448 



Missouri Agricultural Report. 



stallion standing for public service, yet that small difference will 

 invariably amount to from $25 to $50 in favor of the better sire by 

 the time the colt is ready to market. Missouri has within her 

 borders something over one million horses. If we could add $10 

 to the value of each horse in the State, the wealth of the horse- 

 men of the State would show a substantial increase. 



The problem before the Draft Horse Breeders' Association 

 and those vitally interested in the future of the draft-horse busi- 

 ness of the State is to devise a means of controlling the sale and 

 standing for public service of those stallion of doubtful merit. 

 Most men would willingly discriminate in favor of the better horse 

 if they only knew the possibilities of such a course. How we may 

 best accomplish this end is yet to be determined. Undoubtedly 

 a law enforcing publicity in the way of a posted veterinarian's cer- 

 tificate and a statement of the breeding of stallions would bring 

 favorable results. It seems that in the meetings of the Missouri 

 Draft Horse Breeders' Association the subject of a stallion law 

 should find favorable consideration, because it is upon the use of 

 better stallions that the reputation and advancement of Missouri 

 as a draft horse State depends. 



MISSOURI'S DRAFT HORSE PROGRESS. 



(Harry W. Graham.) 



That Missouri has, during the last few years, made great ad- 

 vancement in draft horse breeding, there 

 is no doubt. We all remember that it has 

 been but a few years since our State was 

 overrun with the little 14 to 14V2-hand 

 horse that later became famous as the 

 Boer-war-horse. Up to that time the best 

 of this class of horses would bring about 

 $35, but the demand for them by the Eng- 

 lish government soon put them up to $65 

 and $75 in the country. At this price It 

 did not take long to clear the State of the 

 major portion of them, for, as the price had 

 been doubled, every boy, hired hand and 

 farmer that possessed one of this "no-ac- 



Harry W. Graham. 



count-sort," rushed them in to town on "buyers' day." 



