lo Aug., 1910.J 



Tlie Stud Horse ludustrx. 



497 



Mr. William Taylor says: — 



The f)roportion of good animals, both male and female, is much greater now- 

 adays. I'ossibly there might be individual horses 25 years ago as good or even 

 better than now ; but putting it moderatelv, I should say there are five good ones 

 now for ever\' one there was 25 years ago. 



Mr. William Renwick thinks: — 



There may have been individual horses in his young days as good as any yet 

 seen, but the average quality is much higher now. 



In view of the improvement which is thus generally admitted to have 

 resulted from the establishment of the Clydesdale Stud Book in Scotland, 

 it is not surprising that New Zealand breeders ha\-e been able to continu- 

 ously maintain supremacy over Australian breeders as regards uniformity 

 of type, seeing that they have had the assistance and guidance of a Stud 

 Register ever since 1878. 



DUNSMORE GLOAMING. 

 Foaled 1890. Champion Shire Mare (London), 1899 and 1900. 



The Shire Horse Stud Book was established in j 880 by the Royal Shire 

 Horse Society, and the conditions of entry are a little more lenient than for 

 the Clydesdale Stud Book inasmuch as an animal having three registered 

 crosses on the sire's side and two on the dam's is eligible. Nevertheless, 

 the breed has been enormously improved during the 30 years that the 

 Stud Book has been in existence. I hope to be able to demonstrate thi.s 

 even more clearly than in the case of the Clydesdale, by the means of the 

 illustrations. They will include representations of the type prevalent be- 

 fore the establishment of the Stud Book ; and from these you will be able 

 to make comparison between the magnificent type of present day Shire 

 and representatives of the breed available before the establishment of the 

 Stud Book, but from which the present type has been developed by means 

 of the aid the Stud Book has afforded breeders in mating definite blood 

 lines possessing the characteristics required for improvement. On this 



