THE horse is a native of the old continent only. Over a vast portion of that division of the globe, wherever man has risen above the savage state, the horse has been held as his servant. He was possessed by the earliest civilized nations, and has been, from time immemorial, propagated in a domestic state.  He is still found in a state of wildness on the unpeopled wastes of Central Asia; but naturalists are not agreed on the question whether, as there for he is the representative of a type originally wild, or as the descendant of tame stock left for a long time in uncontrolled liberty.

Although, in point of usefulness, the horse cannot claim superiority over some other domestic animals, he has ever been regarded with peculiar interest.  To the human tribes who were first able to command his services, he must have been of immense importance in warlike adventures, from the power he conferred in attack and escape. But he has been prized for various properties; the beauty and gracefulness of his form, the nobleness of his demeanor, his strength and swiftness, have furnished a theme for poets from the days of Job.

The varieties of the horse, although presenting striking external differences, are included in one species in zoological arrangement; yet some of these varieties are of such antiquity that we have no knowledge of their origin, Different countries, according to their geographical position, soil, &c., have always, or within the historic period, possessed breeds of horses having certain peculiarities—those of the greatest bulk belonging to level and fertile districts, and those of smaller size to more elevated situations, where the herbage is less nutritive and the climate more severe. The contrast between the English or Flemish draught-horse of more than a ton weight, and the Shetland pony of less than two hundred pounds, excites our astonishment, and may suggest doubts in regard to the idea that both sprung from the same stock.

Considered in reference to utilitarian purposes, the horse may be called a machine. He performs certain actions corresponding to his shape and proportions. In opposition to this principle, it may be urged, perhaps, that horses of different shapes are sometimes distinguished for the same performances.  Admitting the full force of the argument, it by no means invalidates the proposition. An imperfect engine, in reference to the principles of its construction, may be made to run at high speed by the application of steam enough. The animal machine is set in motion by what we call nervous energy or force. A large amount of this force may produce great results, even with an animal whose form is defective. But suppose the same amount of force had been applied to an animal constituted, in every respect, on true mechanical principles in reference to its movements: would not the result have corresponded to the perfection of its conformation? It may be safely assumed that, other things being equal, the best horse in the end is that having the truest form, considered in reference to the kind of action or labor required of him.

Horses are used for running or galloping, for trotting, and for slow or heavy draught at a walk. The first-mentioned action is that of the race-horse and hunter; the second, the roadster and coach horse; and the third, the draught or dray horse. In reference to these purposes a brief view will be taken of different breeds.

As already intimated, the horse is not a native of America. The colonists from various parts of Europe brought hither various stocks. The Spaniards brought horses from Spain, and from those thus introduced have sprung the half-wild stocks of Mexico and some South American countries. The German settlers of Pennsylvania introduced the heavy draught-horse of their fatherland, and it is still perpetuated. The French settlers of Canada brought with them horses from their respective districts, the descendants of which are still preserved, though probably somewhat deteriorated as to size from the original stock. The modern Norman or Percheron horse has been introduced into New Jersey and some other sections, but has not yet become numerous. The English and Scotch settlers of Canada West have introduced the Clydesdale and other breeds of the British draught-horse. The race-horse has been introduced and propagated to a considerable extent in various portions of the United States and the British provinces. But in describing breeds it will be proper to consider them chiefly in reference to the characters they present in the countries where they originated or have been long established.

According to the plan of classification which has been suggested, we may commence with the galloper, in which division the Arabian horse belongs and occupies a conspicuous position. This breed has for a very long period been remarkable for its peculiar properties. The conformation of the body gives great speed in the gallop combined with strength to carry weight on the back, and these properties, united with superior intelligence, have placed the Arab at the head of his species. We cannot tell for what length of time he has possessed these characters. There has been much speculation on the subject.  Without offering an opinion as to the gencalogy given by the Arabians of their favorite tribes of horses, there can be no question as to the great antiquity of some of them. There is evidence that horses have been bred on the Assyrian plains with little change of feature for thousands of years. The late researches among the ruins of ancient oriental cities, especially those of Nineveh and Babylon, have brought to light sculptured images of the horse, which might almost be taken as facsimiles of the Arabian of the present day, although they may have been designed to represent the proud steeds of Sennacherib or Nebuchadnezzar, I allude to the sculptures obtained in the East by Layard and placed in the British museum, where I have examined them with great interest.

From descriptions given of ancient horses by the sacred writers, we are able to trace still further their affinity with the present Arabian. Job’s sublime description of the war-horse would scarcely apply to an animal less noble than the Arab of the desert. The prophet Habakkuk, in warning the Jews of the dangers from the powerful forces with which the Chaldeans were about to assail them, says, “Their horses are swifter than the leopards, and more fierce than the evening wolves. * * * * Their horsemen shall fly as the eagle hasting to eat.”

In size, the Arabian horse is what is commonly called small. Layard, who had the best opportunities to become acquainted with the purest tribes, states that their height is usually from fourteen to fourteen and a half hands, and that of great numbers which he saw in the desert, few reached the height of fifteen hands. His natural paces are the walk and gallop, and his performances under the saddle—in reference to speed and weight-carrying at long distances—are unrivalled. Layard was familiar with the best English racers and hunters, but gives a decided preference to the Arabs, as to their powers of endurance, although the English racer might have the advantage of speed at short distances.

It is doubtful whether any Arab horses of the best type have, until within a few years, found their way either to Britain or to the United States. Layard states that the so-called Arab horses which (previous to his eastern travels) he had seen in England and other parts of Europe were not at all to be compared, for symmetry and power, to the horses he found in the possession of the Shammar and Aneyza tribes, in Arabia. This opinion is supported by Mr. A. K. Richards, of Louisiana, who with his relative, Mr. Keene, made extensive travels in Arabia, a few years since, and succeeded in obtaining some very fine horses from the tribes mentioned. Mr. Keene has made various trials of these horses, and with very satisfactory results, in reference to the improvement of stock for the saddle, and in some respects for the turf. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Keene in Europe and hearing from Lim an account of the eastern horses. He stated that he rode many of them—some for very long journeys—and that he had never seen any other horses that were capable of doing what they did. The easy lope of the Arab horse would carry his rider from seventy-five to one hundred miles a day, for several days in succession.  On Mr. Richards’s farm, in Kentucky, I have had the pleasure of seeing the splendid imported Arabian stallion Fysol, and several imported mares, together with many very promising crosses of the Arabian with the best English racing blood.

The English racer, or so-called thorough-bred, in point of mere speed, stands at the head of all horses. It is a breed of comparatively modern origin. From the term thorough-bred being applied to it, some persons have inferred that it is particularly pure in blood; but the history of the breed shows that such an idea is not well founded. The best authorities agree that the breed is of mixed origin. Whyte, in his History of the British Turf; says the so-called thoroughbred was derived from Turkish, Persian, Arab, Barb, and Spanish ancestors, with more or less of the ancient British blood, and that crossing made the modern racer what he is. Lawrence says: “Almost all the varieties of the southern horse have been introduced into this country [England]—Egyptian, Syrian, Persian, Grecian—and from such a medley of races has our English thorough-bred sprung.”—(Page 67:)

The naturalist, C. H. Parry, in a paper published by the Bath Society many years ago, says: “In the female line of some of our most noted stallions, as, for example, Eclipse, I find a great many deficiencies or omissions. Now, the purity of those pedigrees is a most important point. It is considered by sportsmen as giving a high salable value even to untried horses. When, therefore, in this respect there is any deficiency, we may reasonably conclude that it arises from the intervention of some ignoble female whose rank it was prudent to bury in oblivion.”  He goes on to show the fallacy of the idea that the English racer is descended, as some have supposed, from the pure Arab.  “The Arabs,” he says, “have various breeds, of which that which they chiefly value is the Kochlani, whose genealogy, according to some, they trace two thousand years. These horses are so prized in their own country, that it would be very difficult to prove that all those which have been imported from thence were of this race, and not of some baser mixture. * * *

“Next in the pedigree of Eclipse comes the Barb, usually brought from Morocco, two to three thousand miles distant from the native soil of the Kochlani. That these are of the pure race we are obliged to take upon trust, and nothing is more improbable.

"Last among the known sires is the Turkish horse, some of which were war-horses or chargers. Of these, there are one or two crosses in the pedigree of Flying Childers, and in that of Eclipse from fifteen to twenty, with at least nine different and well-known Turkish stallions. Now it is agreed by all who have seen this breed that there is a most striking and essential difference between the frames of the Turkish and Arabian horses, the former being proportionally longer in the body and smaller in the legs than the latter.* * *
““In the pedigree of Diamond, an ancestor of Eclipse, there is a foreign horse of unknown extraction; and with regard to the royal mares procured by Charles the Second, it is not even presumed that it has been ascertained what they were.
"Such,” he concludes, "is the origin of our boasted blood-horses, and such their real identity with the pure Kochlani or Arabian. On much better grounds the descendants of a ram exported from Lincolnshire, and mixing with the breed of Friesland, might be esteemed genuine Lincolns.”

In regard to the difference between the Persian, Turkish and genuine Arab horses, it is well to add to the remarks of Dr. Parry that Layard considers it such that they cannot by any means be regarded as of the same breed, and that even the Barb does not approximate very closely to the true Arab. It is only necessary to cite one more authority in regard to the origin of the English race-horse.

“This is not quite so simple as is generally supposed, for though the thorough-bred horse is said to be of pure eastern blood, this is not really the case when traced back to the earliest times of which we have any account. In the pedigree of Eclipse there are names of no less than thirteen mares of unknown breed, and the same amount of impure blood, or nearly so, will be found in every horse of his date. * * * The only criterion, therefore, which will hold good as a definition, is the appearance in the Stud Book, where every horse and mare considered thorough-bred is registered, and by common-consent this is accepted as the test of pure breeding.”—[p. 281.]
“Even the purest thorough-breds are stained with some imperfections, and therefore it is only by comparison that the word (pure) is applicable to them. But since the thorough-bred horse, as he is called, has long been bred for racing purposes, and selections have been made with that view alone, it is reasonable to suppose that this breed is best for that purpose.”—[p.320]

A very reasonable conclusion, it must be admitted. But it will be noticed on what an arbitrary rule the distinction of “thorough-bred” rests. It is not on purity of blood, for the whole race is admitted to be impure; but merely on the circumstance of registry in the Stud Book. Two horses might be of the same purity of blood, and yet because the ancestors, of one are in the book and those of the other are not, the former is and the latter is not thorough-bred. But as the term has long been applied exclusively to the racer, it is now allowed because it serves to designate him from other varieties. The mixed origin of the variety shows itself in the varying tendency, to which an English writer refers in the remark that “though a powerful thorough-bred is the finest form of a horse, bring me them at random and I will engage that three out of four will be irredeemable rips.”

Still the conclusion of Stonehenge, that the so-called thorough-bred is the best horse for racing purposes—and especially for short distances with light weights—will be admitted. It will be conceded, also, that an infusion of the blood of the racer has been the means of forming or improving other breeds, as will be shown as we proceed.

It is a subject which has been considerably discussed in England, whether the attempts to increase the speed of -the racer, by giving him greater height, have not resulted in a loss of strength of constitution and ability to stand long- continued hard work. The height of the old stock seldom exceeded fifteen hands, and many were only fourteen to fourteen and a half. But they were close knit, muscular and hardy, quite a contrast to many of the modern racers, which are sixteen hands and upwards in height, though, as lately remarked by an English writer, many of them are tall only from their length of legs.

The hunter is required chiefly for galloping and jumping, but the work he is obliged to perform differs so much from that of the racer that a somewhat different structure is required. On this point Professor Low remarks: “The low fore and elevated hind quarters of the racer, which are suited to the power of rapid progression over a smooth surface, would, in the hunter, be inconsistent with safety, and the tendency to ewe neck, which in the short and violent gallop of the course is admissible, would, in the hunter, be inconsistent with sensitiveness to the rein.” The hunter therefore should be higher in the forehand and more muscular in the neck than the racer. Youatt says: “The body of the hunter should be short and compact compared with that of the racehorse, that he may not in his gallop take too extended a stride. This would be a serious disadvantage in a long day and with a heavy rider, from the stress on the pasterns, and more so when going over a clayey poached ground. The compact short-strided horse will almost skim the surface while the feet of the longer-reached animal will sink deep, and he will wear himself out in his efforts to disengage himself.” It may be remarked that so-called thorough-bred horses are sometimes used for hunting, but they are of a more compact and stouter form than ordinary racers. As hunters are not much used in America, we pass to the consideration of the roadster.

The proper paces of the roadster, as used in this country, and in harness everywhere, are the walk and trot. Here it is important to notice the different conformation required for trotting and running or galloping, and we may derive some useful ideas by studying the form of other animals. The hare, for instance, may be taken as a model for running and leaping. The muscular development of the hind quarter is great in proportion to the fore quarter. She moves like the race-horse, by a succession of bounds, and she so poises her body that her weight is carried chiefly on her hind legs, which also furnish the principal propulsive power. Her mechanical structure is admirable for this movement. But who would think of taking the hare as a model for a trotter?  The celebrated English horse Eclipse, whose form and proportions were deemed by Lieutenant Bell and others nearly perfect for running, approximated to the hare-like model. He was taller at the rump than at the shoulder or withers, His hind quarter had great length and development in proportion to his fore quarter, a preponderance which is said to have given a wavering or sideways motion to his walk and trot, his fore-end being at the same time carried very near the ground. His speed was such that though he ran many races, he never found a competitor who would keep near enough to him to bring out his full powers.

Professor Low observes that the form of the racer corresponds to the conditions required, but that “his length is greater than consists with perfect symmetry, the power of speed having been sought for in greater degree than that of strength and endurance. His legs are longer and his trunk smaller than the eye indicates as strictly graceful. The length and depth of the hind quarters, a point essential to the power of making long strides, are extended to the degree of appearing disproportionate. The chest is narrow and the fore quarters light, a point likewise characteristic of speed. The neck is straight rather than gracefully arched, and the pasterns very long and generally oblique.”

Such, in contrast with the roadster, are the points of the racer. For trotting, the machinery requires modification. In this gait, locomotion, instead of being effected mainly by a simultaneous spring of both hind legs, Is the result of one fore leg and the hind leg of the opposite side working together. This action requires a more equal distribution of power between the four quarters, so that each division of the body may perform its share of labor. The comparatively light forehand, which is a merit in the racer, speed only being the object, would not answer here. An undue preponderance of the hind quarter would destroy the balance of power necessary to a square trot. A long back is favorable to the racer, when mere speed is the object, without regard to the weight to be carried, because from its greater flexibility it gives more play to the hind quarters; but a short back is more consistent with the work of the roadster, from the greater strength and firmer support it gives. The long pastern of the racer would be objectionable in the roadster, from its less strength and greater liability to give way under steady hard work. Obliquity of shoulder may be considered indispensable to easy and fast trotting, though it is of less importance in the racer, as some horses with upright shoulders run well.

The roadster is the description of horse the breeding and rearing of which is generally attended with the greatest profits in New England. Some of the reasons why the roadster is better fitted for this section may be glanced at.  It is a maxim that the size of animals to be reared in any locality should be regulated by the soil and climate. Our soil is comparatively thin and our climate rather severe—better adapted to animals of small or medium size than to those of large size. We have already the stock for producing the best roadsters—horses of the weight of 950 to 1,000 pounds, and fourteen and a half to fifteen hands high, adapted to light carriages and quick driving. The class is well represented by what is called the Morgan horse, under which term it is intended to include the late Black Hawk, of Vermont, there being the most indubitable proof in my possession that his sire was Sherman Morgan. There is a great demand for horses of this character, and although they can be reared at a cheaper rate, they bring generally the highest prices. The distinguishing characteristics of these horses are neatness and compactness of form; hardiness of constitution, with general soundness of wind and limb; strong digestive organs enabling them to live on little food; good action, making them fast travelers, particularly as “all-day” horses; a high degree of intelligence and spirit, constituting altogether an economical class of horses, both in reference to the cheapness of their support and their lasting powers; in a word, presenting, as said by Mr. R. L. Allen, in the first edition of his American Agriculture, “the beau ideal of the road horse.”

These horses are also well adapted to such labor as most of our farmers require of horses, oxen being used here for the heaviest kind of farm work. In sections where oxen are not kept for labor, the farmer requires a heavier description of horse.

The principle to be observed in regard to- the breeding of the roadster has already been indicated. It is that horses should be bred in reference to the work required of them, and that in order to attain the greatest perfection in reference to each class, they must be bred on different models, and kept separate and distinct. In saying this, the fact is not overlooked that it has been advised to resort exclusively to raising stallions for the production of roadsters, a position which will be noticed.

It has already been stated that the best roadsters or trotters were derived in part from the racer. The properties which have been obtained from the latter are nervous energy, spirit or courage, and elasticity of movement. In reference to this combination of blood, the remarks of the distinguished veterinarian and author, W. C. Spooner, are worthy of notice. He says: "We obtain from the thorough-bred horse the small head, lengthy [hind] quarters, powerful thighs, and extended stride; but it is from the Norfolk trotter, the old English hunter or hack—descendants to some extent of the ancient Spanish horse—that we derive the oblique shoulder, elevated withers, good forehand, safe walk, and fast trot, accompanied by a larger and wider frame, greater bone, and more powerful digestive organs than the blood horse generally possesses. When once these varied qualifications are combined, it is a fact accomplished—the means in our hands for continued excellence. by which we can impart to the next generation the requisite amount of breeding without that risk of weediness which so often attends the first cross.”

To say what is the precise amount of racing blood required to make the best roadsters is obviously impracticable.  There is, as has been intimated, a great difference in horses of the racing breed. Some possess in a higher degree than others the properties we desire in the roadster. Of course, we may have more of the blood of such an one without injury than of one of different character.  But it may be laid down as a fact that a large majority of the best roadsters have been less than half-blood.

But in support of my own views a few English authorities will be cited.  Lawrence, (1809,) speaking of the trotting of thorough-bred horses, says: “They soon become leg-weary, and their legs and feet are too delicate for the rude hammering of the speedy trot."—(Page 174.) * * *  "Whilst established varieties are good and salable in the market, it is more advantageous to adhere to them than to run into random crosses. For example, racing blood is [was] the grand improver of all our saddle and coaching stock, and by a sort of tacit convention they have certain portions of it; more would do harm, by rendering the nag too delicate and leggy, and spoiling his trot; less would render him coarse, sluggish, and unfashionable. Thus I have generally found it preferable to put a hackney [roadster] mare to a good reputed hackney stallion, rather than to a racer. * * * You thus proceed safely and on already improved ground; if you have recourse to racing, carting, or rough, unimproved blood, you are losing time and going backwards.”—(Pages 116—117.)

Stonehenge, to whom reference has already been made, says: "Although the thorough-bred horse is well fitted to compete with others in all cases where speed [in the gallop] is the chief point of trial—as in flat-racing, steeple- chasing, &c.—yet he is not so swell qualified for some kinds of harness-work, or for road-work of any kind, as the horse expressly bred for that purpose.”—(Page 320.)

In reference to the amount of racing blood in trotters, this author says generally speaking, they have been less than half-blood.”—(Page 415.)  He concedes that “no English horse can compete with the American trotters," (page 413,) which he regards as very common-looking, generally of middle size, and with plain hind quarters, but have game looking heads, and legs and feet of iron; in this last point and in stoutness being unrivalled.”—(Page 415)

In regard to breeding trotters, this author says: "If these horses are desired to be bred, a trotting mare should be put to a trotting horse, like the Norfolk Phenomenon, * * * and the less [in addition to what this breed already has] of the pure eastern (gracing] blood that is mixed with it, the better; and if a decided cross is wanted, it should be sought for in America. * * *  The two breeds [racers and trotters] do not cross well, and they should be kept studiously separate; and the reason of this is the difference in their action.”— (Pages 430—441.)

Allusion has been made to an English variety of roadsters, called the Norfolk trotters. The horse Norfolk Phenomenon, mentioned, belonged to this variety. They originated upwards of seventy years ago, in the county of Norfolk,, England, and were derived from crosses of the so-called thorough-bred horse. They are still preserved, though probably less numerous than formerly, and are considered the best roadsters in the kingdom. At the show of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, in 1858—a great show for horses—they took nearly every prize in the roadster class. I had the opportunity of giving them a very careful inspection, and found among them many excellent horses, their general model being similar to that of our best New England roadsters. An entire horse of this Norfolk breed, called Bellfounder, was brought to this country in 1822, and was kept several years by the late Colonel Jaques, near Boston, and was afterwards kept on Long Island, where he died.

The coach-horse in England is ranked in a different class from the roadster.  The distinction is a very proper one, and should be recognized here. The city coach-horse is not an animal subjected to much hardship; he is wanted rather for show than use—a few hours’ moderate exercise on fair days constituting his chief duty. Animals of somewhat lofty appearance, handsome outline, good hair, and attractive color, are required. Their action should be showy, but need not be very fleet. Of course, I do not include under this head the fast teams which are kept for sport and amusement.

The most popular coach-horses in England are the Cleveland bays. The original stock to which this name was applied seems to have been a sort of smooth-legged, draught-horse, rather tall for the bulk, and of a bright-bay color, with dark mane, tail, and legs. They have been crossed with the race-horse; the present stock having more gracefulness of form, lighter action, and less bulk of body than the old, but retaining the color and height—sixteen hands or upwards, and a weight of 1,200 to 1,300 pounds. These horses are bred to a great extent in Yorkshire, there being a great demand for them for the London market. They have also of late been considerably sought after from the continent, from France, Belgium, &c. The breeders use the mares, and such stock as is of suitable age, but not marketable, to some extent in farm labor.  They have more action than any other English horses of equal size.

The Cleveland bay has been introduced into this country. Within a few years several fine specimens have been taken to Virginia. I procured, in 1859, a very fine horse of this breed for Dr. J. R. Woods, of that State, and it is probable that a pretty extensive trial will be made in obtaining crosses of the breed, with the view of producing valuable coach-horses.

Many of our American coach-horses are a mixture, more or less, of the racehorse and mares of the draught character; but we have no particular variety of the coach-horse.

We come finally to the draught-horse. The proper places for this horse are the drays and heavy wagons and carts of cities, the heaviest kind of farm work, and all draft where the walk is the only gait required. The points of this kind of horse are in some respects opposite to those of horses required for quicker motion. It is a principle in mechanics that speed and power are opposed to each other, and the rule is applicable to the animal as well as to other machines. The leading characteristic of the draught-horse being strength, his legs should be short and his body large and muscular in proportion to his height. A very wide breast and wide base to the chest, which in the trotter would be a defect, because it would occasion a wavering motion to the gait, and a loss of time in preserving the balance of the body would be a merit in the draught-horse, as it would give greater weight nearer the ground, and brace the animal more against the jars and strains he must meet with in labor. An oblique shoulder, as already remarked, is indispensable in the trotter, whereas an upright shoulder and comparatively low fore-end are most favorable to the weight of the animal being thrown into the collar. Still as the low and upright shoulder are unfavorable to the reach and speedy and easy action of the fore leg, the point must not be carried to an extreme, lest the animal be deficient in speed in-walking. It may be better to lose some power at a dead pull, if by so doing we obtain points which insure greater expedition in the performance of ordinary labor—a matter which will be further noticed in speaking of breeds of the draught-horse.

The leading breeds of British draught-horses are the old black cart breed, which from the earliest times has occupied the rich lands of Lincolnshire and other sections—the Suffolk and the Clydesdale. The former breed is of immense size, sometimes reaching the weight of 2,400 pounds, and furnishes the elephantine animals used in the drays and beer-wagons of the metropolis. For agricultural purposes, an animal of less size and quicker motion is generally preferred, and the Suffolk and Clydesdale are the favorites. Not having had the opportunity of making a thorough comparison of these breeds, I would not venture a decided opinion as to their relative merits. I met with the Suffolk chiefly at the shows of the royal agricultural, and the shows of other societies, and saw selected specimens on various farms; therefore can hardly judge of the average character of the breed. They are mostly of a sorrel or light chestnut color, sometimes with mane and tail lighter than the body; about sixteen hands high, generally very thick-set, which formerly occasioned the name of Punch or Suffolk Punch to be applied to them. They were formerly very low and thick in the shoulders, and possessed a wonderful power at a dead pull; but they have been bred, latterly, with a higher forehand and more obliquity of shoulder, points which have given them more activity. They seem to be generally good walkers, have pleasant, tractable tempers, and are not deficient in muscular strength.

Of the Clydesdale I saw more. They take their name from the vale of the Clyde, but are bred extensively in several of the western counties of Scotland, and more or less in other sections of that country. I saw many of them in the principal breeding districts, at market fairs, and at agricultural shows—about two hundred of them at that of the Highland Society, and nearly as great a number at some local shows. Their color is chiefly bay and black, the former rather predominating. Their height may be put at sixteen hands, but in general they have less weight in proportion to their height than the English breeds before mentioned. Their weight ranges from 1,700 to upwards of 2,000 pounds, Many of them are very symmetrical—are higher in the withers, and particularly more oblique in the shoulders than the English, and walk with ease and rapidity, equalling in this gait any horses I have ever seen. They seem to be generally of good texture, are firm in muscle, sinewy and wiry, with short and wide shanks. They have good constitutions and are cheaply kept. They are seldom driven out of a walk. It is the custom of Scottish farmers to keep lighter kinds of horses for quick driving on the road.

The draught-horses of our country, as before remarked, were brought here to a great extent by immigrants from Germany. Many of the heavy horses used in our cities are descendants of these, bred in Pennsylvania and other sections where the stock has been disseminated. They have not generally the strength of limb and firmness of texture which we see in the Suffolks and Clydesdales, and I have no hesitation in saying that wherever horses of this description are bred, a cross with the latter, or an entire substitution of them for the so-called Dutch stock, would be a decided improvement. In some of our cities the supply of draught-horses has been, of late, obtained in part from Canada West, where, as before remarked, a cross of the Clydesdale prevails to some extent.

   1. For long distances, with heavy weight on the back, at a galloping pace, the true Arab is the best model; for short distances with light weight, at the highest practicable rate of speed at the galloping pace, the English racer, or so-called thorough-bred, is preferable; for hunting, a more substantial horse, with greater weight and heavier forehand than the racer, is required.

   2. Of trotters, for quick driving, in light vehicles, the roadster best meets the requirements; the best American horses of this description being probably superior to any in the world, certainly superior to the English. For city coach- horses, less speed and hardiness being needed, an animal of more size is called for; a purpose for which the Cleveland bay, or a mixture of the racer with some larger-sized stock, answers well. For omnibuses and horse-railroad cars, a more muscular horse, able to endure hardship, is preferable, the French Percheron being well adapted to the place.

   3. Of horses the uses of which only require a walk, and where heavy burdens are to be drawn, a conformation more adapted to strength and less to speed is necessary. For heavy draught, some of the English and Scottish breeds are best; for farm work, where horses only are used, and for the drays, carts, &c., of cities, the Suffolk and Clydesdale breeds would be preferable to the horses now generally used for these purposes in this country.

In general, and especially for racers, roadsters, and draught-horses, it is better to keep the varieties distinct, breeding each in reference to an ideal or standard, combining the points which, according to mechanical principles and practical observation, denote the highest adaptation to their different purposes.

If experiments in crossing different breeds are made, they should be conducted with caution, and in such a manner as not to hazard a loss of the valuable properties already possessed by a breed.