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ADMIRABLE STATE STUDS OF GERMANY. Debaters in the house of commons seem to have forgotten the old proverb discouraging the idea of looking a gift horse in the mouth. The gift of Col. Hall Walker to the nation is inestimably precious, hut requires a capable man in control to obtain from it the many advantages it offers to the country. It may work to the momentary disadvantage of owners of high-priced sires, but a nations welfare is to be preferred to the private interests of individuals. National studs exist in Germany. Russia. Austria-Hungary, Italy, and to a more modest extent in France, also through the government studs and stations of sires distributed about the different departments where breeding is carried on. Taking Germany as an example, , the transition from the Danish and Pomeranian horse to the troopers now in the German cavalry is a history of itself. When Prussia stood alone, and Bismarck was maturing his scheme for a united German empire, a young officer of cavalry, Count Lehadorff. had taken to racing. He rode and trained his own horses, running them in France and then in England with moderate success. He was a lover of the horse and a keen student of hippie lore, and these qualities secured for him a position after the Franco -Prussian war in the stud department of the minister of agriculture at Berlin. He was the chief adviser of the government in the purchase of sires and mares for the government studs, chief among which for military purpose was the depot at Trakenhnen, on the Russian frontier, where the cold, crisp climate hardened the foals in a remarkable manner. His uphill work really commenced when the Prussian government allowed itself to be persuaded to show its colors with some remarkable specimens of thoroughbred produce from English mares with winning sires , from France r.nd England, the former for prefer- , ence owing to their cheapness. Chamant and , Flageolet were imported and stationed at Graditz, , forming the foundation of the successes obtained , by the black and white jacket of the Imperial , racing stable. , Racing in Germany was started on English lines. , The stakes came from the pockets of owners with , the exception of the annual subscriptions from , members of the Race Society for the rigiit of ad- , ding a badge to the sling of their field-glasses , and enjoying certain minor prerogatives. The , "scot and lot" paid by Graditz. whose horses , were trained by Count Lehndorff in person on a , rough gallop running along the river Elbe, was , gratefully received until the day when the Master , of Graditz perceived that racing and training by , an amateur did not give an indication of the full , value of the strains of blood in the stud. He called , Richard Waugh to his council, and then when the , name of Graditz was first on the list of winning , stables the storm burst. Complaints wore made , to the Union Club, owners threatened to retire, and , one of the more important owners who trained , with Daly, of Hermit fame, a Mr. May. a rich , old bachelor in business in Berlin, sold off all his horses, and abandoning racing, took unto himself a wife, and probably lived happily ever afterwards in Switzerland. Strong representations were made to the highest authority and a request was urged that the Graditz Stud, while continuing to test the value of the blood of imported sires and dinis. should follow the example set by the Grand-ducal Stud at Harzburg, and sell its yearlings to the highest bidder. Proofs were fur- . nished to show that there was an annual profit made by the Harzburg authorities sufficient, after , the payment of expenses, to liquidate the cost of , the fiscal stable and recoup the outlay for the , purchase of thoroughbred mares and the services of sires. This seemingly strong argument was nulified when Count Lehndorff explained that breeding could not be carried on by rule of thumb, and that it was impossible to "weed out" the racing stable until the horses had shown by a series of public trials on diffierent courses that they were of no value to the fiscal military studs. Reginald Day knocked another nail in the coffin of the fiscal stable at Graditz by his continued success, but thousjh it is impossible to foretell the result of the war it is doubtful whether the racing colors of the modern Atilla will ever again be sen in public on a racecourse. The great service rendered to his country by Count Lehndorff will perhaps never be recognized. Probably the work he did to secure an efficient and well-mounted cavalry will count for nothing in this war of moles, where the horse and its rider seem to have played a secondary role to the bayonet and entrenching tool. Graditz. as the central college of the German National Stud, received in turn the different functionaries, such as admini.-trative officers and veterii.ary surgeons, destined for important positions at other fiscal establishments. The great question is to find the man who can undertake the none too easy task of managing a national stud, with a foregone conclusion that little patronage may be reckoned on from the foreign market, which will bide its time before replenishing stud or racing stable. Here in France everything has been disorganized through the protracted hostilities, and the market lias fallen through forced sales. Jn speaking of Graditz something has been omitted, and that is the mention of the periodical sal-s of rejected mares and yearlings which wore not expected to do honor to the royal colors in those Important events considered at least as semi-classical in Germany. Minor events were abandoned to small owners. At these weeding-out sales a full catalogue was issued describing the i physical defects which had induced the elimination of each lot from the stud. The foundation of each of the military studs supplying the chargers to the troops has been the thoroughbred judiciously mated with the halfbred mares, and the work of amelioration continues, correcting physical defects in most cases and approaching more to the breeders ideal of the light cavalry horses or those intended for the artillery with plenty of strength and speed. — Paris Letter to London Sportsman.
