Annual, Meeting 1057 



years, been fast disappearing, and it has become a very serious 

 condition of affairs. Now if the breeding of this type of horse 

 is not stimulated, it will mean our cavalry and mounted police 

 will have to dismount. One-tenth of the police horses in this 

 state have to be replaced each year, due to accident, sickness and 

 death ; likewise the 28,000 horses in our United States army. 

 Horses of the above conformation, etc., will bring a handsome 

 return. 



How are we to rectify this condition ? First of all, estab- 

 lish a pixjficient law to regulate stallion service. It, of itself, 

 will be educational; as I have said, a campaign of education. 

 Our agricultural societies should lend more encouragement than 

 they do. Money premiums should be more attractive. They 

 should gradually refuse applications from any but pure-blood 

 stallions, with certificates of registration. Of course there are 

 exceptions to this, in rare cases. It seems to me that considering 

 the amount the state subsidizes for the promotion of agricultural 

 interests, the management should pay strict attention to the pro- 

 motion of live-stock interests within its domain, especially the 

 horse. It is up to us who are interested along this line to prove 

 to the farmer that it is profitable business to breed his mares to 

 pure-blood stallions. The kind depends on the geographical loca- 

 tion, and the offspring will be of some account. The cost of rais- 

 ing a colt to marketable age, according to statistics, is about 

 $175. This same animal to-day will bring on the open market 

 $250 to $300, with plenty of buyers. 



Now I feel that New York State should be an exporting in- 

 stead of an importing state. This not only holds good as far as 

 horses go, but other agricultural products as well. According to 

 the last census our state has 214,650 farms. Of these, 93.6 

 per cent, or 200,989, reported domestic animals; 86.7 per cent, 

 or 186,164 of which were horses. And during the last decade 

 there has been a decrease of 38,288 in the number of horses. 

 But the value of the horse in 1910, compared with the value in 

 190O, is $30,912,000 more, an increase of 66.5 per cent. ; this 

 should be encouraging to the horse-breeder, since it shows a steady 

 increase in the face of the automobile as an efficient competitor. 

 The census also shows how few colts are being raised in this 



