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HOW FRANCE ENCOURAGES BREEDING. Horse-breeding is more sjstematized and more state-aided in France than anywhere else. The three great categories of French horses are thoroughbreds, half-bloods and draught horses. The first have the reputation of being the best in the world: the Stcond are indefatigable for saddle and light harness, while French draught horses, whether Percheron. Breton or Xivernals, Boulogne or Ardcn, are known and admired far and wide. Though France is the playground of the motoring world and leads in the application of the motor to industry, nevertheless her horses have increased in iiantitv and have grown better in quality. Here are siie figures as to quantity: In 1S7 France had :2.S00,60O horses, in 1900 3,105,025. About ."500,000 wilts are foaled every year, and last jear about :;n.000 horses were sold to foreign countries. Belgium, the horse dealer of Europe, is Frances greatest customer. In .1003 the purchases were: Belgium, 10,000; Germany. T.000: Switzerland. 5.500: Spain. .1.000: Ital.v. 2,000: England. 1.000. England doubtless bought many more French horses through Belgium. The nation encourages the breeding of horses in a variety of ways and the administration of the state stables forms an important part of the Ministry of Agriculture. The horse-breeding of the whole country Is divided into twenty-two administrations. For lvrjioses of supervision these are subdivided Into six general inspections, while a Director-General is responsible for them all to the Minister of Agriculture. There is also a Supreme Council of the national stables, consisting of twent.v-four members named by the President of the Republic, from men who have distinguished themselves as horse-breeders. The rhief officials of the national stables are recruited from the great Stable School of Lo Pin in Normandy, where they receive technical training. While the defense of the nation is constantly kept ill view when there is question of encouraging horse-breening. nevertheless the stallions are selected from u commercial and agricultural standpoint as well as from a military point of view. There are four categories of stallions in France. The first and most important are those which belong to the state and are called national stallions. The second, third and fourth categories are called approved, accepted and tolerated stallions respectively. These three classes are owned by private individuals The owner of an approved stallion receives an uiiiual bonus varying from 0 to 00 a year. The owner of an accepted stallion receives no bonus. Tolerated stallions are those of which an ollicial statement is made that they do not suffer from eye trouble, and are not roarers. The result of oflieial control is that these hereditary diseases have almost ..ntirely disappeared. In the report of the year 1!0S. published by the stuieral manager of the state stables, the figures as to the number of state stallions are as follows: niftroughbreds. 507; half-bloods. 2.214: draught hotx-. 044. Of the thoroughbreds 2.I0 were English and iris Anglo-Arabs. These 3,425 stud horses were distributed over the twenty-two establishments of the National stables, and stood at 750 stations, serving 151.040 mares. Besides these there were 1.700 approved. SOS authorized and a number of tolerated or accepted stallions, the propert.v of private owners. A brevet of approval or of authorization or of jmro toleration is issued by the officials of the Rational stables. In all classes there are thorough-j breds. including English, Arab and Anglo-Arab: half-bloods and draught horses. And all stud horses of whatsoever class are examined by sanitary commissions appointed for this purpose. Horse-breeding in France is well described as a quasi enterprise of the state. It sends the national stallions into every commune. The farmers can take their choice of thoroughbreds or half-bloods or draught horses. If they choose the first the fee never exceeds 0, and for the second or third it varies from .1:2.50 to . Yet the fees last season amounted to over 00,000. What the state horses mean to the farmer may be understood from the fact that the service of a winner of the Grand Prix, when he becomes the property of the state, will not cost more than 0. whereas if owned privately the fee might be ,000 or more. Horse-breeding is also greatly encouraged by prizes given at shows. There are shows for stallions, broodmares, colts, fillies and all sorts and conditions of horses. Five hundred such reunions wore held last joar. In addition to tiiese, fourteen special shows for saddle horses were organized lij the state. Though the generous support of the -state stables is largelj in view of furnishing horses for the armj. there is a special soeietj for the encouragement of breeding war-horses. The Jockey Club takes the technical direction of flat-racing and the Society of French Steeplechases does the same for the races after which it is named. But the state co-operates with both. All over France there are minor societies which control about 300 race courses. In no other country has racing become such a popular form of amusement. Book-betting is forbidden iu France and the pari-mutuel sj-steni works with the mathematical honesty of a machine. Seven per cent, is deducted front the total amount. Of this percentage three goes to the Charities Department of the government, two to the-soeietj that owns the race course and two for stair and other purposes. French race courses are all ad-mirablj kept and tiie fiat race course at Longchamp and the steeplechase course at Ailteull. the latter being the form of an S, are the finest in the world. The Grand Prix do Paris, run at Longchamp in the month of June, and supposed to close the fashionable Season, is for 1911.sh0,000. the largest prize anywhere. The enormous sum of ,20.000 Is spent annually for the encouragement of horse-breeding in France. The lions share goes to the races. Hero are the figures: For races, $"..475,000: prizes for fillies, colts, broodmares, stallions, 1911.sh05,000; bonuses for approved stallions, 40,000; prizes at training shows. 10,000: prizes for thoroughbred mares, 2,000. The breeding of the pure Arab Is not a national industrj, and is confined chletlj to the Pyrenean region. France boasts of only 125 Aral stallions", but their importance is considerable in the southwest, for thej give to their gets sohrietj. endurance, character and courage. The French thoroughbred has given a good account of himself at home and also abroad ever since Jou-venee won the Goodwood Cup In 1853. Monarque the same in 1S57, and Gladiateur the Derbj and St. Leger in 1S5. French horses have won the great international race, the Grand Prix de Paris, thirtj-live times out of fifty-one. The thoroughbred is in-dispensible for amelioration of the race and as a menus to that end; that is, for the production of half-blooded horses so admirable for the army. Many of the ollicers are mounted on thoroughbreds. Of late years the three-quarters bred has become a great favorite among the ollicers. The Anglo-Norman is a magnificent carriage horse and an excellent trotter. Trotting races have nourished in France since 1S3G and are encouraged bj" the state and bj societies just as Hat racing and steeplechasing, but in a minor degree. While tiio trotter and the carriage horse are excellent for harness, the officers all agree that they are not good war horses chiefly because thej are not good gallopers. In England the army benefits by sport, in France siwirt benefits liy the armj. For twenty-live years France has not had to go abroad to buy military remounts. After supplying the needs of her army witli her best horses she has about 18,000 for sale annually to other countries. In England, where the state exercises practically no control over horse breeding, it is estimated that for the regular armj- there is a shortage of 21.000 horses and for the territorials a shortage of SO, 000. James Joseph Conwaj, M. A., in the Worlds AVork.
