4 publisher's announcement 



with the hearty cooperation of French librarians and the 

 Ministry of Agriculture, every facility being extended, 

 even to the point of permission to photograph original 

 entries of great historical importance. The condensed 

 results of months of patient investigation along this line 

 are presented in this volume; and it is confidently be- 

 lieved that this portion of the work constitutes one of the 

 most valuable contributions made in many years to the 

 history of any of the existing improved breeds of live 

 stock. It is demonstrated that the Percheron horse has 

 existed as a distinct type from very ancient times, and 

 that much that has been accepted — on insufficient evi- 

 dence — in the past relating to the development of the 

 breed since the beginning of the nineteenth century must 

 now be discarded as mere tradition. 



The facts, brought to light here for the first time, seem 

 to contradict flatly the part so long alleged to have been 

 played by Arabian blood in the production of the latter- 

 day Percheron; and while this diligent study of old 

 records — apparently never heretofore examined by those 

 assuming to write early Percheron history — may be re- 

 garded as destructive to that extent in its operation, the 

 student will not fail to note that in place of what now 

 goes by the board as unsubstantiated there is supplied a 

 complete, constructive, tangible, authentic official set of 

 facts that place underneath the foundations of the Perche- 

 ron Stud Book of Prance the solid rock of verified Gov- 

 ernment records, indisputable and convincing. If any 

 doubt has heretofore existed as to when, where and by 

 whom the increase in weight of the Percheron horse was 

 undertaken, such questions need no longer be raised. 



This portion of the story should be of absorbing interest 

 to all students of the development of Percheron types, and 

 represents a sincere and exhaustive effort to get at the 



