VISITS TO REMOtJNT DEPOT AT SAHARUNPOKE. 853 
the Punjaub, in 1864, and there the Assamee system was 
abolished, Government mares being kept at the stud. Daring 
its existence, of about thirteen years, two Commissions were 
assembled to report upon its progress. Difficult and varied 
must have been their investigations, for all kinds of vast and 
expensive experiments were tried in the way of crosses. Thorough¬ 
bred horses served thoroughbred mares ; ditto were put to half- 
bred country mares; Arab stallions were crossed with English. 
Waler and country mares, even Arab, were tried with Arab 
mares and thoroughbred horses with English cart mares. The 
produce indicated the cross of the English thoroughbred or 
three-quarter-bred stallion with stud-bred mares (of English 
and Arab blood dropped in the country) as being productive of 
the most useful horses. Arabs w r ere noticed to degenerate in 
size; Waler mares were remarkable for being, as a rule, barren 
for the first four years of their residence in the country, not 
more than four per cent, proving prolific, a circumstance that 
might be taken as rather a nice guage as to the time required 
for their thorough acclimatization. Ultimately, however, their 
produce with English horses showed quality and points ; the turf 
Arabs will also prove them to have possessed speed and endur¬ 
ance. Thoroughbred horses with cart mares produced nondes¬ 
cripts ; the pure thoroughbreds were fancy articles, and for the 
turf rather than useful as horses for the army. The cross with 
half-bred country mares varied much in its results, but the 
average was not satisfactory. 
The “ Home Stud ” started with about twenty mares, and at 
last reached five hundred. 
One smaller depot has not been mentioned, viz. that of Gha- 
zepore; and amongst private studs of any notoriety are the 
Vincent of Barli in Bengal, consisting of about twenty-five to 
thirty mares; the Probyn, at Probynabad, near Moultan; 
General Parrott, also started a stud in place of the “ Home 3) 
one, which is now flourishing, and numbers about one hundred 
head of stock. With regard to the number of mares in exist¬ 
ence in the North-West Districts, during the time that the 
Saharunpore aud Hapur Studs were working on the Assamee 
system, there were never under three or four thousand, and 
the number of stallions imported from England, up to the time 
of the abolition of breeding studs in 1876, amounted to hundreds, 
of which only a very few now remain. 
Management of Studs .—Moorcroft might be considered the 
sole director of the stud system in his time ; but, subsequently, 
a Military Staff was established, consisting of a Superintendent 
(Colonel); two Deputy-Superintendents (Lieut.-Colonels or 
Majors) ; Depot Officers (under Superintendents with subordinate 
officers); a Veterinary Surgeon to each establishment. 
