566 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
third horse, Bonpays, a gray belonging to Adam Stamm & Son, was a 
favorite for first place. He had the Percheron type in an outstanding 
degree — size and muscling throughout. He didn't move, however, to suit 
the judges and this outweighed his other good points and he was rele- 
gated to third place. No sooner had the aged stallions vacated the ring 
than their places were taken by a class of fourteen toppy three-year-olds. 
The first four animals in this class were of the ideal Percheron type. 
The fifth horse was a somewhat more leggy animal of high-class action, 
but the heavier type seemed to find more favor in the eyes of the judges. 
Taylor & Jones' Ryan, the capturer of the blue, is an exceedingly massive, 
heavily-muscled horse. The second horse. Burgess & Son's Notcher, was 
a somewhat lively actor, but hardly as well muscled in the hind quarters. 
He was a clean-cut drafty fellow, nevertheless. The real sensation came 
with the two-year-olds. There were thirty of these, a line reaching two- 
thirds of the way around the ring. It is doubtful if a class equal to this 
in numbers and quality was ever shown at a state fair in this country. 
It was certainly a record-breaker for the Iowa fair, and strikingly showed 
the great advancement that is being made in the horse department as a 
feature of the show. After an extended examination a short leet of nine 
was selected, which was later reduced to seven. Then the real work 
began. The horses which captured the two top places, Burgess & Son's 
Gascon and Singmaster Bros.' Guerrier, were of much the same type. 
There could be little question about meir relative placing, however, since 
Gascon's great symmetry and extraordinary muscling are of the kind that 
is hard to beat. He was later awarded the championship ribbon. The 
third horse. Burgess & Son's Gabrais, was a trifle light in the middle and 
in the bone to make a serious competitor for the crackers above him. 
The yearlings were not a close class. Burgess & Son's Blondin, a massive, 
muscular iron gray, was an easy winner. Not to be outdone in size or 
excellence of showing, the aged mares lined up twenty-two strong for the 
inspection of the judges. The work of selecting the short leet was slow, 
and the five mares that composed it were all outstanding representatives 
of the breed. Burgess & Son's massive Castille, a first-prize winner at 
last year's International, easily captured the blue, and later the cham- 
pionship. McMillan's smoothly-turned lolanthe, the second premium mare 
at the International, was placed below Singmaster's Soubrette, a heavily- 
muscled mare of much the same type as Castille. In the three-year-old 
class, McMillan's Columbine, an outstanding mare of much the type of 
lolanthe, was well deserving of first place. Patterson & Errickson's two- 
year-old Sybil was of the low-down, blocky, heavily-muscled type that 
found most favor in the eyes of the judges. The second mare. Burgess 
& Son's Razelle, is a plainer animal and hardly as good in spring of rib, 
though otherwise she is scarcely to be faulted. 
SHIKES. 
For uniform excellence throughout the Shires excelled everything else 
in the horse classes. Every entry was up to standard and quality was 
everywhere in evidence. There was not an easy class in the entire breed 
from the judge's standpoint, and the satisfactory way in which the ani- 
