198 CONTAGIOUS DISEASES OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS, 



ENGLISIT AND SCOTOII DRAFT HORSES. 



Another very proiiiiiieiit feature of the Engiisli and Scotch show-yards 

 was tlie cart or draft lior-es, the Clydesdales taking- the lead in Scotland 

 and the shire horses in England. So much cross'ug and mingling of 

 blood has been practiced by the horse breeders of these two countries 

 that it is really very difficult to tell where the one leaves off and the 

 other begins. In fact, I have never yet been able to find a horseman 

 whose eye was critical enough to enable him to say positively whether 

 a given animal belonge.l to the one or the other bred, unless he knew 

 beforehand who the animal belonged to, or where it came from. But 

 as each breed now has its own stud-book it is not unlikely that a greater 

 distinction than is now apparent may grow up in the near future. Judg- 

 ing by what appeared to be the prevailing type of the two breeds, as I 

 saw them, I,should say, if there is any difference in them, that the shire 

 horse was relatively better and stronger in the heart, back, and flank, 

 than his Scotch rival ; but, as before remarked, the most critical horse- 

 man would be puzzled to give a good reason why they might not be 

 classed as one and the same breed. They are certainly most excellent 

 horses, and for heavy draft it is doubtful if their sujjeriors can be found 

 in any country. Large numbers of them are now annually being taken 

 to the United States, the honors being about equally divided between 

 them and the Percheron horses of France. The Clydesdale and the 

 Shire horses have each had a stud-book for some 5 or G years past, and 

 the effect has doubtless been to cause greater attention to be paid to 

 genealogy than was possible under the former order of things ; and } 

 American importers now have a much more reliable guaranty of purity 

 of blood than they could possibly have without these published records. .. 

 With the publication of the Percheron stud-book, to which I have be- m 

 fore alluded, it may now be said that our American importers have a * 

 stud or herd book to rely upon for every breed of horses and cattle that 

 is brought to our country, whether from Great Britain or the Conti- 

 nent. 



DANGERS FROM INFECTIOUS DISEASES. — SUGGESTIONS AFFECTING 

 OUR EXPORTS OF LIVE CATTLE. 



In conclusion permit me to say that I am aware of the fact that I have 

 only imperfectly covered the subjects to which my attention was directed 

 by you in my appointment. The time which I was able to give to each 

 branch of the subject was necessarily brief; and some of them I have 

 been compelled to forego almost entirely. I cannot close, however, 

 without again calling attention to the very general prevalence of foot- 

 and-mouth disease among the cattle of Great Britain, and the great dan- 

 ger which exists of the transportation of this pest to our own herds and 

 flocks, through the frequent importations that are now being made from 

 that country. The system of quarantine now being maintained by our 



