Annual. Meeting 1061 



done ill other countries and it is encouraged bj the government 

 by the payment of a large amount for this purpose. The govern- 

 ment is also certain of the best purchasers of the horses that are 

 bred. All this should be taken into consideration, and in drafting 

 a bill I think it should be very carefully considered; for I 

 think it is one of the most important things in this state, since 

 the breeding of horses here is certainly at a very low ebb. We 

 breed no class of horses that is perfectly adapted to any one 

 particular purpose. Take these draft horses — nearly all the 

 farm horses come from the West. We should breed them at 

 homo. Our cavalry horses are not what they should be; we are 

 breeding very few first-class cavalry horses. And the standard 

 of horses of course, at the present time, has come down to a 

 point of mere speed alone; it makes it almost valueless for any 

 other purpose. 



I hope you will persevere in this matter, and that the Commis- 

 sioner will have encouragement to sanction a bill that is going 

 to alleviate this question. 



Mr. Huson : I know you are glad to have Mr. Powell's views 

 on this subject, and the reason I called upon him especially is the 

 fact that he is not now engaged in horse-breeding. His view 

 of the subject cannot be taken as the view of a man now engaged 

 in the industry, to be personally affected by anything that might 

 be done or recommended; his view is not from the personal 

 standpoint, but the broad, state-wide view as to what policy we 

 ought to pursue in the interests of the state at large. He brought 

 out two very important suggestions, which I think go almost to 

 the foundation of this subject; one is that it is not every well- 

 bred sire that is fit to serve as the sire of our future generation 

 of horses — that something more is required than pedigree. The 

 pedigree goes for something; a well-bred animal is better than 

 an animal of the same type without breeding, yet it is not every 

 well-bred animal that is fit for public service. Kot only should 

 we have the breed, but also the type of animal representative of 

 that breed. 



Another suggestion which he made, and which I hope will 

 receive general discussion here, is in regard to the availability 

 for public service of the highest type of stallion. I hope the 



