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RACING OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE . . Because It Stimulates Breeding of Horses Aside from Incidental Pleasure It Gives. There is amnle evidence that the horses are t playing a big jinrt at the front just now, and we may lie quite sure that the devastating and protracted battle will render the need of horses almost as iniooitant as that of men. "These also died for England is the title of a terribly moving photograph of dead horses at the exhibition which ! is now attracting such crowds. Unfortunately horses cannot lie built like shops or made like munitions, it is a long process, and the impatient j charlatans and fanatics who wish all their fads to fructify at once find difficulty in understanding such a iMisiti.ui. more especially as it involves racing as the primal v essential factor. It would lie as sensible to neglect forestrv throughout the Allied 1 countries, because trees take a long time to ma ture. as it would lie to neglect horse breeding. The heavier breeds of horses are equally in demand at the present time and there is not much 1 use in arguing about whether Suffolk Punches or Percherous are the better or whether Clydesdales. • Shires, or anv others are serviceable. The difficulty is to find anv one of such horses, and as for farmers - at hoiue thev are at their wits end in the ■ matter. Anv heavy horse, no matter how old. is J worth from OBI to S450 at the present Mini . if 1 iu decent condition. How are farmers to buy them. even if they can find them? . . The tractor plows may do much to mitigate this trouble, but thev will by no means do all. and meanwhile the sunplv of light horses and heavy horses for the front is pre-eminently urgent and 1 cannot In made good bv any spasmodic effort. Be the pres. nt state of affairs what it may. certain 1 lieople have tot to remember that horses must Inbred, though 1heV are working for the future and not for the present." Just iu the same way we know chil.lr.il have to lie reared and educated, and as there must lie education tests for children, so. in J1 another sense, must then- be for horses, and those • tests are races— the only possible tests. That is 1 why racing today is a matter of serious national I importance, apart from the incidental pleasure it t will give for a few hours to those who are able to 1 attend tin- meetings. —"Vigilant," in London Six.rts-uian.
