382 . AGRICULTURE 



and the grade high, yet the only way to secure class and 

 grade is by pure breeding. Millions of dollars are being 

 lost by American farmers every year through the breed- 

 ing of grade or scrub horses. 



The value of. breeding. An excellent illustration of 

 the difference in market value between pure-bred and grade- 

 bred horses is shown in the case of Wisconsin horses (Bui. 

 186, Wis. Ag. Exp. Sta.) : 



Average value of horses by ages 



4 to 6 

 months 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 



From pure-bred sires___$78.77 $132.84 $196.84 $218.00 $303.00 



Froln grade sires 51.25 85.00 127.50 156.45 200.20 



Difference in favor of 



pure-bred sires 27.52 47.84 59.34 61.55 102.80 



This table is very convincing when it is remembered 

 that it costs no more in care and feed to raise a well-bred 

 horse than a scrub. The farmer who uses only pure-bred 

 sires for his breeding will get almost fifty dollars more for 

 his colts as yearlings than if he uses grade sires, while if he 

 does not sell until the colt has reached maturity he will 

 receive at least one hundred dollars more. If pure-bred 

 dams are also used, the difference will be greater still. Will 

 it not pay well to "breed up" our horses ? 



Draft breeds. The chief breeds of draft horses in the 

 United States have been imported from Europe. The fa- 

 vorite of these is the Percheron, which comes from France. 

 The Percherons have good spirit, are strong-boned, and 

 have sound feet. They show good action, have a high 

 degree of intelligence, and respond well to training. 



The Clydesdales come from Scotland. They are longer 

 in build than Percherons, have smaller bodies, and less rug- 

 ged constitutions. They are strongly marked by a heavy 



