298 A HISTOBY OF THE PEKCHEKON HOESE 



broad spirit in reviewing his own or his contem- 

 poraries ' work made him one of the most construc- 

 tive breeders of his time. Percheron interests in 

 America suffered a very great loss in his death just 

 when he was on the threshold of achievement. 



Reserve Forces in Illinois. — Illinois had a total of 

 203 breeders in the epoch under consideration and 8 

 out of the first 20 breeders in the United States re- 

 sided there. The work of the leaders has already 

 been discussed, but there were others of almost equal 

 prominence who must be considered. 



E. Stetson & Sons, of Neponset, 111., with 63 head, 

 Degen Bros., of Ottawa, 111., with 50 head, George S. 

 Hanna of Bloomington, 111., with 48 head, and E 

 Hodgson, of Ottawa, 111., with 40 head, all recorded 

 as bred by the parties named, stood ninth, thirteenth, 

 and eighteenth respectively among the first 20 breed- 

 ers of this epoch. 



Stetson & Sons. — Ezra Stetson, Neponset, 111,, be- 

 came interested in Percherons at a very early date. 

 He owned a good farm, had considerable means, and 

 was of the opinion that farming operations could be 

 much more efficiently accomplished if farmers had 

 better horses. He was a physician of high character 

 and integrity and his education was above the aver- 

 age. He recognized the futility of trying to improve 

 the common horses of the district without purebred 

 sires of desirable type as seed stock, and with this in 

 mind he made an importation of 3 Percherons in 

 1874, Two were stallions — Richard Coeur de Lion 

 406 and Duke de Morny 152. The mare was Em- 



