THE ADVANTAGES OF THE GAME 339 



The Statistics. 



Eleven million pounds capital invested in hunting, and six-and-a-half 

 millions spent annually in pursuing it, sounds incredible, but by quoting 

 freely from a very able article on our national sport, written by Mr. Harry 

 R. Sargent, which appeared in the Sportsman of December 8th last, I shall 

 have very little difficulty in bringing these facts home to the minds of those 

 most acquainted with the expenses of hunting and its unrivalled powers as 

 a circulating medium of the coin of the realm. 



In the annual table of packs of hounds kept in Great Britain, which was 

 given in the Field of October 20th, we learn that there are no less than 364, 

 which includes stag, fox hounds, and harriers (it is worth noting that this 

 is an increase upon all previous years), and that the number of couples of 

 hounds which go to make up these packs is no less than 10,267, and that 

 between them they meet some 928 times per week. Now, the cost of 

 hunting a country, which includes keep of hounds and of the Masters' and 

 hunt servants' horses, saddlery and livery, also poultry and damage fund, 

 has been found to work out, one country with another, at £6=)0 per day for 

 fox hounds, £550 for stag, and £^200 for harriers. 



Thus, a four-day-a-week pack like the Essex would cost ^2,600 annually. 

 As a matter of fact, it costs a good deal more, but there are others which 

 cost less, so we will be content with this average, and also for the sake of 

 easier calculation take the number of packs as 360, and couples of hounds 

 at 10,250. We will further assume that each hunt averages 100 men, who 

 keep three horses apiece, and that the same horses are worth at least ^80 

 each, costing 15s. a head per week to keep, and 15 per cent, on the original 

 outlay to replace, and further in explanation of the figures of the capital 

 account (the cost of renewal has been already dealt with), that each hunt 

 averages out ten horses, worth ^50 each, for the use of the staff, and not 

 less than ^35 worth of saddlery, horse clothing and stable furniture, and 

 ;^io worth of livery, not forgetting that the ordinary man who follows 

 hounds cannot hunt without clothes— (by-the-bye, Mr. Sargent in his inte- 

 resting figures says nothing about the ladies who hunt ; he ought to have 

 clapped on another million under this head) — and that a ;^30 wardrobe 

 costing ;^io a year to keep up, and £25 worth of saddlery, with a 5 per cent, 

 depreciation, are figures well within the mark, and that even in these 

 impecunious times hounds are worth not less than ^Tsoo a pack (the Essex 

 would be cheap at ^2,000). 'We shall, without taking breath, arrive at the 

 following figures : — 



Number In veiled Yearly Cost 



Private Stables : 



Hunters 108,000 at 4^80 ... /,'8,640,ooo ... ^4,212,000 



Renewal of ditto at 15 



percent -• .. — ••• .^1,296,000 



Clothes and saddlery... — .. ;^i,96o,ooo ... Z540,ooo 

 Hunt Establishments: 



Packs of hounds ... 360 ... ;{;iSo,ooo) 



Servants' horses ... 3,600 at ^50 ... ;^i8o,ooo ^450,000 



Clothes and saddlery... — ... .^i9>8oo) 



360 packs ... 111,600 hunters ... ;^io,979>8oo .. ;^6,498,ooo 



These figures are not at all overdone, but very possibly give rise to the 

 question on the part of many— Why spend so much money on sport ? Let 

 these, however, reflect upon the numerous channels through which this 

 money circulates. Commencing with the farmer, who breeds and sells 

 horses for the purpose, finding also a ready market for his best oats, hay 

 and straw ; of hay I -would remark that hunting men will have thc^ best. What 

 they dont like, and that ivhich so often makes them resort to the middleman, thus 



