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478 QUEENSLAND AGKICULTUKAL JOURNAL. [1 Jung, 1900. 
HORSE-BREEDING FOR MILITARY REMOUNTS. 
Tue enormous losses in horses during the present war in South Africa, and the 
great demand on all sides for horses for the mounted troops and for purposes 
of transport in Africa and India, give interest to the following letter from 
Major-General E. T. H. Hutton, ©.B. formerly Commandant of the New 
South Wales Land Forces, and now holding a command in South Africa. The 
major-general, in response to a request from the New South Wales Department 
of Agriculture, wrote in 1894 to the Minister of Mines and Agriculture 0 
the subject. We reprint the letter from the Agricultural Gazette of New 
South Wales; and also, from the same source, an article by Mr. J. L. Thompson: 
at that time Principal of the Hawkesbury Agricultural College, on ‘“ Horses 
for the Indian and European Markets ’’:— 
HORSE-BREEDING FOR MILITARY REMOUNTS. 
From Major-General EK. T. H. Hutton, C.B., A.D.C. to the Queen, Com- 
manding Military lorces, to The Minister of Mines and Agriculture. 
New South Wales Military Forces, t 
Headquarters, Sydney, 4th September, 1894. 
Str,—In reply to a verbal request of Mr. Campbell, Department of 
Agriculture, I have pleasure in forwarding to you an extract of a paper rea 
by me on the 28th ultimo, in which I have alluded to the horse supply of 
Australia. My motive for doing this is to invite the attention of the Govern- 
ment to the fact that in the opinion of many leading authorities in the colony; 
and of myself, sufficient attention is not being paid to the breeding of the 
horses for domestic purposes, and that the quality of such horses is, in con: 
sequence, gradually deteriorating. 
There can be no question but that a very important industry in this colony, 
and.in the other colonies of Australia, is seriously threatened, and an export 
trade im horses, which should be the speczalité of Australia, is likely to become 
less and less as years go on. 
The Indian Government are now beginning to breed large numbers of 
horses for the use of the Indian army ; and the Indian horse trade for military 
purposes may, in consequence, be expected to decrease every year. It will be 
necessary, therefore, to create a market for Australian horses elsewhere, and 
have endeavoured, in the remarks made on the 28th, to show that a great an 
increasing trade in horses for military purposes at the present moment presents 
itself in Europe, which, if Australian horse-breeders will only consider an 
develop the class of horses existent in Australia, should become not only 4 
source of wealth to Australia, but should also directly benefit this continent, bY 
eucouraging a pastoral industry of great value. 
The climate, soil, capital available, and the excellent thoroughbred stock 
existing in Australia, alike contribute towards making Australia generally # 
horse-producing country. : 
The facilities of shipment to Europe yearly become greater and simpler, 8° 
that horse-producers in Australia cuoale) be able to command the Europea? 
horse market over the heads of South America, North America, Syria, a0¢ 
North Africa. The horses of the two former countries have not the blood no? 
the fine qualities of the Australian horse at his best, while the horses of the 
two latter are small and too slow for military or even for general use fo? 
domestic purposes. . ; ; 
I beg to say that I have photographs made of the four types of horses 1? 
which I have alluded, which may serve to illustrate my points. 
I venture to think that some initial steps should be taken by the NeW 
South Wales Government in concurrence with the other Australia? 
Goyernments—Firstly, in putting a tax on “stallions,” so as to restrict the 
