THE NEW CENTURY DAWNS AUSPICIOUSLY 405 



size, style, symmetry and quality of the Pereherons 

 produced. The care and management of the young 

 animals was far above the average, with the result 

 that a large proportion of the colts bred and raised 

 at Leslie Farm were sold as weanlings and yearlings 

 at prices far in advance of the usual figure. Little 

 was done in exhibiting at leading shows during this 

 period, but the influence of the breeding operations 

 carried on at Leslie Farm was widespread. Special 

 attention was given to the encouragement of small 

 breeders in the immediate vicinity. The result was 

 the development of a large number of small breed- 

 ing establishments founded on purchases made at 

 Leslie Farm and the general improvement of all 

 horses within the Tazewell district. 



Numerous other breeders have contributed mate- 

 rially to the upbuilding of Percheron interests in 

 Tazewell county, but men best acquainted with the 

 rise of Percheron breeding in that territory are free 

 to concede that Leslie Farm has led in the develop- 

 ment of the Tazewell country as a Percheron center 

 imtil it now stands second in the United States in 

 that regard. 



M. C. Hodgson and W. E. Pritchard, both of 

 Ottawa, 111., whose operations have been reviewed 

 at length in preceding chapters, continued their 

 Percheron-breeding operations during this period 

 and made material progress. No sires of special 

 prominence were in service in the Hodgson stud 

 during this period; most of the stallions were of 

 Hodgson breeding and used for a short time. This 



