" fancy prices " to improve their kind in every civilised part of 

 the world, and breeding industries would not benefit were the 

 independence of the individual undermined by Government 

 help which relieved him from the necessity to exercise his 

 own energies and judgment. 



It must be said, however, that private enterprise is not 

 always wisely directed. The practice among large landed 

 proprietors and others of keeping stallions to serve the mares 

 of their tenants and others at small fees is increasing. 



It is an ungrateful task to take exception to a practice 

 which proves anxiety both to promote the welfare of the 

 tenants and to encourage the breeding of good horses ; but it 

 must be pointed oat that to keep a Thoroughbred stallion 

 to serve any or all the mares that may be brought to him, 

 tends directly to defeat the good objects in view. 



Breeding without Prejudice 



It will be seen that none of the Continental Governments 

 which devote attention to horse-breeding pin their faith to 

 one single breed and depend upon that to improve all breeds. 

 The ground plan of the system in each country is to 

 raise the standard of merit of each breed (i) by providing 

 the best procurable stallions of that breed for public 

 service at low fees, and (2) by affording the owners of 

 mares a certain range of choice in stallions, that defects 

 may be eliminated or improvement obtained by judicious 

 crossing. 



Where the system of affording owners of mares 

 opportunity for choosing among various stallions all the 

 best, of their kind has been long in vogue we see the 

 results in the shape of distinct strains which breed true to 

 type ; for example, in Hungary they have established a breed 

 of saddle-horses ; in France a distinct strain of carriage- 

 horses — the Anglc-Norman — has been established on so true 



