69 



would go and buy a three-year-old filly from an Irish 

 drove, that three-year-old would keep growing into 

 money. 



The purchaser might keep her for two years, 

 and then sell her as a five-year-old at a profit ; and, 

 at the same time, instead of lying idle, the mare 

 might breed a foal, and the owner would not have 

 the expense of the keep of the brood-mare to add to 

 the cost of the foal, the brood-mare having paid for 

 her keep by being sold at a profit. That is one way 

 of making breeding pay. The other way is by 

 working the dam and thus making it earn its keep — 

 working it on the land or using it for general 

 harness purposes. Breeding from mares kept 

 solely for breeding purposes cannot have as good 

 a chance of paying as by following the above 

 alternatives. 



There is no doubt that something should be 

 done to improve our supply of mares in the country. 

 A mare as a brood-mare has no special value as she 

 ■ought to have ; and I also think that there should be 

 a class for mares that have never been put to the 

 stud, but which are suitable for breeding hunters. I 

 think that many people who have a mare, perhaps, 

 without any intention of breeding from her, might 

 say, I will show her in this class. They might show 

 her, and perhaps they might win a prize ; and that 

 very likely would be an inducement to the owner to 

 breed from that mare ; whereas, otherwise, it might 

 not have entered his head to do so. I came this 



