J72 AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE. 



bad, uneven roads. A horse for drawing loads, to be well 

 formed ought to be high in front, having high and projecting 

 withers, large chest, front legs strong and set well apart, 

 back and loins straight, hindquarters a little depressed, 

 muscular, short in the flank, large sinews. With such a 

 shape a horse is solid and able to resist knocks upon uneven 

 roads and the weight which presses when going down hill. 

 To be fiery is a fault in a plough horse, or for drawing heavy 

 loads on uneven roads. A strong, slower horse is better ; 

 he resists fatigue longer, and does more service. 



Clydesdales and Suffolks. The Clydesdale is well 

 esteemed in Australia for heavy work, and for giving 

 strength to lighter animals. But in the eyes of not a few 

 good judges the Suffolk Punch is looked upon as the most 

 uniform of cart horses in shape, style, action and colour. 

 There is a theory that the generally-prevailing colour was 

 obtained long ago from a cross with horses imported from 

 Norway brought over by the " Hardy Norsemen." There 

 is not much similarity now existing between the Norfolk 

 trotter and the Suffolk Punch, but it seems to be recog- 

 nised as a fact that sufficient family likeness still exists 

 to stamp them as being of a common origin. According 

 to Arthur Young, who wrote a century ago, there were 

 then but two pure-bred varieties of cart horses in England, 

 and these were the large black or old English, and the 

 sorrel Suffolk Punch. The farmers of a portion of East 

 Anglia have for generations stuck to this breed, and have 

 good reasons for doing so. 



Breeding Horses. The draught horse and the 

 roadster offer the best prospects. There are two classes 

 of draughts, the light and heavy. The lighter and more 

 active draught are more properly omnibus or light cart 

 horses. Given a 12001b. mare, whether we get a light 

 draught or heavy depends on two things, the selection of 

 a sire, and the feed. The light draught or spring cart 

 horse should weigh from 1350 to 14301b., have good action 

 and definite colour. He should not be a dun, a light sorrel 

 or light grey, or have a white face or a glassy eye, and 

 must have good clean limbs and fair style. He may be 

 over four years old and well broken to harness. Even :v 



