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IX. SHIRE HORSES AT ISLINGTON 



THE Londoner's comment on the * English elephants ' 

 shown at the Agricultural Hall is that they are ' all 

 alike.' So they are in general form and appearance ; 

 and as, unlike the distinct and varied breeds of pedigree 

 cattle, they are all intended for the same purpose, the 

 result is a triumph for those who, since the Shire Horse 

 Society was formed, have spent time and money in 

 producing them. 



The total number exhibited has risen to five hundred 

 and fifty-three. In 1 880, when the show was first held, 

 it was one hundred and sixty-five, and the increase of 

 numbers shown is a measure of the rise and growth of the 

 latest of the great English industries of breeding pedigree 

 stock, for which this century has been so remarkable. 

 The show, though the entries are so large, is not impres- 

 sive as a spectacle. All the stallions are shut up in high 

 loose-boxes, and can only be visited separately. The 

 mares are in stalls, and though both are in high condi- 

 tion, the back views so obtained suggest little but the fact 



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