ENGLISH SHIRE 147 



busy farmer, or even the agricultural student, should 

 go into the innumerable petty historical details, many 

 of which are unverified. It is far better to learn the 

 characteristics of a good animal, secure him, and then 

 acquire the skill and knowledge necessary to preserve 

 the standard of excellence already attained; or better 

 still, to raise the standard higher. It matters little 

 now whether the ancestor of your horse, fifteen gene- 

 rations removed, was Flying Childers, Periwinkle or 

 Snodgrass. Those who desire a more extended historical 

 sketch than is here given can secure it by reading 

 some of the works devoted to this breed. 



ENGLISH SHIRE 



This breed of horses is so nearly like the Clydesdale 

 that it hardly merits a distinctive name. It would be 

 less misleading if it were called English Clydesdale. 

 Most characteristics are common to both breeds. The 

 Shires brought to the United States are, as a rule, 

 splendid animals. They are close -ribbed, have a trifle 

 shorter legs, and are a shade larger than the Clydesdale. 

 Whether these slight changes have been brought about 

 largely by selection, or by a slight infusion of some 

 closely allied blood, or by both, we do not know, 

 and it matters little whether the petty details of the 

 methods used are ever known. It is enough to know 

 that the Shire horse gets a grand inheritance in the 

 main, if not entirely, from that valuable old breed, the 

 Clydesdale. Perhaps it may be well, after all, that this 

 off -shoot of the Clydesdale has been given another name, 



