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THE HEAVY HORSE MARKET. 



Purity of strain is certainly the correct thing for 

 stud, showyard, and crossing purposes, but the re- 

 quirements of the heavy horse market are: — weight, 

 durability, soundness, and activity. When these 

 qualifications are combined in a horse, commercial 

 men are not inclined to inquire much about pedigree. 

 Style and quality are certainly beautiful accompani- 

 ments in a cart horse, but they are not indispensible 

 necessities like substance and power. 



The primary object in breeding heavy horses for 

 profit must be for the streets, when prices ranging 

 from £^0 to £120 can readily be obtained for the 

 better class of heavy, sound horses. The days for 

 breeding a lighter class of horses for purely agricultural 

 purposes are past, because American horses can be 

 purchased for £2^ or £'^0, which prove fairly useful in 

 working the lighter class of farms. It must not be 

 supposed, however, that American horses are equal to 

 take the regular place of British agricultural horses 

 on heavy land. This idea looks all very well in theory 

 upon paper, but in practice it is almost impracticable. 

 Many farmers who have tried Ameri*,ans will readily 

 confirm this opinion. They are useful in filling up 

 gaps, and, with the misfits for the streets, the two 

 classes combined are generally to be found in suffi- 

 cient numbers to meet the customary waste in 

 agriculture. So far, America has been unable to 

 produce the class of horses required for the London 



