THE IMPORTING RECORD TO 1870 143 



The Walters Percherons.— To Gen. W. T. Walters, 

 Baltimore, Md., clearly belongs the credit of having 

 been the leading importer and breeder of the Atlan- 

 tic Coast country of the early day. 



In 1868 he brought across the ocean four stallions 

 and seven mares, establishing them on his estate just 

 outside Baltimore. It may be said fairly that the 

 gray diligence horse of France became an obsession 

 with him. He was a man of wealth, position and 

 large affairs. He resided in France for a consider- 

 able period and during his sojourn in that country 

 became deeply impressed with the adaptability of 

 the Percheron to American conditions. He formed 

 a connection with one of the officials of the French 

 government stud who assisted him in making his 

 selections. He contended that the diligence type was 

 suitable in every way for use before a gentleman's 

 carriage. He sought generally the lighter weights, 

 and seated in his platform spring wagon or double 

 carriage drawn by a pair of what he always called 

 Percheron mares, driven by a colored coachman, he 

 was a familiar figure on the Baltimore drives. 



Gen. Walters never overlooked an opportunity to 

 promote public interest in his Percherons, and hav- 

 ing ample means at his command he was in a position 

 to go as far as he liked. He caused a translation of 

 Du Hays ' history of the Percheron horse to be made 

 and published at his own personal expense. He dis- 

 tributed among his friends a splendid quarto volume 

 profusely illustrated with plates of stallions and 

 mares made from photographs by Schreiber of Phila- 



