258 
Management of Farm-Horses. 
produce more than one or two, must and always will cause im- 
provements to be effected in breeds of animals principally by 
means of the male. 
The breeding of farm-horses resolves itself into two branches : 
the principles of breeding' and the practice. Unless the former 
are correct the latter will be continually at fault, and it will be a 
matter of chance and uncertainty whether success or failure is the 
consequence. "Like begets like'' is an axiom that cannot be 
disputed, and it is vain to expect valuable progeny unless the 
parents possess the qualifications which we seek to obtain in the 
offspnng. The principal object in breeding cart-horses — as in 
other animals — is gain. The breeder is desirous of breeding 
animals that will yield him the largest pecuniary return ; conse- 
quently the most profitable animal to rear is that which is likely 
to suit the London market, and so realize the high prices which 
the wealthy brewers are willing (or rather are obliged) to give. 
It is necessary, however, in addition to the possession of suit- 
able mares and horses, that the pasturage should be also abundant 
and nutritious, otherwise the progeny will become monsters in 
ugliness rather than in size. Where, however, the land is suit- 
able, as in Leicestershire and other midland counties, the breeding 
of these massive animals is more profitable than that of other 
agricultural horses. 
The practice adopted is to select the best mares on the farm for 
the purpose of breeding ; som^etimes nearly the whole horse stock 
on the farm consists of breeding mares and two and three-year old 
colts and fillies. Of course, in such instances it is necessary to 
keep rather a large working stock for the size of the farm, in 
order that the mares may be spared for two months in the 
spring without inconvenience. The breeder may or may not 
possess a stallion himself; if not^ there will be little difiiculty in 
finding a suitable one, as in consequence of the male serving so 
many females, it is of course more difficult to find a number of 
suitable mares than it is to find a single horse with the proper 
qualifications. Where the purpose is so specific as in the style 
of horse I am now speaking of, it is needless to describe the 
sort of animal we should choose for a stallion. The breeder will 
not select the horse unless he is large and powerful, and yet com- 
pact, standing perhaps nearly 17 hands high, and yet comparatively 
short in the legs,, so as to deceive a bystander with regard to his 
height ; there is no point more desirable than that the horse 
should appear smaller than he really is ; it is at once a sure proof 
that the animal is symmetrically formed. However, we may take 
it for granted that the stallion is a fine handsome animal. Any 
observations will be more useful which point out those defects 
that may co-exist with this fine appearance. First, then, we 
