72
2. Depot
of
Nagy-Koros.
There are 799 stallions in this depôt and its sub-depôts. They are classified
as follows:—73 thorough-bred English, 325 half-bred English, 10 Norfolk,
33 Lippican, 33 thorough-bred Arab, 110 half-bred Arab, 131 Norman, and 95
native Hungarian.
The area of this depôt includes the basin of Pesth between the Theiss and
the Danube, and the south-eastern portion of the great Plain of Lower Hun-
gary, and comprises 14 counties.
3. Depot
of
Debreczin.
This depôt and its four sub-depôts contains 618 stallions, which are thus
classified:—65 thorough-bred English, 199 half-bred English, 6 Norfolk, 9
thorough-bred Arab, 114 half-bred Arab, 87 Norman, 74 Lippican, and 64
native Hungarian. This depôt extends over 21 counties in the north-east of
Hungary.
4. Depot
of
Szepsy-szeut-
Gyorgy.
This depôt is in Transylvania, and contains 315 stallions distributed over
three sub-depôts. They are classified as follows:—16 thorough-bred English,
75 half-bred English, 9 thorough-bred Arab, 60 half-bred Arab, 76 Lippican,
37 Norfolk and Norman.
This depôt is for the whole of Transylvania, in the deep valleys and hilly
districts of which are bred riding horses rather light of bone and of medium
height, while in the mountains one finds a smaller breed of great strength and
endurance.
5. Depot
of
Warasdin.
This depôt is not, properly speaking, a Hungarian establishment, as it
extends over Croatia and Slavonia.
The total number of stallions in the depôts is thus classified:—252
thorough-bred English, 27 thorough-bred Arab, 1,001 half-bred English, 356
half-bred Arab, 413 Norman, 210 Lippican, 40 Norfolk and native Hun-
garians.
Between the years 1859 and 1878 the numbers of mares covered in
Hungary by Government stallions amounted to 800,000, and these figures
have increased enormously since that time. At present a very large propor-
tion of the horses in Hungary are the descendants of well-bred Government
stallions.
The qualities of the horses are, of course, chiefly attributed to their
origin, but the localities of the various districts, climatic conditions, soil,
vegetation, and differences in the treatment and employment of the horses have
all had their share in the modification and preservation of the various types.
The Kingdom of Hungary, 125,039 square miles in extent, has 30 per
cent. of its area covered with high mountains, 20 per cent. hills and fertile
valleys, 15 per cent. fertile land intersected by hills and grass prairies, and
the rest treeless plains. The great plains, though fertile, are subjected to
prolonged periods of drought, which results in deficiency of pasture, and good
crops cannot be depended on. These conditions are not favorable for horse-
breeding, yet the natural predilection of the inhabitants for the horse and the
poor communications of the country have together brought about the present
satisfactory results. The railways of Hungary are comparatively few and the
roads very bad, those on the great plains being almost impossible to keep in
order owing to the absence of stone. It is therefore quite natural for the
people to occupy themselves with horse-breeding, and their preference for the
light draught and saddle horses of Oriental type is logical, as these animals
enable them to cover the long sandy stretches in the dry season and to get
through the mud in the rainy season.
According to the last census, Hungary had 2,158,000 horses, or 385 per
square mile (Austrian), and 140 per 1,000 inhabitants. This average varies
greatly in different districts: for example, in the county of Mormoras there
are only 80 horses per square mile and 68 per 1,000 inhabitants, while in
Torontal there are 1,228 horses per square mile and 354 per 1,000 inhabit-
ants.
Public and pri-
vate
institu-
tions for im-
hrovement of
porse-breeding.
Superior Advisory Commission.—One of the guiding principles followed
by the Minister of Agriculture in the administration of the Government
breeding establishments is not to act exclusively on the advice of his sub-