The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 1888.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2481, 5 June 1888, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 1888.

Equal and cxacf justice: to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political.

Attention is again being drawn in Now Zealand to raising the class of horses required for the Imperial service in J ndin, and a largo consignment of horses of a right stamp is being made from the Ront.lt. "Why our Waikato farmors, with suitable grazing bindw, and with a choice of the very best blood in sires, do not turn their attention to horse-breed-ing of this character, we arc at a loss to conceive. A largo number of foals are raised in \\ aikato, but, as may bo gathered from the stock that lit id ii: way to the 10-al sales, a very small proportion ot them are of the stauij*, and prices leave

little or 110 profit after tlu; cost of .service ;nid the rearing of the animal arc taken into account. Now, it would bo just as easy to raise the right class of stock, not only for the Indian but the general market, as to go on breeding the comparatively worthless weeds that are passed from saleyard to saloyard. The mistake made, as we have before pointed out, lies in the class of mares bred from. It is not enough that the Hire should bo faultless. As much attention should be paid to the fitness of the mare. Such horses as Parthenopouus, or many others of those which travel the district, are all that need be desired, as respects the sire, and if only crossed with suitable mares would get the sort of horse needed both for cavalry and artillery purposes. What kind of mare should be selected has before now been referred to in these columns by 110 less an authority than Captain l3aly, who pointed out that the sires must be thoroughbreds and the mares must unite substance and breeding, no matter although the height be even under 16 hands. There are however, he says, a number of small well-bred mares that arc too small for breeding to a blood horse, and which might breed successsully to a horse like Stonewall Jackson, or even to a very active cart sire. The mare herself should have breeding, bone, and muscle, and to ensure this should have been herself bred from a blood sire out of a heavy dam. The offspring of such an union put to the blood sires which travel Waikato, would combine strength speed, and constitution lit for cavalry chargors or artillery purposes, and able to take a light battery of artillery at the gallop.

Even on the present peace footing of the world tlio complaints of a scarcity of horses suitable for cavalry and artillery service are general, and especially from India where the question of supply is likely to become, a very serious matter, in a few years in any case, and still more so if England and Russia become embroiled in war. Few know the extent of the requirements in liorseilcsh needed to keep up the military demand in Europe, and of course in India the demand is proportionate. The war scare which has prevailed in Europe for so long has had the ell'ect of directing the attention ot the various Governments to this matter, and some of the European states have found it necessary to prohibit by edict the exportation of horses from their boundaries. From an authentic source we learn that if war were declared the four states of Germany, Russia, France, and Austria would require no fewer than 1,1.53,000 horses to take tho field. Even so small a state as Belgium needs 10,000 horses for the pcace footing of her army, and in England, it is said that for want of horses, two army corps could not Oe put into the field in tho event of war, and if war lasted six months she would require 10,000 per month to keep up reinforcements. What then must the demand be for the immense armies of the continental Powers referred to above? Of course such supplies, recruited from out-side their own territories, must come from the United States and Canada, but we mention these facts to show that with a market for America close at home, India will have to look for her supply exclusively from the Australian colonies and New Zealand. It is no ephemeral market that exists for us in India. An European war, even of short duration, is bound to dry up the world's supply of horsellesh for years. ISIo stock breeding that outfarmers could enter upon would pay them better than rearing the class of horses required for remounts for the Indian army, and whenever mares of the right stamp to breed from arc to be met with, they will prove a good investment. Many such could be picked up at the present time for from .£8 to i;ls per head, tojudgo from prices realised at recent sales in Waikato. Of one thing we may be certain, that if those among us, who have, the means to purchase breeding mares, and raise horse, stock, do not seize the opportunity to do so, tl>e chance will not long be left to them. Mares of the very class we require to breed from are even now being culled from our weekly saleyards for exportation to the Sydney market, and soon we shall not have the raw material to work upon. Such stock should not be allowed to leave the district, for wo shall find it hard to replace it. Our fanner's are parting with animals for .£lO to Jfcly that would breed cattle worth £50 in the Indian market, and the entire cost of transit, with all expenses in the re-mount lines at Calcutta, is only a trille under eleven nounds.

Nor is it alone in the requirements of the. Imperial service, in India that we have a profitable sale for a particular class of horses. The native princes, and the wealthy merchants and officials of the large cities do not grudge a heavy price for good upstanding coach and riding horses. The demand for these purposes is for large and showy animals, and a well-matched pair of carriage horses of this stamp will fetch far and away higher prices than the regulation military standard price for artillery and remounts. Native bred horses in India owing to the climate, are undersized, and the of heavier stock must be maintained from without. Tn conclusion we may quote for l.lie encouragement of local breeders an extract from the reply of Sir Thonia? I). .Maker to the Auckland -Stud Company in reference to the supply of remounts for the Indian Army. He says: "Touching the breed of horses in New Zealand, I know that the country can produce the very best of stock, and it is only a question of management to ensure a large and

good trade with India, as its normal requirements are large, and in case of war would be very great." With such an outlook for the enterprise will Waikato farmers continue to sit quietly by, while the district is being drained for exportation to Sydney of the very class of mares from which they could breed the stamp of horses required for the Indian market?