464 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



ers — one far stallions over three years old, one for stallions under 

 three years old, one for mares over three years old and one for mares 

 under three years old, all to be bred by exhibitor. And the increased 

 entries encouraged by these classes gave evidence of creditable pro- 

 duction on Iowa farms. Nearly all the young home-bred stallions were 

 of useful character, only a few of them falling without that class. Evi- 

 dently the foundation has been laid for the production of very satisfac- 

 tory and profitable work in the production of pedigreed Percherons. 



McLaughlin Bros., Columbus. Ohio, H. G. McMillan, Cedar Rapids, 

 Iowa, Lew W. Cochrane, Crawfordsville, Indiana, Finch Bros., Verona, 

 Illinois, Frank lams, St. Paul, Nebraska, and W. L. DeClow, Cedar 

 Rapids, Iowa, were among the best known exhibitors, while W. W. Gar- 

 ner, S. B. Frey, F. O. Nutting & Son and others got recognition. 



The horse department was in charge of Prof. C. F. Curtiss of Ames, 

 and his bench of judges had been chosen with discrimination. Robert 

 Graham of Claremont, Ontario, had accepted an invitation to work with 

 Professor Kennedy on Percherons and to judge the Clydesdales, but he 

 failed to report, and Professor Kennedy took the Percherons single 

 handed. 



Among the sixteen aged stallions pride of place was cheerfully ac- 

 corded to McLaughlin Bros.' very dark grey Etradegant, a son of Bon 

 Courage, which had been saved over and made up for show as a four- 

 year-old without previous experience in the arena. He tips more than 

 a ton, but will not make what is called a big one, and yet in the per- 

 fection of his shape, in his fidelity to the real Percheron type and in 

 rare underpinning and grand block he ranks among the sensations of 

 the latter day. The carriage and somewhat of the action of a coach 

 horse are his, and he is altogether a rare combination of power with 

 refinement. H. G. McMillan bought him, but only on condition that 

 this grand stallion would go to the Iowa Agricultural College for a year 

 under lease. The gray Albert, that rugged big-boned stallion that won 

 at the International, has come on nicely and was looking well the 

 part of the heavier type of the breed. The black Montelle, somewhat 

 on the "Dutchman's horse" order, low to the grounds and wide-set, with 

 grand bone and good feet, stood third and seemed worthy of the recog- 

 nition. Trallala, a very massive black from the lams' stables, came 

 just outside the money, as only three prizes were given, but commenda- 

 tion was given to two others in each ring. The fifth in line was Mc- 

 Laughlin's black Bibi, a French winner, projected on a large scale, an 

 upstanding sort with very heavy bone. 



There was plenty of choice among the three-year-olds, and the iron 

 gray Dimitri finally landed at the top of the heap of twenty, carrying 

 the McLaughlin colors. This is a short-backed shapely gray, with pow- 

 erful stifles, well-set ankles and exceptionally good forelegs, and a fair 

 way of going. More than one man inside the arena was in love with 

 McLaughlin's black Mouton for this position, a grand-crested, low, heavy 

 muscled horse with remarkably flat and heavy bone, but the judge did 

 not like the way he went. Coco came in second for Nutting & Son, a 

 showy horse, near the ground, standing on broad flat bone, especially 

 good in the foreleg, and very nicely modeled over the hips and croup. 



