THE NEW CENTURY DAWNS AUSPICIOUSLY 419 



Mr. Ayres. Blande was a black with strip and snip 

 in his face, and a horse of excellent pattern, stand- 

 ing about 16.3 hands high and weighing 2,000 

 pounds. He was deep-bodied, strong-backed, long 

 and level in the croup, with excellent feet and set 

 of legs, and possessed good quality and action. He 

 was an extremely prepotent sire and many of the 

 best stallions imported from France were sired by 

 him. He was the sire of the Olbert referred to in 

 the discussion of the Lakewood stud and of many 

 other good horses. His colts sired in Mr. Ayres' 

 stud were uniform and closely resembled their sire, 

 even to color and markings. Mr. Ayres was an ex- 

 cellent feeder and gave his foals every opportunity 

 for development. The colts sold from this breeding 

 establishment were of the heavy-boned, deep-bodied, 

 thick, drafty kind, and rendered excellent service 

 wherever used. Mr. Ayres' advanced age and lack 

 of general education handicapped his operations, 

 but the horses bred by him were undeniably of great 

 value to Percheron interests. 



James Loonan was another of the 10 leading breed- 

 ers in Iowa during this period, and his operations 

 were strictly, along breeding lines. His horses were 

 rather low-down, thick, wide and drafty, somewhat 

 on the "Dutchman's type." Superior 40605,' out of 

 a daughter of Confident, one of the most noted sons 

 of Brilliant, was the greatest sire used in this stu.d. 

 He was about 17 hands high and a deep, thick, drafty 

 horse, weighing 2,200 pounds in show condition. His 

 colts were uniform in type and of high average ex- 



