THE PERCHEKON HORSE. 35 



a brood-mare of merit, will no longer commit the folly of 

 parting with her for a price which would be ridiculous. 



There is such extreme delicacy in the manner of distribut- 

 ing these prizes, that I scarcely dare refer to it. 



The members of the council-board, who have the ap- 

 propriation for the prizes, should have naturally and right- 

 fully the honor of awarding them. I would then wish, 

 that in each district (what I am about to say excludes the 

 public fairs, in which a jury, numerous, and consequently 

 never unanimous in opinion, opposes the execution of a 

 uniform idea), the council-board and the council of the 

 district, charged at the same time with, the establishment 

 of the Stud-book, of which I will speak in a separate 

 chapter, should be willing to accept this mission, which they 

 would perform with the aid of the inspector-general of 

 the Stud-stables. Each year, by their care, the mares of 

 a district would be scrupulously examined and classed for 

 the prize. 



These premiums should be granted for eight years, to 

 the best three-year-old fillies, to which this distinction 

 would give the entrance upon the Stud-book. In the first 

 year of the establishment of this book, destined to contain 

 the genealogical documents relative to the celebrities of 

 the race, the mares above three years, which have been 

 found worthy to be inscribed, should be likewise given 

 prizes, and this same should be allowed them as a pension 

 up to the age of ten years. 



These inducements should be annual, and kept up as 

 long as the prize-mare is kept as a breeder and in proper 

 condition, that is to say, sound of wind, and exempt from 

 the glanders. Other blemishes, the natural consequence 

 of work and age, might be tolerated. 



Following the same system and conditions, similar 

 prizes should be awarded to stallions, without paying 

 attention to rewards which they may have received from 

 other quarters. But as the resources of which a depart- 



