Cost of Drfedtng. 



55: 



the Royal Agricultural Society of England, is described the system of that once celebrated 

 race-horse breeding establishment. 



"A thorough-bred mare and her offspring require during the year the use and 'cream' 

 of at least three acres of good grass land, from which no hay could be made, but on which, 

 from what they would never eat on account of its becoming a little coarse, a couple of polled 

 Scottish heifers might be fattened. During the twelve months the mare would consume 

 about a ton and a half of good hay, about lo qrs. good oats, say i cwt. of bran, 2 cwt. of 

 carrots, about a gallon of linseed. The foal, presumably weaned the end of July, will take, 

 to end of year, 7 qrs. best oats, 1 1 cwt. of first-class hay, 2 tons of carrots, 270 lbs. of split 

 beans, \ cwt. linseed, 5 cwt. bran. I have not included straw in the above, but the quantity 

 required would be between five and six loads for the two." That is to say, between £a,Q) 

 and £<^o worth of food, besides the value of the grass. To this must be added the expense 

 of one or more cows, in proportion to the number of mares, to supply the foals with the milk 

 which these highly-bred dames are frequently unable to supply. 



Stallions at fees of from 25 guineas to 100 guineas, and mares purchased at from 500 

 to 1,200 guineas each, form an annual charge on the trade expenses of modern thoroughbred 

 breeding establishments. It is not, therefore, extraordinary that nearly all the undertakings on 

 a great scale (except the original Middle Park Stud) have proved eminently unprofitable. The 

 Rawcliffe and the Cobham Companies are lamentable examples of failures. 



But to turn to more modest undertakings, the following calculations, made by Mr. Edward 

 Flower, of Stratford-on-Avon, when, many years ago, he contemplated and abandoned the 

 idea of a hunter-breeding stud, will show at what expense a country gentleman, residing on 

 his own estate and cultivating a home farm, may indulge his fancy. 



It must be noted, however, that since 1850 the prices of inferior half-bred horses, which 

 sold in that year at four years old for from ;^i8 to i^20, have more than doubled, and that 

 dealers are now willing to purchase all the promising thnr-ycar-olds they can lay their hands 

 on at liberal prices. 



COST OF A WELL-BRED FIVE-YEAR-OLD, OUT OF A MARE COSTING £30. 



One year's interest on mare . . 



Ditto, insurance . . 

 Diminished value .... 

 Stallion's fee .... 



One-fourth of mares not standing 

 Keep of mare six winter months, 



at 4s. per week .... 

 Cost of foal at Michaelmas 



Keep of foal first winter 

 Si.\ months' interest 



Ditto, insurance . . . 

 Cost of yearling . . 



£ s. 

 I 10 

 I 

 3 



3 

 I 



5 4 



5 4 

 o 10 

 o 10 



£ s. d. 



20 8 o 



26 120 



s s> 



One year's keep, at 4s. 6d. per week 

 Ditto, interest . 

 Ditto, insurance 



Cost of three-year-old 



One year's keep, at 4s. 6d. 

 Ditto, interest . 

 Ditto, insurance 



Cost of four-year-old 



One year's keep, at 6s. 



Ditto, interest . 



Ditto, insurance 



Ditto, groom, at 4s. per week 



Ditto, blacksmith 

 Breaking, docking, and veterinary 

 Cost of the five-year-old 



£ 



55 6 o 



72 10 



^iio 4 



I do not charge for the keep of mare the first six 

 months, as that expense would either be chargeable on 

 previous foal, or, as a mare worth ^30, she would be 

 of some use till Michaelmas. 



