OBJECTIONS ANSWERED 199 



necessary," continues he, " what would become of 

 our two and three-year-old horses in the race ? We 

 find they can run full as well as those at a more 

 advanced age. In 1823 and 1824 the Craven Stakes 

 were won by two-year-olds." ^ My answer to this is 

 — first, that in my country two year or three year- 

 old colts cannot have five years' hay and corn in them; 

 secondly, / did not say it was necessary for a hunter. 

 He concludes the sentence by telling us, " / believe 

 the two-year old colts are taken from grass in September 

 to run in April." 



Now on all subjects but one I hate the words " I 

 believe." One man believes one thing, and another 

 man believes another — neither of them within two 

 distances of the mark, nor could an argument of a 

 thousand years bring them one whit the nearer. What 

 would a Cambridge Professor say to a man who 

 approached his chair and talked of believing ? " Bring 

 me demonstration. Sir," he would say, " and I will 

 listen to you ! " Now had X. B. taken the trouble 

 to inform himself on this subject before he put pen 

 to paper, he would have found that no two-year-old 

 colt taken from grass (which in the sense he applies 

 it, in opposition to com, of course means grass only) 

 in September ever did, or — we may safely add — ever 

 wiU, win the Craven. He would have found that such 

 colts have as much corn as they can eat from the time 

 they leave the dam, and even before they are weaned ; 



1 In 1823, by the Duke of Rutland's b. c. Scarborough by Catton, 

 dam by Haphazard ; in 1824, by Lord Verulam's ro. c. Vargas, by 

 Orville out of Vittoria by Sorcerer. 



