580 = 314 
Practical Agriculture. 
better keep than the Suffolks, A society, with a " Clydesdale 
Stud Book," has been established under the leadership of the 
Earl of Dunmore, Lord Rosebery, the Duke of Richmond and 
Gordon, and other eminent breeders. 
Breeders. Among the most noted studs are those of the late Sir W. 
Stirling-Maxwell, at Keir, Dunblane ; Mr. Lawrence Drew, of 
Merryton, Hamilton, Lanarkshire ; Lord Polwarth, of Mertoun 
House, St. Boswell's : Mr. R. Tweedie, of Catterick, York- 
shire ; Mr. Muir, of Loch Fergus, Kirkcudbright ; Her Majesty 
the Queen. 
The principal fairs for Clydesdales are at Glasgow, Ruther- 
glen, Dumfries, Edinburgh, and Ayr. 
Old-Englisli or Old-English or Shire-bred Horses. — Under this inexplicable, 
Shire-bred. or, at least, indefinite and inadequate designation, are classed 
the modern representatives of the old English heavy cart- and 
dray-horses, once distinguished as the black horses of the Lin- 
colnshire and Cambridgeshire fens, and of Leicestershire and 
the midlands. They embrace a variety of types — from the pon- 
derous and slow moving dray-horse, standing 16^ or 17 hands 
high, of immense weight and with an excessive quantity oi 
long hair over his fetlocks, to the still heavy and powerful but 
more compact agricultural draught-horse, and a lighter and more 
active style of horse for the farmer's plough-team ; and in th( 
exhibitions of the Royal Agricultural Society these are groupet 
indiscriminately together as " Agricultural Horses not qualifie( 
to compete as Clydesdale or Suffolk." Black used to be the 
prevailing colour ; but brown and bay are now more frequent 
while there are many greys and roans, and some chestnuts. 
Mr. Frederick Street, of Somersham, Huntingdonshire, thu: 
described to the Farmers' Club the points desirable : — " A stal 
lion should not stand more than 17 hands high ; he shoul( 
girth from 7 feet 9 inches to 8 feet 3 inches, and should no 
P'jints. measure less than 11 inches below the knee. He should have 
wide chest, shoulders well thrown back ; a big and masculin 
head, with full flowing mane ; a short back ; large muscula 
development of the loin ; long quarters, with tail well set on 
good second thighs ; large flat clean hocks ; flat bone ; shoi 
between fetlock and knee ; not too long or straight in pastern 
the feet firm and wide at the heel ; and plenty of long silk 
hair on the legs. A horse should be long, low, and wide ; an 
a main point being action, he should be a good mover i 
the cart-horse pace, walking, and if required to trot shoul; 
have an action like a Norfolk cob." 
The heavy Old-English horses, surpassing all others for pow( 
(no clean-legged breed possessing such bone), are not only vali 
able for the most difficult farm-work, but command high price 
