THe JOURNAIs 



NEW YOKK 



botanical 

 Garden. 



OF 



T^fie ©eparfment of Mgncuffure 



OP 



VICTORIA 



Vol. VIII. Part 8. 10th August, 1910. 



THE STUD HORSE INDUSTRY.* 



S. S. Cameron, D.V.Sc, M.R.C.V.S.. Chief Veterinary Officer. 



It gave me great pleasure to be again invited by your Council to assist 

 at this Convention. I ha\e previously L<^ken the opportunity of saying 

 how highly I appreciate the honour of being privileged to address the large 

 body of representative agriculturists who assemble at this gathering, 

 where one is certain of an intelligent, keen, and enthusiastic audience, 

 anxious to gather information and capable of bringing sound judgment to 

 bear on the suggestions and problems placed before it. I was also greatly 

 pleased when it was suggested I should speak to you on some horse 

 breeding matter. As most of you are aware, it is a subject on which I 

 have made close observations and which has occupied a good deal of my 

 attention during recent years, and I was glad of the opportunity to place 

 before a body of thinking men certain cogitations on the subject of stud 

 horses which have arisen in my mind through a knowledge of facts which 

 come under my notice officially. 



To me, it had often appeared anomalous that this country, with its 

 acknowledged suitability for horse breeding, could not keep itself sup- 

 plied with sires, and I have been curious to know to what extent the 

 draught horse breeders of Victoria were willing to make payment to horse 

 breeders elsewhere to keep them supplied with what they ought to be in a 

 position to supply themselves. As you know, with the exception of about 

 half-a-dozen draught stallions that are imported every year from Great 

 Britain, practically the whole of the imported stud horses that find so 

 ready a sale in Victoria come from New Zealand. Since I became 

 associated with the Stock Branch of the Agricultural Department, I 

 have had lists kept of such importations, and from these I find that during 

 the last year (ist July, 1909, to 30th June. 19 10). no less than 1,343 

 draught horses have been imported from New Zealand. This total com- 

 prises 450 geldings, 747 mares and 146 stallions. Obviously, the geldings 



* kn aldress delivered at the Eighth Annual Convention of the Chamber of Agriculture, held at 

 Ballarat, .July, 1910. 



884.5. S 



