24 DETERIORATED CONDITION OF 



races, making no allowance for age. How 

 many of such races should be run in the course 

 of a season can only be finally determined by 

 gradually feeling our way in the new direction. 

 For the first few years the aggregate amount 

 of bounties annually required would be much 

 greater than after sufficient time had elapsed 

 for importing a considerable amount of fresh 

 blood. 



Goverment would only have to determine 

 the nature of the tasks to be performed for 

 which it granted the new bounties, leaving to 

 the owners of the horses to find out the best 

 mode of managing them. This would not fail 

 to succeed if Government only sternly main- 

 tained a fixed standard for measuring the 

 powers of the horses. Under this four miles 

 with heats should be the shortest distance run 

 for which the new bounties were granted. One 

 or two races in the year should be five miles and 

 heats. We need not fear the effect of these 

 distances being evaded, as is now the case with 

 the four mile race, yet maintained by allowing 

 the horses that start for it to do little more 

 than canter during a great part of the race. 

 Why ? Simply because now the proprietors 



