Missouri Draft Horse Breeders' Association. 525 



believe that this coming season Laclede county could support 

 a good draft sire for every one of her twelve townships. Good, 

 big, grade stallion colts, sired by my old horse, are strongly 

 in demand to use for breeding purposes, and I do not discourage 

 their use because they are so much better than the stuff that was 

 there before. There are about 3,300 mares in my country 

 suitable for breeding. Good draft sires, owned by intelligent 

 men who can advertise wisely, would command most of these 

 in a few years. The raising of mules is not the paying prop- 

 osition it once was. I can remember the time when any beast 

 with long ears and a bray was considered a good mule jack. 

 But times have changed, people's inclinations have changed 

 and the mule market has changed. 



While I am not acquainted with any great part of the 

 Ozarks, I think conditions in my own county do not differ 

 greatly from those in most of Southwest Missouri. A year 

 ago last summer I was called on business to a near-by county 

 whose agricultural wealth is nearly twice that of Laclede. 

 Having an hour or so of leisure, I did as I do everywhere I go — 

 I looked up the horse breeders in that town; I made the ac- 

 quaintance of one of the leading bankers who owns some sad- 

 dlers. In the course of our conversation he told me he did not 

 think there was a pure-bred draft stallion in the whole county. 

 He had been contemplating the purchase of one for some time 

 as he was sure it would be a profitable investment, but he had 

 not done so as yet. 



I have endeavored to show you that the time is at hand 

 when the production of draft horses may become an important 

 industry in the Ozarks if pioneered by men with a "go-ahead- 

 itive" spirit, who are willing to do missionary work and patiently 

 await results. But that is not all; I don't believe there ever will 

 be better opportunities for community breeding than is there 

 ofTered. Here are people who have arrived at the point where 

 they will insist upon using better sires. Considerable draft 

 blood is already prominent in the she-stock, yet the blood of 

 no particular breed predominates to any appreciable extent. 

 Neither are the farmers prejudiced in favor of or against any 

 particular breed. Let the man in each community who has 

 the inclination and the means buy a pure-bred draft stallion 

 and, perhaps, a pair of fillies, advertise wisely and wait patiently 

 for results, and if he has no reverses I will bet you a coonskin 

 his success is assured. Let him choose the breed that his con- 



