neglected. The prizes given to every class of bullock, sheep, and pig, male and female, of every age, have so far exceeded those given to thoroughbred horses, that the latter have not been worth competing for. That is not the only reason; there is another important one. It is that formerly the Royal Plates, of £100 each were given for competition, all over England for four year old horses carrying 10 stone 4 lbs.; five years old, 11 stone 6 lbs.; six and aged, 12 stone, and decided in four mile heats. These prizes were a great inducement to breeders to endeavor to get horses of size and substance, and to keep them when got. As long as these Royal Plates were given to horses carrying these high weights, strong thoroughbred horses were bred and kept, which in the end broke down, and became the most valuable acquisition to breeders of horses in all parts of the country. Having become blemished, they were no longer desired by foreigners, and continued the remaining portion of their lives at home, helping to produce a race of horses with size, substance, blood, and action. From their stock the most valuable hunters, hack, and carriage horses were selected, and from the less well favored the cavalry was especially well mounted. Our horses were then the envy of the whole of Farope. These Royal Plates for high weights and long distances brought up our horses to this point of excellence; so long as they were so given, so long we kept our supremacy; but, by some unfortunate influence, the conditions were altered, and lighter weights and shorter distances allowed. From this point I date, under my own observation, the commencement of the deterioration of our thoroughThis is 14 pounds to the stone. bred horses, and consequently of those of every day use. I saw the commencement of the evil; I now see the consequence. There was no longer any inducement to breeders to retain their great strong two year old colts; they could not run at that age, neither could they at three years old struggle with moderate sized horses. The best horse ever produced in England could not race at two nor at three years old; he was not only the fastest and the stoutest of any period, but he was one of the most powerful; this horse was Eclipse. If he had been of these days, in all probability his fate would have been sealed at three years old; he would have been sold as a great slow brute to some foreigner coming among us to make such purchases at a small sum, as most of our large sized unfurnished horses have been, till there is hardly one left. Since there is nothing further to run for at four years old, they must be sold. I can speak positively from my own knowledge to this state of things; the alteration of these plates and other turf arrangements have combined to produce quite another class of race horse—a slippery, slender, small horse, that comes quickly to perfection, and as quickly passes away. The adoption of handicaps at all country races is another evil; nearly all the important races are handicaps, instead of weight for age. This tends to make all horses equal, and give to all, good and bad, an equal chance of winning; speed is substituted for substance; horses are tried at two years old for speed; if slow, they are cast, and the expense of training stopped. This promotes sport and produces betting; and therefore answers the purpose of sportsmen, but is ruinous to the national supply of horses. Sportsmen are anxious to make their own game; they do make it by these means, but the national interest is not served. The nation should take care that the nation's horses are not ruined by giving money to produce that end. The Royal Gifts were bestowed expressly with the national object of improving our general breed of horses, which was brought to a high state of perfection by the means used. The conditions of the plates were altered, we have failed in our aim, and now have two classes of horses-blood horses without substance, and strong horses without blood. Both are bad for common purposes. We want the combination of strong blood horses with the country mares of all kinds. We shall get it by retracting our steps and returning to the old plan—the Royal Plates for four year olds, 10 stone 4 lbs.; for five, 11 stone 6 lbs.; six and aged, 12 stone; not four mile heats, as of old, but one four mile race. This, I think, must be the starting point, if we are ever to recover our lost position, for fine strong blood horses. Nothing can be expected from turf arrangements, wretched as the system is, of making good and bad equal, and destructive as it is to the quality of our horses, it does promote sport and it does produce betting the final object of keeping race horses. It would be a great stimulus to the recovery if His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, (who well knows the value of blood in horses ridden across the country) were to add some Royal Plates for the same high weights, varying the distance to a race of three miles. The money given by lords, lieutenants of counties, members of parliament, and for town plates, should all be given with the national interest in view, and this would assist very much to expedite the improvement. This should be followed up by agricultural societies' prizes for these horses, as though they were of equal importance with cattle, sheep, and pigs; prizes should be given for thoroughbred horses of three, four, five years, and aged horses, such as have served mares during the season as country stallions, at a country price; blemishes should not exclude, but only lame feet, unsound wind, spavins and curbs, all of which may effect the rising generation. Prizes for geldings seem to me to be unnecessary, and can have no effect upon the object required. When a prize of £100 was given by the Royal Agricultural Society at Battersea, the best stallions were brought from all parts of the country, even a Derby winner, to whom was awarded the prize. Nevertheless the object of the society was not obtained. It is not a winner of the Derby or St. Legera horse that will never be taken from his own stable door-that should come to an agricultural show, exhibit himself there, and walk off with the prize; but it is a good strong thoroughbred country stallion that is available for the use of the ordinary mares of the country. The prize did, however, indicate a great fact, a hint suggestive of what may be done by the £100 prizes towards restoring our losses, and bringing us back again to our original position. It has illustrated the great principle that such rewards are highly esteemed by the owners of valuable horses, and will induce them to keep them to show for such prizes; and there surely is great need of them. The country is so ill supplied with thoroughbred horses that it is almost impossible to find a useful short legged thoroughbred horse that can carry 12 stone across the country. This loss is immense; there is no substitute for blood; there is no elegant carriage horse without it, no good quick stepping hack without it, and no fast, enduring hunter without a great deal of it. The anxious breeder, who knows the value of it, will say, "Where am I to find it?" I must admit that this is very difficult now; it was not so a few years since. Blood horses have been getting worse and worse. Great studs of such animals were formerly kept, and many of them, too, in my recollection, all over Yorkshire, as well as in many other counties: they occasionally won a Derby, and not unfrequently a St. Leger. Those that were not so fortunate, carried their masters with hounds; car ried their masters' huntsmen and whippers, and made valuable country stallions. Those bred now are light, weedy, powerless and worthless in every national point of view. Our cavalry must feel this wonderful falling off. If they should be again brought to contend with some hostile power, it will be seen that although we have not lost the steel of our men, we have lost the energy of our horses. Let it not be overlooked that blood gives pace; pace is power. Blood carries weight; it is said that a thoroughbred horse carrying 32 stone for four miles, beat the best and strongest horse that could be found, not thoroughbred. Blood gives life; the thoroughbred horse lives longer in work than any other. Our horses. have fallen off wonderfully since the battle of Waterloo; and those of our friends now, who were opposed to us then, have been improved as ours have been deteriorated. The Emperor of Russia also has so improved the horses of his Imperial Guard, that I believe he has 10,000 men better mounted than any 10,000 men in England, or anywhere else. The remedy is in our own hands. Let Her Majesty's plates of £100 be re-established for high weights and long distances; let the Prince of Wales throw his influence into the scales, and the nation follow the example—it is a national subject, and worthy of all the patronage that can be bestowed upon it. The Agricultural Societies of the United Kingdom should follow on with the Royal Agricultural Society, and call for weight carrying thoroughbred stallions. We may thus recover what we have lost, and again possess some useful animals, capable of doing good service to the country. Be it ever remembered that, however bad may be the horses available for the general use, those upon which the cavalry are mounted will be worse still; whilst if horses at large are better bred, the army will be better supplied. I have sent six mares fifty miles to a thoroughbred stallion that I saw at Battersea. I would advise the anxious breeder to look at those exhibited at the Royal Agricultural Show, with the view of selecting one for his purpose for the ensuing year; they are a few left, but they are few indeed. In conclusion, let me remark that most of the observations and opinions which I have expressed have not been adopted at random, as chance suggested, but have resulted from what may be called the statistics of the stable. It was my habit early in life to keep in the book for the year a detailed account of every horse I bought, his age, pedigree, color, quality, defects and native district, number him, and give him a name significant of the horse, as far as possible, to impress him on my memory. These were all entered when he was bought, and the chief incidents of his career were added from time to time afterwards. At the end of the year all these circumstances were brought together and formed a summary of the year's transactions, consisting of— The horses bought in. The horses cast and sold out; why each was cast and sold, Those that died; the cause of death, and where. At the commencement of the new year all those horses remaining in stock were re-entered by my own hand, in a new book, which stated in whose possession they were to be found, with every important particular attached to them for further observation. As the list always contained several hundred horses, a great mass of evidence grew out of it, which often forced upon my notice views which I had by no means anticipated. Such views, properly grouped and recorded, confirmed by subsequent observation, may be considered as the legitimate laws for the breeding and management of horses, based upon what our neighbors call the logic of facts. And here I mention one case in particular as to the comparative duration of life of horses. Apart from accidental circumstances, they live longer in the same kind of work, in proportion as they are employed at a pace below what they are capable of going. "Pace kills," is an old proverb, and is equally true as it is old. The cart horse, working in a cart, is old at 16, and dies out generally at about 20 years of age. The coach horse, doing the same work, is old at 20, and finishes his career at about 25. The race horse, working at the same pace will work till 30 and sometimes till 35 years old. Each class must be understood to draw weights in proportion to the weight of the horses. I note these circumstances because I consider, first, that the value of my opinions depends upon their origin; next, because I hope that others may be induced to follow up the same system of observation; and lastly, to give an instance showing how every careful record of facts becomes a substantial contribution towards the advancement of knowledge. If by my advocacy of this cause I should produce such a change in the system of breeding horses as to recover the size and substance of the thoroughbred horses of the last century, I shall have the pleasure of feeling I have done my country important service. THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF FEEDING. BY STONEHENGE. In adapting the quantity and quality of horse-keep to the wants of each horse, regard must be paid, first of all, to the small size of this animal's stomach, which affects all alike; secondly, to the work for which he is designed; and thirdly, to the peculiar constitution of each individual. From |