OTHER PROMINENT FIGURES OF THE PERIOD 317 



ords in America. Fourteen head more were im- 

 ported in 1888. Twenty-eight of the 32 head were 

 mares. Twelve stallions and an equal number of 

 mares were bred and raised by the Messrs. Mc- 

 Cormick by 1890 inclusive. 



Reaper was by Confident 3647 (397), one of Bril- 

 liant 1271 's greatest sons, and was one of the best 

 of his time. He stood about 17.1 hands high, 

 weighed more than 2,100 pounds, and was a big, mas- 

 sive black, with great draft character. He had a 

 very good head, a well-set neck and excellent under- 

 pinning. The mares were a fairly good lot, but not 

 so outstanding as the sire. No sales were made at 

 this time. The influence of this stud on others will 

 be dealt with later. 



Pre-eminence of McLean Co., 111. — By 1890 Illinois 

 had 203 American breeders of Percherons. Forty- 

 four of these were in McLean, 20 in La Salle, 10 in 

 Dupage, 8 in Tazewell, 8 in Woodford and 8 in De- 

 Kalb counties. McLean county alone had more 

 breeders than any state except the three leaders. 



The leadership of the counties in the north-central 

 part of Illinois in Percheron breeding, which has 

 continued down to the present day, warrants a con- 

 sideration of the underlying factors. The counties 

 nearer to Chicago have from early days borne the 

 brand of the dairy interests. Farmers within 50 

 miles were influenced in numerous ways to engage 

 in dairying. Farms were given up largely, or 

 wholly, to this industry and there was no room for 

 horses, other than those actually required. The 



