512 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



produced than ever before, and still the demand continues to 

 increase. The draft horse breeders everywhere are not only 

 breeding more, but better, horses than in the past, realizing that 

 the demand is for the better classes and that the real drafter with 

 quality always commands the high dollar. The fascination that 

 the business has for the real horseman prompts him to produce 

 the best that his ability and judgment°can develop. 



We go to the State Fair or other great fairs and horse shows, 

 and we notice the great interest manifested. I dare say that 

 at most of these big fairs the big draft horse is one of the greatest 

 features of such shows and is perhaps the subject of more com- 

 ment than is any other part of the exhibit. Now there are rea- 

 sons for this. Of course they will say, "Isn't he large" or "Isn't 

 he handsome" and all that sort of thing, but the fact is the 

 masses are understanding and beginning to realize that he is 

 almost king. At least he is to some extent "the power behind 

 the throne." Eliminate him and where would we be today? 

 Think of it! There is no getting away from the fact that in the 

 main the horse furnishes the power to move the vast amount 

 of machinery to operate the farms of this and other countries, 

 that raise the products to feed the civilized world. When we 

 breed these horses then we are ourselves contributing to this 

 mighty power. It is claimed by some (and it is probably true) 

 that for long hauls the big motor trucks can be operated with 

 economy, but I might say that the same has been true of the 

 steam railways for years. We have had no occasion to compete 

 with this mode of transfer. Rather is it a fact that the more of 

 these long hauls that are made the more business there is for 

 the actual "horse power" alive and real at either end of the line. 



In the former meetings of this association I have urged Mis- 

 souri farmers to raise more and better horses. Some of the 

 states around us are excelling us in the number of draft horses 

 produced. We would not like to admit that they are producing 

 any better. We cannot give a very good reason why they should 

 produce more, for Missouri has every facility necessary for the 

 production of the very best. It seems to me, fellow farmers and 

 breeders of Missouri, that we should be securing more of the 

 good ones in our own State. It is a noticeable fact that at 

 many of the sales of pure-bred draft horses too many of the good 

 ones go farther away from us, in various directions, not only 

 to the far west and northwest, but not infrequently to the old 

 states of New York, Pennsylvania, and others where they have 



