350 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



siderable preference. Truman's farm made a large showing. Their 

 11-year-old mare, Tatton Aurora, proved to be quite a drawing card. 

 She was a strong winner at British shows prior to her recent importa- 

 tion. Her English weight was recorded at 2,490 pounds, although she 

 was scarcely over 2,400 pounds as she appeared at Des Moines. Even 

 so, she is a veritable monster. Her width, depth and length are such 

 as one seldom sees in a drafter of any breed. She came from the 

 Boro-Fen farm of Mr. Griffin, which is on the Wash in eastern England, 

 and on his low-lying meadows there grows a grass which produces 

 Shires of immense scale. 



BELGIAN HORSES. 



Iowa farmers seem to like a horse with a good middle. They have 

 found that this kind is always fat and ever in demand by the city horse- 

 buyer. Prom the interest centered in the judging of the Belgian horses, 

 one would infer that these possess characteristics which make them 

 popular with the average farmer. Irrespective of faults, it must be ad- 

 mitted that of the large display of Belgians on hand, there were very 

 few which lacked in depth of body. We would like them better if they 

 carried their backs straighter and were not so meaty in their hocks, but 

 as a breed they surely are splendid in heart and body girth. As among 

 the Percherons, the bulk of the entries were from Iowa farms. In num- 

 bers, this breed exceeded any on the grounds. The largest class was 

 the 2-year-old fillies. There were twenty-one led out for this. Prof. 

 Kennedy judged quickly and satisfactorily. His speed received many 

 comments from the ringside. The type of winner seemed quite con- 

 sistent, he adhering to the qualities of ample scale and muscle. 



The experienced horseman readily recognizes a Belgian by his type 

 of body, head and legs and even by the shortly-docked tail. An 

 amateur might be sadly deceived, however, were he to use color as a 

 means of distinguishing a horse of this breed. A dark iron-gray colt 

 shown in the yearling class looked much like a Percheron. Several 

 coal-blacks were also to be seen. Likewise there were bays with white 

 trimmings and these could almost be mistaken for the light feathered 

 American bred Shires. The breed colors most in evidence were the 

 blue and red roans, the sorrel, chestnut, bay and brown. 



In the aged stallion class a blue roan of Lefebure's caught the blue 

 ribbon. He was almost first and champion a year ago. The sensation 

 of the show appeared in the red roan 3-year-old, Farceur, from the 

 Crownover stables. He looked as near a perfect draft horse as the 

 Belgian breed has ever produced. He shows a large amount of quality 

 in limbs, his cannon bones being as clean and flat as a Clydesdale and his 

 hind legs carrying that placement which makes him a powerful mover. 



The growing popularity of this breed is ever noticeable. Their ex- 

 treme massiveness, limbs free from excessive hair and disposition free 

 from meanness make attributes which the average man appreciates. 



laiTlTRITY CONTESTS. 



Several years ago a futurity contest for yearling draft colts was 

 inaugurated. Breeders enter their pure bred colts of both sexes when 

 they are weanlings. The judging is done at the Iowa fair each fall 



