70 



afternoon quite unprepared to address you,- 'and I 

 beg you to excuse all my shortcomings. r • ■-,■• 



1 wrote a letter to the Field last week, which 

 expresses my views more clearly than I havie been 

 able to express them to you now. With regard to a 

 stud-book, that is an idea to which there are a great 

 many objections. I think that more people object 

 to it than approve of it, and I proposed, as you may 

 see in my letter to the Field, an alternative which 

 might improve the breed of brood-mares without 

 establishing a stud-book. It was that all mares whO' 

 win prizes, or are commended at the Shows, should 

 be entered in a book, and that this book should, not 

 be called a stud-book, but " Hunters' Prize Book." 

 Prize stallions would be entered in the same way, 

 and, of course, if the produce of the jDrize mare and 

 the prize stallion again got entered in this book, .that 

 animal would be very valuable as a brood-mare. I 

 think this would add a sreat deal to the value of the 

 brood-mares in this country, and perhaps the owners 

 ot good animals would be very likely to think twice 

 before parting with them. By this means they are 

 more likely to be kept in the country instead of going 

 out of it. 



The Chairman then put the question, which 

 was carried unanimously. 



Mr. Walter Gilbey, in reply, said : Mr. Chair- 

 man, my Lord Duke, my Lords and Gentlemen, I 



