1837] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



199? 



future crops. On adhesive land, lorifj manure 

 from the liirm-yard also acting mechanically, l)y 

 keopinii the poll open, is not so hmding as shon 

 dung: but on ihy, sandy, hot soils, ihc dung should, 

 on the ronirary, be pcrltictly decomposed, or rot- 

 ten; and matun-e of any description should, on 

 euch land, be oidy laid on in moderate quantities 

 at one time. One sjeneral obsi'rvation may be 

 ma le regardinir all dissertations on manure, which 

 is — that as there will be diU'erent iiradiiiions both 

 of soils and tlie subsiance ot" which manures are 

 composed, we can never speak but in general 

 terms of iheir application. 



The li)llowing table will explain how many 

 heaps of manure — each containing an equal quan- 

 tity of any given amount — are requn-ed to dress 

 any field, per acre, at certain regular distances: so 

 that, by calculatiniT the solid contents of the ma- 

 nure in cubical yards, each containing 27 bushels, 

 and dividing it by the number of hea|)s, the exact 

 quantity to be laid on in each heap may be cor- 

 rectly ascertanicd: — 



No. of heaps, at 5 yds. distance. 



it 71 a 



From the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture. 

 ON THE PAST AJVD PRESENT STATE OF HORSES. 



jf cnmparahve view of the form and character nf 

 the English racer and saddle horse, during the 

 last and present ceniaries. Illustrated by eigh- 

 teen plates of horses. London: Thomas Hook- 

 ham, 15, Old Bond Street. 1836. 



We owe an apology lor our apparent neclect of 

 the author of this elegant volume. This explana- 

 tion will convey it: — We expected a knowing ar- 

 ticle from the pen of a correspondent conversant in 

 the history of the English racer, but were disap- 

 pointed till we could no longer delay, when about 

 to conclude our volume. 



The main object of his work, the author informs 

 us in the introduction to his handsome vohmie, is 

 to investigate the results of that siructural enlarge- 

 ment of animals which is unnatural, and to point 

 out those properties which may be acquired by 

 certain of them when fully reclaimed, and those 

 which they are likely to lose when in this condi- 

 tion. The investigation becomes of vast impor- 

 tance when the character of our race-liprse, and of 

 this country as the nursery of the finest horses in 

 the world, is involved in the question. That such 

 an investigation is required, not only at the hands 

 of our author, but of parliament, we may be con- 

 vinced from the melancholy fact, that our once 

 noble and matchless race of race-horses, the boast 

 ofthe country and the envy of the civilized world, 

 is degeneraiinof, and will degenerate still farther, if 

 some immediate and efficient means, such as those 

 pointed out by the author, be not adopted to arrest 

 the progress of the evil; and what constitutes an 

 aggravation of the evil, is, that it originates in the 

 avarice and cupidity of our own countrymen, and 

 in that portion too, who, of all others, in their con- 

 duct ought to be actuated by higher and purer mo- 

 tives. Instead, as in years by-gone, of emulating 



with generous rivalry, and prosecuting with lauda- 

 ble zeal, the running and breedinjx of race-horses 

 liir their own noble qualities, the sole object ofthe 

 •'turf" nowa-days seems to be to win heavy- 

 stakes, reL^ardless of the animals which are used 

 •is the instruments of avarice. The race o( the 

 day is run, and the successful competitor is per- 

 haps never more heard of This is a serious but 

 not rash accusation; it is completely proved and 

 anqily illustrated by our author, by exanq)les which 

 '•annot be controverted. A conqiarison ofthe racer* 

 ofthe last century with those now in vogue, displays- 

 a superior (ulness of lt)rm, and just that which we- 

 niiglit expect to find at a time when the tasks per- 

 lijrmed demanded a fine union of speed, stoutness,, 

 and structural powers. The race-horses ol the 

 middle of the last century, such as Sedbury. Old 

 Partner, possessed compact bodies, capacious 

 chests, powerlul stifles, fine limbs, and general 

 bearinir. The racers of a later date, such aa 

 Alambrino, Sweetbrier. Sweet-William, acquired 

 pro[>eriies even more valuable than their predeces- 

 sors. To a capacious chest and compactness of 

 body, they united strong loins, well inclined and 

 loniT shoulder-blades, covered with a great niass 

 of fine muscle, muscular arms, and strong joints. 

 'I'he speed ofthe later horses were increased whilst 

 the muscles escaped coarseness, and the constitu- 

 tion maintained its vigor. Approaching towards 

 the lermination of the last ceniur}-, the properties 

 indicative of increased speed were evolved in such 

 horses as Sharke, Johrmy, and Gimcrack. Their 

 chests were caf)acious, ribs finely hooped, shoul- 

 der-blades had a good inclination and great lenffih, 

 having a mass of m.isc.les on the arms and withers, 

 and the quarters, the placing of the hind leef, large 

 pastern joints, and back sinews, all admirable. — ■ 

 Approaching still nearer to our own times, at the 

 commencement of the present century to the days 

 of Muly Moloch, Selim, and Pericles, we find a 

 Ibrm still more favorable to speed, by a decided 

 elouffalion of the skeleton. In Ibrm, however, 

 these horses were superior to those who succeed- 

 ed, but inferior to those who preceded them. 

 They displayed lnn(;er backs, longer and heavier 

 limbs, less muscle, smaller sinews, and sharper 

 withers. They came too late in the period of the 

 turf to perform the tremendous work of iheir pre- 

 decessors, who used to run six miles carrying eight 

 stones, and heats of four carrying twelve stones. 

 The tasks had been much diminished ere they ap- 

 peared to public view. From that [)eriod to the 

 present, racers have lost much of their vigor and 

 stoutness, and their structural developement has 

 been entirely promoted for one object — speed. 

 Heavy stakes, and lowering the standard of run- 

 ning from heats to a sinirle run of short distance, 

 have been the consequences of unfortunate 

 chancres; whilst the continuance of these condi- 

 tions has been the cause of perpetuating them. 

 The result has been exceedingly unfiivorable to 

 j the character of our racers and saddle horses, pro- 

 ducing weediness, and disposing them to coarse- 

 ! ness. The long back, flat sides, long limbs, weak 

 j loins, delica*e constitutions, and strong disposition 

 to local and hereditary disease ofthe modern racer 

 , and saddle horse, are inadequate substitutes for the 

 j short back, short limbs, capacious chests, full sides, 

 ! and muscular character ofthe old racer and hunter. 

 ! Speed and weakness are no compensation for loss 

 I of vigor and stoutness. 



