THE FRENCH. STOEY RESUMED 229 



"To preserve and perpetuate the valuable qual- 

 ities of the Percheron race against invasion from 

 all sources is one of the missions of this society. 

 In order to accomplish this purpose, it becomes 

 necessary thoroughly to investigate all elements of 

 breeding that have contributed to the grand results 

 we now enjoy, and by carefully classifying all ani- 

 mals with their pedigrees, that we may see what 

 strains of blood, which families and what orders, 

 of union have been prolific of the greatest benefits 

 in the past, thus establishing invaluable precedents 

 from which more intelligently to shape our future 

 course, and with greater degrees of certainty arrive 

 at the desired ends. These investigations have 

 shown us that the improvements of the past neces- 

 sary to meet the changing demands have been 

 accomplished by selecting animals best suited to 

 the new requirements, and, by a judicious system 

 of in-and-in breeding perpetuate the valuable qual- 

 ities sought for, at the same time intensifying their 

 hereditary powers of transmitting those qualities." 



Meager Data at First Available. — In common 

 with all other pioneer undertakings of this char- 

 acter, the effort to collect for the first time reliable 

 information concerning the foundation stock was 

 attended by many difficulties. In respect to the 

 remote origin of the race, and indeed in respect to 

 the work done by the preceding generation in the 

 Perche, there was only of record M. Du Hays' 

 treatise, already alluded to in preceding chapters. 

 Valuable and interesting as was this cleverly writ- 

 ten work, its author apparently had not the time 

 nor the patience to search the archives of the gov- 

 ernment touching the Percherons of pre-stud book 



