796 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



uniformly excellent appearance in all classes than has ever before been 

 known. Improvement in all the draft breeds was especially evident in the 

 classes for American-bred horses. 



The imported horses won the principal honors, but the fight for recog- 

 nition which the home-bred ones made in class after class, landing some- 

 times right next to the top beside horses that cost long prices in Europe, 

 shows the great progress which is being made by breeders here. Weight, 

 bone and the finish which are gained by skillful feeding were more evi- 

 dent among the home-bred horses this season than at any former show. 

 The art of decorating and showing horses to advantage also appeared to 

 be less of an exclusive accomplishment of the large exhibitors than has 

 formerly been the case. As a result almost every horse made a creditable 

 appearance and was enabled to win all of the recognition that naturally 

 belonged to him. The undeniable tendency of home breeders showing 

 horses at Des Moines is toward a higher class of stock and a more com- 

 mendable type of horsemanship. 



Prof. C. F. Curtiss, superintendent of the horse department, and his 

 corps of assistants, deserve credit for developing a thorough interset in 

 the fair on the part of Iowa breeders of short experience as well as among 

 the exhibitors of national reputation. Furthermore, the extensive work 

 of handling the many large classes of horses is done according to a sys- 

 tem which avoids friction and delay. 



PERCHERONS AND FRENCH DRAFTERS. 



The Percheron show had a decidedly Iowa flavor, as sixteen of the 

 twenty exhibitors were from the home state. The four outside stables 

 found competition sufficient to indicate that both in quality as well as 

 numbers Iowa could by herself make a very attractive exhibition of this 

 breed. French Draft horses were allowed to show in the same classes but 

 cut no particular figure in the prize list except that the winning aged 

 mare was a Boulonnais. Altogether the 334 Percherons made the largest 

 collection of the breed ever shown from three states and certainly the 

 most excellent exhibit on the average ever seen at a state fair. Iowa 

 breeders deserve great credit for the large number of typical roomy 

 mares and big heavy-boned clean-limbed colts which they have produced. 

 The showing of home bred horses would have made many a former state 

 fair look cheap by comparison. 



It was not an enviable task to assort the winners from the great' rings 

 of gray and black, for decisions were necessarily made on small points in 

 many cases of closely matched rivals. John L. DeLancey, Northfield, 

 Minn., and Robert Miller, Stouffville, Ont., worked long and carefully with 

 the evident determination to give every horse his due. They insisted 

 especially on feet, bone, quality and action with size. 



A forecast of the magnitude of the Percheron showing was furnished 

 when fifteen aged stallions answered the call. The black Acrobat which 

 bore the Crouch colors to the head of this company, is a massive deep- 

 ribbed horse with ample underpinning and bold action. The Maasdam & 

 Wheeler black standing second was very similar in his top and in mascu- 



