104 Report upon the Spring Show of Thoroughbred Stallions 
to purchase his hay and corn ; unless he breeds on a large scale, 
he need be at no extra cost for labour, while his farm-buildings 
will furnish all needful accommodation. When a man has to 
buy his provender, hire the necessary land and buildings, and 
engage servants to look after mares and foals, breeding may then 
be carried on as a hobby, but certainly at a loss. Hence the 
necessity, if it is desired to increase the number of horses bred 
(of improving the stamp something will be said presently), 
of trying to induce every farmer to breed one or two colts 
annually. He can breed more cheaply than anybody else, so 
long as his breeding is strictly subservient to his farming. If 
he once reverses this order, he is nearly sure to come speedily 
to grief, for a distinction must be drawn between horse-breeding 
as an independent calling and horse-breeding as an incidental 
branch of farming. As supplementary to farming, breeding 
may or may not pay ; as an independent venture, it would in 
all probability result in failure. 
Now everything must have a beginning ; the boldest experi- 
ment ever yet taken in hand by man must have for its object the 
accomplishment of some definite purpose, which purpose will 
be less comprehensive than the whole range to be eventually 
covered when the first step shall have been successfully taken. 
In the endeavour to encourage the breeding of hunters and other 
half-bred horses, the first step must be to place within the reach 
of breeders a good sire at a reasonable fee. It is useless to 
point out to a farmer the whereabouts of a fitting sire whose 
services can only be secured at a fee of from 10 guineas upwards, 
with all the attendant expense of sending the mare and paying 
for her keep. It is true that when spread over three or four 
years there is not much difference in the cost of producing a 
colt, whether the fee for the sire be 50s. or lOZ. : but inasmuch 
as the farmer has to pav the fee down at once, the saving of 
11. 10s. is very appreciable. To provide sound sires at an 
almost nominal fee was, I take it, the first object of the Royal 
Agricultural Society in organising the Newcastle show. The 
complaint of the scarcity of horses possessing both power and 
" quality " had attracted considerable attention ; the press com- 
mented upon it, and people, not unnaturally, looked to the 
Society to take some steps in the matter. It is the mission of 
the Society to encourage live-stock of all kind, horses included. 
The project of holding the show was mooted in 1885, and a 
Committee, with the Duke of Richmond and Gordon as Chair- 
man, was forthwith appointed to draw up a scheme. The 
Committee met five times, and at the monthly Council held on 
Wednesday, the 2nd of June, lS8G, the Earl of Coventry 
presented their report, in which the Committee recommendetl 
