The Time Test. 65 



often register considerably over ioo°F. inside the stable; 

 provided always that there is a thick roof overhead, to 

 ward off the direct rays of the sun, and a free current of 

 air through the stalls. As long as these two conditions 

 are attended to, and proper stable management is ob- 

 served, it matters little how hot the air may be if it be 

 but dry. At Meean Meer, Meerut, Cawnpore, Alla- 

 habad, and Lucknow, I always found my horses " do " 

 quite as well, if not better, during the hot months than 

 in the cold weather, while the opposite was the case to a 

 marked degree in Bengal, the atmosphere of which 

 during the great heat is laden with moisture. The ex- 

 perience of private breeders, and of the officers of the 

 Indian studs, also, conclusively proves that it is a hope- 

 less task to endeavour to breed good horses in a warm, 

 damp climate. The only drawback to breeding in a hot, 

 dry climate is the difficulty in obtaining suitable forage. 

 In India and the colonies much importance is at- 

 tached to the " time test," as the majority of race- 

 courses in those countries are very similar to each 

 other, being " dead " level and light "going." In Eng- 

 land, however, this criterion of speed is regarded as 

 being valueless, on account of the great variety in the 

 different courses and in the nature of the weather from 



6 



