40 AGRICULTURAL WRITERS. 



the country from Flanders, Spain, and the East during the two previous 

 centuries, the horse does not appear to have shown any great improve- 

 ment, and it was left to King Henry VIII., who was always fond of show 

 and splendour, to make new laws regarding them. He affixed a certain 

 standard below which no horse should be kept ; the lowest height for 

 the stallion was 15 hands, and for the mare 13 hands, and even before 

 they had arrived at their full growth no stallion above 2 years old and 

 under 14^ high was permitted to run on any forest, moor, or common 

 where there were mares. 



At Michaelmastide the neighbouring magistrates were ordered to 

 " drive " the forests and commons and destroy all not likely to produce 

 a valuable breed. He likewise ordered that in every deer park a certain 

 number of horses, in proportion to its extent, and each at least 13 hands 

 high, should be kept ; and that all his prelates and nobles and " all those 

 whose wives wore velvet bonnets " should keep stallions for the saddle 

 at least fifteen hands. These ordinances, however, perished v/ith the 

 King by whom they were promulgated, but they no doubt helped to 

 improve the breed, although it could not have contributed largely to the 

 number, for we are told that when Queen Elizabeth was expecting the 

 arrival of the Spanish Armada she could barely muster a regiment of 

 cavalry to oppose her enemy, and these mounts are described as " strong 

 and heavy beasts, but fit only for slow draught." 



About the time of the Restoration the value of the Arab seems to 

 have been discovered, and a fine specimen was purchased for King 

 James by Mr. Markham, probably the writer on husbandry whose works 

 are referred to later on, a new impulse being given to the cultivation of 

 the horse by the inclination of the Court to patronise gaiety. Race 

 meetings had for some time been established, and Royal plates were 

 given at the principal meetings. Many sportsmen were induced to send 

 to the East for numbers of this fleet-footed breed for the sake of getting 

 light and fine horses for speed, and from this period onwards the system 

 of improvement has been zealously followed until we now possess horses 

 of unequalled beauty, speed, and strength. 



It seems remarkable that about this time two of the most popular 

 plants of the present day should have been brought into this country, 

 introduced by the same man. Sir Walter Raleigh — I refer of course to 

 tobacco, now the greatest leaf luxury of life, and the potato, "the bread 

 root " of the British Isles. They were both looked upon at first as 

 poisonous, and now their consumption is among the largest of vegetable 

 products. 



Although the potato was known to English botanists before 1596, 

 horticulture was too ignorantly practised in this country to admit its 

 rapid introduction among our cultivated crops. Thus in 1619 they were 

 an expensive luxury, for in that year of King James's reign a small dish 

 of them provided for his Queen's table cost is. per pound ; but what is 



