as early as possible. Knowing that every three-year-old which is in good condition and is well developed will be taken, he does his best to promote the development of the animal. With a horse which he sells at three years of age, at a price even lower than what he would obtain for him between four and five, he can defray the cost of feeding, which he could not continue much longer. He is forced to make this expenditure, under pain of not being able to sell his stock, because with a three-year-old there is but little trickery. Above all things the horse must have height, which he will not have unless he has been well fed and well looked after.

Finally, the State by buying young horses would no longer have to compete against dealers of all countries, because it can do what they cannot do. In fact, a dealer buys only to sell again, with the shortest possible delay ; but the three-year old, when he leaves his breeder's hands, is not fit, even for fashionable work. He requires to be fed on corn and broken during a fairly long time, say, for about a year.

When the remount authorities buy a horse between three and four years of age, they put him out to a farmer, whose interest is to have him poorly fed, or he is sent to a remount depot. Either in the former or latter case, the horse is under better conditions than he was when with his breeder, although the conditions are not perfect. He does not improve as much as he ought to do, and he takes eighteen months before he is ready.

I consider that these young horses should be taken in hand at once, and put on food which will complete their development, will give them the desirable strength and docility, and will make them ready for work at the end of six months. In a word, they ought to be fed on corn and broken in, from the first day, but gradually and methodically.

A remount depot, instead of being an equine sheep-fold, as it was recently defined by a general officer, ought to be a true