It may be thought, perhaps, by some, presumptuous on the part of any American, to undertake the editing with a view of improvement, of a work of the standard reputation of Stewart's Stable Economy. But it must be recollected that the climate and much of the food, and, consequently, the general management of the horse in Great Britain, are so different from what they necessarily must be in North America, that great injury is often done to this noble animal by following British instructions too closely in his rearing, and above all, in his stable management.

The horse, both theoretically and practically, has been a. favorite study with me from childhood; and for the past ten years, I have been more or less engaged in breeding and rearing them on my farm, and in breaking and fitting them for market. I also had in early life, during a residence of nearly two years in the north of Europe, the advantage of studying the stable economy of large military establishments, and in my recent trip to England, I took every opportunity to inform myself, by personal inspection, on the subject of the horse in general, and particularly his rearing and stable treatment; and in so doing, examined alike the thorough-bred, the hunter, the roadster, the farm, and the dray horse.

Mr. Stewart evidently knew little of chymistry, either animal or vegetable; and in speaking of these matters incidentally, particularly regarding the composition of food, the effects of cold and heat on the animal, etc, etc, has made some gross mistakes. Since he wrote, Dumas, Boussingaut, Liebig, Payen, Johnston, Playfair, Karkeek, Read, and others, have thrown great light on this hidden science; thus enabling me to correct errors of considerable magnitude, and to add some things to the Stable Economy, important to a judicious and enlightened treatment of the horse.

In editing this work I have suppressed few whole pages, all of which were either quite erroneous in matters of fact, or totally inapplicable to this country. About the same quantity of matter suppressed has been added by me, which is enclosed in brackets. The engravings of Mr. Gibbons' stables, and the description of the same, are original with the American edition. Altogether, I trust I have made the work more acceptable to my countrymen than it was originally; and as a second edition may be called for, I shall be quite obliged to any one who will furnish me with any new information regarding the horse, or correct any error into which I may have inadvertently fallen.

A B. ALLEN.

New York.

Preface To The Third English Edition

By long experience it has been fully proved, that the native powers of the horse are susceptible of very much improvement. When properly managed in domesticity, his strength, and speed, and endurance, are so much increased, as to render the wild horse a contemptible rival. But the agents by which this improvement is effected are numerous; and their power is not limited to the production of one change or two, but varies according to several circumstances - such as the duration and repetition of their operation, and the condition of the horse at the time they operate upon him. They are also under the direction of men not the most remarkable in the world for suitably adapting means to ends. It might, therefore, be inferred that they are often mismanaged; and it is true that they too frequently are so. The stable, the groom, the food, the water, and the work, each should contribute to raise the value of the horse; but each may be misguided, and each may lend its aid to make him worthless.

To trace the operation, so far as known, of every agent by which the horse is materially affected - to analyze compound agents - to consider the effects of each individually and in combination - and to make practice the master of theory, are the principal objects at which I have aimed in this work. I have labored to obtain all the information that labor could promise me and I have endeavored to arrange the whole subject into divisions, which will, as I think, render every part of it easily understood, and easily referred to by any one not ignorant of the English tongue.

The first edition was published in March, 1838; the second, September, 1838; and this, the third, in July, 1840. I have had the honor of being consulted by many people at a distance, who know me only through my book. It seems proper for me to take this opportunity of stating that I am leaving this country upon account of my health; that I will still be happy to receive any useful communications regarding Stable Economy: and that, after August, letters should be addressed to me at Sydney, New South Wales.

JOHN STEWART

Glasgow.