The Horse-hreeding Industry in Yorkshire. 85 



with that recognition at the hands of the wool-buyer which is 

 his due. This is only another way of saying that the wool- 

 buyer frequently lacks appreciation of scientific methods ; and 

 it is true that much has yet to be learnt in this direction. But 

 the institution of such a school of textile technology as that just 

 nearing completion at Bradford, the Textile Department of the 

 University of Leeds, and certain other schools up and down 

 the country, must do much in the near future to combat this 

 unprogressive spirit. If, also, those academic agriculturists 

 who are so successfully striving to introduce " scientific 

 methods " into farming in all its phases, can formulate some 

 means whereby they may be kept in touch with the work 

 conducted and the results achieved in the institutions to which 

 reference has just been made, then they may very usefully act 

 as the redistriljutors of knowledge, to the lasting advantage of 

 those most interested. 



A. F. Baeker. 



Bradford Technical College, 

 Bradford. 



THE HORSE-BREEDING INDUSTRY IN 

 YORKSHIRE. 



At what period of history Yorkshire first became famed for 

 its horses is difficult to determine with any degree of accuracy, 

 for that would mean delving back into the obscurity of at least 

 several centuries ago. Certain it is, however, that its fame 

 as our premier horse-breeding county was firmly established on 

 a solid foundation and extended even into foreign parts already 

 over two hundred years ago, and ever since it has easily 

 maintained its foremost position as a noted horse-raising centre. 

 It is true, unfortunately, that horse-breeding operations in 

 Yorkshire, in common with those in practically every other 

 county, have suffered some decline of recent years, due to the 

 advent of the motor car and the introduction of other forms 

 of mechanical motive power on our streets. There is, accord- 

 ing to the official returns of the Board of Agriculture, a 

 reduction of nearly 17 per cent, in the number of foals 

 annually bred in the three Ridings as compared with what was 

 the case twelve years ago. The industry has suffered most 

 in the East Riding, where the decline since 1900 amounts 

 roughly to 2.") per cent. Nevertheless, Yorkshire continues 

 to make a good show as a horse-producing district, breeding 

 as it does upwards of 12,000 foals in a season, of which number 

 each Riding claims approximately one-third. The total 



