Report on the Exhibition of Live-Stock at Shrewsbury, 1884. 617 
is made the test of fitness for a class, and until that Stud-book 
has gathered into its records all that is worthy of the Society's 
notice, the policy of exclusion must be at least of doubtful ex- 
pediency. Three young Stud-books can scarcely rule the Royal 
Agricultural Society's action. 
Some curious changes from group to group have certainly 
occurred within the last few years. One year an animal wins as 
*' Agricultural," not qualified to compete in the Shire, Clydes- 
dale, or Suffolk Classes, and is found the next year winning in 
the Shire Class. A mare and her daughter are at one and the 
same Show honourably mentioned by the Judges, the former as 
" Agricultural," the latter as Clydesdale ; the same mare herself 
afterwards appears as a Clydesdale, and her offspring are most 
highly distinguished winners in the Clydesdale Classes. These 
facts arise out of the very reasonable condition, recently in force, 
that " horses entered as Clydesdales must be certified to have a 
recognised Clydesdale sire, and sire of dam " (now altered to eligi- 
bility for the Stud-book), and the failure of the owner to establish 
the identity of the dam's sire, in the case of his mare, while 
her daughter's pedigree conformed to the condition regarding 
the admission of animals as Clydesdales. Until the Stud-books 
have been many years established, there must be great numbers 
of animals of distinct but unrecorded breeding worthy to 
compete for the Society's prizes, but of course not able to 
pass the Stud-book test, and for these an open class seems 
desirable. 
Improvements in the classification of light horses were also 
much discussed ; but as the Judges of Hunters, and the Judges 
of the Hackney and Roadster Classes, in their respective Reports, 
have made their own suggestions, intended to meet the prin- 
cipal objections to the present classification, these objections need 
not be further noticed here. 
The order in which the breeds are grouped in the appor- 
tionment of judicial offices is observed in the following notice of 
the several departments. 
Shike and Agricultural. 
As regards encouragement to farmers to breed improved 
horses of this stamp, the visit of the Society to the Shrewsbury 
district could scarcely have been more opportune. Within the 
last few years the importance of the subject has been fully 
realised in the district, and no fewer than four associations have 
been formed, — one at Shrewsbury, another at Ellesmere, a third 
at Ludlow, and one over the borders of the county of Mont- 
gomery, — with the object of procuring high-class cart or agricul- 
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