AGRICULTUKE AND THE HORSE. 371 



horse, could hardly expect to improve the stylish 

 breeds found South and West, and distinguished more 

 for style than any thing else. And when Ave consider 

 that it is only after we have reached many removes from 

 the thorough-bred that we have arrived at good trot- 

 ters ; when we remember that neither in shoulder, nor 

 leg, nor quarter, nor general mechanism, is there any 

 analogy between the thorough-bred as raised in Eng- 

 land and the trotter as raised in our own country, — we 

 may well ask ourselves, What advantage is to be de- 

 rived from the introduction of such animals among us ? 



*' It is because we have already what we want in the 

 way of horses that I am opposed to the introduction 

 of foreign breeds among them. Our customs and 

 modes of life, together with, perhaps, a fortunate outset 

 and certain natural advantages, have produced for us 

 better horses than we can import. If this were the case 

 with regard to our cattle, I should entertain the same 

 opinion with regard to them ; but it is not so. We 

 have, partly by accident and partly by design, been 

 engaged for years in developing a race of trotting- 

 horses; but we have not developed races of cattle 

 peculiarly adapted to the dairy or the shambles. That 

 work is still before us ; and we can only accomplish it 

 by obtaining such animals, wherever they can be found, 

 until we have established the breeds for ourselves." 



Perhaps, Mr. Chairman, I might slightly qualify some 

 of the opinions I have just quoted ; but they are, in 

 the main, correct. I recognize the value of those old 



