Country Life
The Shire Show
The Shire Horse Society held its annual show last week in the Agricultural Hall, Islington. It must be gratifying to every- one that the Shire Horse, which was said to be doomed to extinction by the tractor and the motor-lorry some six years ago, has appeared this year in greater numbers than at any show since the War, and has been of at least as high quality as ever before. Six years ago good Shire-bred horses, six to eight years old, in their prime of life, could be had for about £25. The same horse today would cost at least double. Experience has proved that for heavy draught work in the towns, particularly where there is frequent starting and stopping, the Shire is more economical than the motor, and- he has about as long a life. Similarly on the farm, in work which is not under special pressure of time, the Shire can work as cheaply as a tractor and can certainly do as good a job. A. recent bulletin of the United States Department of Agriculture shows that while in 1930, with high labour and feeding-stuffs prices, the tractor worked at a lower cost than the horse, yet in 1932, when labour and feeding costs had fallen, the horse was cheaper than the tractor. Experience is proving that there is room for both the motor engine and the horse. This time of year on many farms a tractor or two can be seen sheeted up in the cart hovel, while the teams of Shires are at work with plough, drill and harrow. The tractor will come into its own again at next harvest, and that is all to the good, for harvesting is killing work for horses. At any rate, the great War Horse of England, bred now to be the most docile of beasts, has shown no intention of surrendering to this present mechanical age.
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