came mixed up with the Indian Authorities and their wool-sheep 

 farming the neighboring independences and Natal had the benefit 

 of the best sires in the land. "Such worthies as Warwick, Jovial 

 Boy, Tom Tug, Turpin and many others went to improve the stock 

 of brood mares beyond the Colony's borders." However, even 

 Natal as well as the old republics were effected by several causes 

 tliat brought about the deterioration of the horse in the Colony. 

 In Natal this was largely due to the changed conditions of life, 

 brought about by the contraction of farms, better roads and loco- 

 motive power. This falling off was more marked in the riding- 

 horse. ' ' The class of horse the Uys Bros., Mr. Botha and later Mr. 

 Boshoff and others used to breed and quickly disposed of from £15 

 to £25 would not attract many purchasers now. No one cares to 

 ride eighty or one hundred miles with perhaps an extra horse can- 

 tering by his side ; still fewer are they who make from point to 

 point across country, over mountains, and through dense forests 

 and swift flowing streams." So we find that even in these Prov- 

 inces the horse material was getting less efficient ; but we are as- 

 sured that the general standard was a high one. Mr. Barter as- 

 sures us that had the horses he rode and drove found their way 

 into the stables of the great horse-breeders in England they would 

 "most certainly have been reserved to mount special favorites and 

 considered a long sight too good to be knocked about by the average 

 University man. ' ' 



In an article on "Progress in agriculture since Union" the 

 under-secretary, Mr. P. J. du Toit makes the following remarks 

 under the heading "Horses and Mules" : "We have no means of as- 

 certaining from the point of view the numbers the advance made in 

 horse-breeding since Union. The increase between the years 1904 

 and 1911, however, has been sixty percent., from 449,539 to 719,- 

 414." 



"We have a long way to go by way of improving the quality, 

 though the steady effort in this direction made — in those parts of 

 the Union most denuded of horses during the war — by the impor- 

 tations of blood stock by the government and private individuals 

 and the continuous importations by the established breeders of the 

 older parts of the Union, have made a perceptible difference. The 

 keener rivalry at our principal agricultural shows is proof of 

 this.""i 



(101) Agricultural Journal of the Union of South Africa. Vol. VI, 1913. 



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