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IGNORANT OF THOROUGHBREDS VALUE. Fostering Measures of Foreign Governments Lacking in the United States. By F.d. Cole. New York. March 0. — Recent advices from Rag-land disclose the lact that the English government has paid 032S.O00 for the purcha.-e of farms for breeding and improving the horse for army purposes. : The property purchased belonged to Colonel William Hall Walker. Fast December Colonel Walker gave tlie English government horses valued at 70,000 as a nucleus for the foundati. n of a government stud. Many of these horses are two-year-olds, and to lest the qualitj and stability of their various j breeds some of them have been leased by the gov eminent to Lord Lonsdale to be raced, there being no other way to prove the value of a thoroughbred except by contesting one against another. Irciieh. German, Austrian. Italian and other governments have recognized for years that thoroughbred blood in the remount produced the beat horse. England has just fallen into line with appropriatV ns for the purpose of breeding good horses, recognizing the importance of the thoroughbred horse to a nath u. Incidental t. these facts come cables that there-will be considerably more racing in England this year than last seas, n. notwithstanding the war is , more serious and limes harder. In ierniany there are to be seventy two days of racing instead Of something like half that number in 191a. Austrias • •■.iseii is to be cut only a few days from normal schedule, according tee recent advices, and retaining fees of ,000 have been offered to American jockey* to go there. All these facts are merely cited t sh. , the difference in the attitude .ei European e n tiles ami the United States toward the thor- ougfabred and racing. A fids from Kentucky and Nevada, there is hardly a stale in the American In ion that has not been or is not trying to destroy the thoroughbred Industry aiiel this admittedly useful variety of horse — one thai is ni.-t essentia] to a countrys welfare. "For patriotic reasons atone, the thoroughbred should be ! siered an 1 em enraged in this country. This is exclusive af the industrial ami economic reasons." said the late Charles Kohlcr when he was apokea of as likely to be chosen a racing commissioner in this state. Mr. Kohler was only one f thousands who know ami .an se-e the importance of eacooraging the improvement in the breeding of horses, but there -e em lo be thousands who OOOt, and because they dont they oppooe anything which pertains to the horse or the means of its improvement. No greater precedents could be offered to the Maryland legis lature. which is n w discussing the question Of the. ter. ughbred and racing, than those cited in the • ; sing paragraphs of this article. The horrors of the European war have- not caused European nations to neglect the liorse id the future. Every government concedes that the thoroughbred is the strain which mast exist in horses to produce the best, ami for this reason horse racing is encouraged and in in . st Instances is governed by federal laws. it is to be hoped there ate some members of the Maryland legislature who will put before their ass-, dates smile of the bare facts concerning the hope rtance of enacting reasonable legislation in regard to racing, ami who will show the value of the thoroughbred when a good horse is needed, which may b" jit almost any moment during those troublesome times. An instance, of the condition .f this country today in regard to war banes can be no better demonstrated than by a quotation from John F. Byaa, who organised tin Canadian Breeding Boreas and who his -hipped mere horses t" Europe than any dhor person. Mr. Byaa recently said: "Tf I was askeel to get 2,000 re-cognized or standard re- iheeunts feer the American governsaent I am afraid I would have to reply that they Could not be obtained." There is no better authority on this uats Hon than Mr. Byaa, as he and his agents have seoureil this country feer the past two yeears buying horses for European war service. Again quoting Mr. Foxhail P. Keene. who s.-iys: -It is all very well for men to sit back in tbeNr chairs with all the g. .] things • f life lee! ere- them and decry ra ring, because they eh nt know what the sport is like. Many of them probably never saw a borne race-. Put let war come along;, and for the lack of gc o I he rscs and men they are kicked out ol" their chairs. as thousands have- been in Europe since, the war started, and they w sld them feel the resalts of their lack of activity and Ihedr apathy in not he-:p ing to fortify their country with horses when opportunity offered. Baeing should be encouraged onder a g -.el government ami the American thoroughbred Improved as much as possible, as well as perpetuated."
