10 THE PERCHEEON HORSE. 



that already they are decreasing and becoming less every 

 day, under the continued action of tlie laws. A change 

 will be brought about, and the effect of an inevitable reac- 

 tion will be a return towards sobriety and simplicity. 



Recovering from the intoxication of ^ity luxury, the 

 best minds will, let us hope, recover their tone in the quiet 

 of the fields, and agriculture will regain its too long forgot- 

 ten rights. Tired out by allowing themselves to be eaten 

 up by that elegant guest called the fancy-horse, and by the 

 army of evil-doing satellites following in his train, men 

 will come back to the one which requires but little care, 

 and which returns good service, to the one which does not 

 object to work, the boon companion of every man desirous 

 of following nature's law, which is that of labor. 



The value of the Percheron is more evident than ever. 

 It is this, among the serviceable races, which is called to 

 the greatest fortune ; for, of all the ordinary breeds, it is 

 the nearest to the blooded, in shape and qualities. His 

 usefulness causes him to be everywhere in demand. If 

 the railroads have driven him from the highway, they 

 claim him as an auxiliary in the centers of population and 

 at all their termini ; for he is eminently a trotter, remark- 

 able for the ability to move at a relatively rapid gait, and 

 excelling in the valuable faculty of rapid draft. Since the 

 post-coaches have ceased to use these horses, the omnibuses 

 of the large cities, and those communicating with the rail- 

 roads, require increasing numbers. 



This leads us to seek for the means of improving the 

 Percheron race and of maintaining it in its original purity 

 and perfection in the land of its birth. But let us first 

 see what is the origin of this race, what country gave it 

 birth, and by what characters it is to be recognized. 



We have, for this examination, borrowed largely of 

 those who have known and studied Perche intimately, 

 and hope to remain truthful in following them step by step. 



