72 



still yearly going on ; and " while the grass is grow- 

 ing the steed is starving." 



It has been stated that in certain parts of 

 England, where thoroughbred stallions have been 

 located, they have not been patronised by farmers 

 and others. This does not coincide with my ex-- 

 perience, neither with the experience quoted by His 

 Grace the Duke of Westminster. My stallions are 

 well patronised, the service fees regularly paid, and 

 yet they do not travel, but serve mares at the 

 Elsenham Paddocks. 



On the all-important point of breeding, I should 

 scarcely have ventured to make the propositions I 

 have done here to-day if I could not have supported 

 them by quotations from well-informed writers, giving 

 many satisfactory results of mating thoroughbred 

 stallions with the heavy breed of draught-mares. 

 I am sorry circumstances do not allow of' my 

 reading many letters on this subject, received from 

 practical breeders, expressing, as they do, approval 

 of my ideas in regard to this system of breeding. I 

 regret also that Mr. G. M. Sexton has been prevented 

 attending this meeting ; it was his intention to be 

 here. His experience is interesting. He has been 

 successful in breeding three years in succession from a 

 draught-mare, and each year by different thorough- 

 bred stallions. The produce — three in number — 

 he has sold when young, realizing nearly ^600, 

 and they have turned out very valuable weight- 

 carrying hunters. I could enumerate many other 



