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, :,1 1 i i J ,1 i . 1 s I :: J i :i 1 1 : - BREEDING BUREAU ; IN USEFUL - WORK. .-One only; has to. list en to -John F. Ryan, manager ,of the Canadian National Bureau, of -Breeding, , te.ling !6f: hls actual . experience.. lu buying horses for the :,Engllsh , arid French- governments to realize that tle thoroughbred- is air actual necessity in times. of peace lihd ofj inestimable-.. value iu war. times. -Mr. Ryan can be7 given credit for formulating the Canadian Breeding Bureau of thoroughbred stallions, which ,has proved a wonderful success from an . economic standpoint, and in these strenuous times of. war has tendered worthy assistance to the English and French. While the bureau is practically iii its swadd.ing clothes It has demonstrated its value decisively in the number and quality of horses it lias supplied the allies. Beiuj; but seven years old, only the first two crops of horses could be sent to Europe, as no horses have been shipped away less than live, years old, this being the limit according to contracts After next May, however, two thousand more half-AM breds will be shipped. "The war had not been dc-Band iclared more than twenty-four hours," said Mr. Byair recently, "berore the1 Canadian bureau volunteered i Its service to the British war office and the Canadian 4 government, and long before the buyers and inspec- tors were sent here from Europe we had completed the census of Canada and we showed them upon their arrival where they conld locate 42.000 horses tit for army service. These were picked up from coast to coast between Cape Breton and British Columbia. "General Sir Frederick Benson was in charge of the British commission," continued Mr. Ryan, and his first consignment, sent from Canada, was 7,000, 25,000 have since been shipped. The great trouble experienced was getting ships to carry them lb England and France. Canada has been pretty, well cleaned up for horses, and I am now purchasing in the United States and shipping from American ports. I cannot estimate a limit to the horses that can be purchased that would just pass muster in emergency cases, but it is sare to say that th United States could furnish in the neighborhood of 500,000 horses which cou.d be used in war times. In answer to the question concerning the number of horses that already have been sent to the allies from this country and Canada, lie believed there has been, at the lowest calculation, 00.000 consigned to the British government alone. "We are now sending out two shiploads a week from American ports." said he, "and if we had more shipping accommodations we could send twice as many, and this is only filling one of his contracts that are in existence. The country is being scoured from Texas to the Can adian border. Kentucky and Tennessee have sent -i magnificent lot of horses o the war. These have averaged 05 a head, but bv the time they are landed in Europe they have cost an additional ?100. whfch brings the. cost to 9275 for every horse shipped. It is the future that will attract attention, after peace is declared," concuded Mr. Rvan. "It is my opinion that European countries will be buying horses for two years at least after the war is over. We have one hundred stallions in the Canadian bureau and their produce will be sent to England in fact, they arc as good as ordered, and the majority will lie officers mounts, on account of their being lia.f thoroughbred, and some of them three-quarters. This war lias already shown the value of thoroughbred blood. General Benson declares that all peace orders hereafter will call for half thoroughbred horses for the English army. Of course, in war times, any horse will pass that has the size and quiiity and is sound, but hereaTter En-land will ask for every mount to be selected one and part thoroughbred."
