, 1880-03-13
TuE BREEDING OF HEAVY noRsES.

From the earliest times 20 the present
day it las been great misfortune and
/ loss 10 mankind that SO little attention
has been paid to the breeding and rear
ing Of more perfect and powerful race
Of horses for heavy farm and road work,
and the use Of the city dray and large ex-
press and truck wagon. Poets, from the
sublime Job down 10 the high spirited
Byron, have been profuse In their de-
scriptions and praises IF the horse for
war, the chase and the courser, while
: historians. travellers and sportsmsn have
/ been ever eloquent over them In volumes
, of pTose. Strange that the most gener-
ally useful oi all the different breeds Of
horses should, with few exceptions, be
ignored and passed hy in silence, and 50
much be written and spoken of others
which, although requisite for special pur-
poses, and worthy OF high admiration,
have contributed less TO the benefit Of
, mankind But fortunately great change
has taken place within the past few years
III Europe as well as III America.
\ numerous society. Composed Of no.
blemen, the landed gentry, and farmers
OF Scotland. has recently been formed for
the purpose of improving the breed OF
their larger sort of horses This society
takes the name Of Clydsdale. and that
distinguished nobleman, Earl Dunmore,
has been devoting 4 considerable part Of
his time during the past two years, 10 ed
iting stud book Of their horses. classei
also AS Clydesdale The first volume Of
this has already been published, and the
matter for the second is being collected.
England Is now zealously following the
laudable example set her by Scotland,
for what has long been known as the
Shire and other Of her best large breeds
of horses The Prince Of Wales, Earl
Ellesmore, and other noblemen are CIV
ing no little attention TO the getting ont
of their stud book, and the whole landed
interest of the United Kingdom Is fast
waking up 10 the importance Of improve
ment of this mos; useful Of all their
breeds OF horses.
Within the past three years aO to
900 Suineas Isl 900 TO 5000 has been
the Common price in Great Britain for
select heavy horses forbreedins purposes,
and even 800 guineas has been refused
for a few Of the very choicest, while 90 to
so guineas $50 10 400 is the ordinary
price Of those for farm and dray work
alone. In France, Belgium, Holland,
ana few districts in Northern Germany,
prices have also advanced considerably,
and greater attention is gwen than for
merly 10 the improvement of their horses
all Of which shows the rapidly increased
interest i'll the subject abroad. Nor has
this matter been neglected IN America,
particularly in the last four years, dur
ing which time large numbers of power
ful heavy horses have been imported INTO
Canada and the l nited States from Great
Britain and France, with few also from
Flanders. The Clydesdale breed has
been more generally preferred for Canada
while the Percheron and Normandy have
taken precedence III our own country.
For the Percheron and Norman in
America stud book was published In
1871, BY Mr.. j. II. Sanders, of Chicago,
Illinois. 4 revised edition followed the
next yea-, 2l2 large octave pages, hand
got up, with numerous tine en-
Cravings The object of this stud book Is
to preserve all accurate record OF the
males and females imported from France
and their. full-bred descendants, 50 that
the public may not be imposed upon
hereafter by unprincipled dealers palming
of their inferior grades for full-breds.