Manafjemcnt of Farm- Horses. 
253 
work and actually fatted in loose boxes, almost like oxen for the 
shambles, in which state they are supposed to please the eye of 
the London brewers, for whose more particular use these pam- 
pered animals are bred. Thus the colt, purchased perhaps for 
40/., realizes in the course of two years double this amount, 
besides working moderately during this period. Thus if the 
horse does not fall a victim to the various diseases which a 
redundancy of blood is calculated to induce, he yields an ample 
profit to his feeder. These ponderous animals are frequently 
17 hands high; and their sleek and glossy appearance, as they 
move majestically through the streets of the metropolis, present 
one of the most striking sights to the eye of the foreigner. That 
such large massive animals are really required, or are the most 
profitable for their peculiar work, is a matter of considerable 
doubt ; however it is a species of pride which has long prevailed 
among our London brewers, and whilst they continue the pre- 
miums in the shape of high prices for these massive animals, the 
breeding of them will continue a profitable pursuit, and the streets 
of the metropolis will continue to exhibit the largest horses in the 
world. One great drawback attending this breed is their 
tendency to weak and convex feet, and to ossifications of the 
cartilages and the pasterns, the former being the effect of their 
great weight acting on the soft horn induced by the moist pastures, 
•and the latter to their great predisposition to throw out bone, 
caused perhaps partly by the large amount of the phosphates 
taken in their food. Many of these horses are rendered useless 
by these morbid deposits ; which yet are so common that there is 
scarcely a dray-horse in London but what possesses in some 
degree these side-hones, and in very many instances no injury 
takes place. 
In the improvement of this breed of horses it ought to be an 
object to diminish, or rather discourage, as much as possible these 
objectionable qualities to which the breed is naturally so prone. 
The large dray-horse is by no means confined to those of a 
black colour, we have many of a bay, and still more of a brown 
colour, and also many greys and roans. 
There are also very many excellent compact cart-horses more 
adapted for agricultural purposes, of these various colours, and 
indeed in general I prefer them to the black cart-horse, as pos- 
sessing greater activity, cleaner limbs, connected with equal com- 
pactness and strength. 
I may here observe, that at the meeting of the Royal 
Agricultural Society at Northampton, where the show of horses 
was large as well as excellent, there were only two of a black 
colour, whilst there were many browns, bays, and chesnuts, and 
most of them worthy of commendation. 
