462 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



have above counselled ; or, if he can do him 

 justice himself, then let him shew him with 

 fox-hounds, after a course of proper treatment 

 and training." 



The writer seems to infer that young blood- 

 stock, unless with decided early pretensions 

 for racing, might be bought worth the money 

 for a farmer to speculate upon. This we 

 think very probable ; for when men act upon 

 artificial or conventional rules, how often may 

 they be deceived? If a colt does not come 

 up to their standard of perfection, he is con- 

 sidered worthless. The very form which they 

 object to, may be designed by Nature to fur- 

 nish, at maturity, a most splendid animal. It 

 would be interesting to trace the lives of those 

 animals who may have been turned out 

 of the stud through fashion or caprice. We 

 have no doubt in many cases, between those 

 turned off and those kept, it would prove as 

 often in the favour of the " disowned," as tlie 

 retained. 



We have often been surprised to see the 

 difference in prices fetched by blood-stock. 

 We have noticed brood-mares stinted to capi- 



tal stallions, in sales, knocked down for the 

 contemptible price of eighteen pounds ! 



At such prices no farmer could run any risk, 

 if he could make a hunter of her progeny. If 

 a farmer could procure dams of undoubted 

 pedigree, at moderate prices, he will always 

 find stallions enough to put them to. There is 

 no difficulty in the present diffusion of racing- 

 blood to prevent a farmer taking the oppor- 

 tunity of watching the sales of racing-stock, 

 where he might find dams at moderate 

 prices ; which, even should they not be of 

 the prevailing fashionable blood, they are 

 quite equal for all his purposes. He might 

 select his stallions from those of the greatest 

 substance. 



It never entered into the calculation, we 

 suppose, of farmers breeding hunters from 

 tliorough-blood stock ; therefore we have 

 thought it our duty to lay before tliem the 

 opinions of a writer, whom we believe quite 

 competent to give advice, and leave it to the 

 judgment of our readers to decide upon 

 adopting it or not, should they have the op- 

 portunity of trying it. 



