146 A HISTORY OP THE PERCHERON HORSE 



trotted a mile over the old St. Louis fair grounds 

 track in 3.42, pulling a four-wheeled coupe contain- 

 ing four men. Bismarck, the stable companion of 

 this fast traveler, in 1874 became the property of 

 Dr. Stetson of Neponset, 111., but apparently he did 

 not meet his views, as in the year following he 

 passed to the same company that owned Napoleon 

 Bonaparte. 



This covers quite closely the main facts which 

 transpired in 1868, the most memorable year since 

 the inception of the importing business. Almost as 

 many mares were imported as had thitherto crossed 

 the ocean — 8 as compared with 11 head — and the 

 number of imported stallions had been increased 150 

 per cent, the figures from 1839 to 1867 inclusive be- 

 ing 20 as compared with 31 in 1868. Imported 

 horses had penetrated as far west as Missouri and 

 the second and third direct importations had been 

 made into Illinois. By far the most important fea- 

 ture of the year was the entrance of Mark W. Dun- 

 ham into the ranks following the banner of the 

 French horse. Unpretentious and inauspicious 

 though that beginning may have been it marked 

 the opening of the era during which the breed was 

 destined to assume the dominance of the American 

 draft horse breeding industry, with M. W. Dun- 

 ham as its leading exponent. 



A Lull in 1869. — In the season following the boom 

 of 1868 importations were greatly reduced, general 

 commercial dullness and financial stringency beiiig 

 ^ven as the causes. In 1869, too, we note the giving 



