THE NEW CENTURY DAWNS AUSPICIOUSLY 439 



breeders in the state and liis work was unique. He 

 began in 1900 with a single mare which he bought 

 from Jacob Koester. This was Fany 20458; she 

 raised colts of record every year from 1901 until 

 1910, inclusive, then missed until 1914, when she pro- 

 duced another foal. Mr. Orr kept two of her best 

 daughters for some time and these were also regu- 

 lar breeders in his hands and in the hands of later 

 owners.* His entire stud was originally developed 

 from this one mare and her produce. The financial 

 returns to Mr. Orr were such as to seem almost 

 fictitious, but they are well attested — an indication 



♦Regarding the produce of Fany 20458 Mr. L. W. Orr of Afton, 

 Minn., writes; 



"I bought the mare Fany in 1900 from J. Koester of Minne- 

 sota. She was foaled in 1895 and had produced some colts before 

 I bought her. During the years 1901 to 1916, inclusive, a period 

 of 16 years, she has never failed to get in foal, and I have saved 

 and reared 12 colts produced by her in the 16 years (four were 

 lost through abortion or shortly after birth). Of the colts foaled 

 by her in my possession I sold the first, Rosalie 30609 as a mature 

 mare for $500; her second colt, Pickador 33150, a stallion, I sold 

 for ?800; her third colt, a mare, Gladdis 34797, I sold at maturity 

 for $500; her fourth colt, a stallion. Canton 426411, I sold for 

 $1,000; her fifth colt, a mare, Blanche 43448, and her sixth colt, a 

 mare, Rosette 46841, I still own and consider the pair easily 

 worth $1,000; her seventh colt, a stallion, Donald 53982, I sold for 

 $600 as a yearling rising two; her eighth colt, also a stallion, 

 Pluton 59395, I sold for $800; her ninth colt, a mare. Hazel 72135, 

 I reared, but she died before she foaled a colt for me; her tenth 

 colt, a stallion, Tripoli 82581, I sold for $800; and her eleventh 

 colt, a stallion, Superior 115223, I still own, and consider him 

 easily worth $800. Her last colt, foaled in 1916, is one of the best 

 stallion foals she has ever produced, and I think $350 is a moderate 

 estimate of his value. 



"I have sold seven of her colts for $5,000 in cash, and still 

 own four, valued conservatively at $2,150. Fany has been a 

 regular work mare, and has done as much work as any mare I 

 have ever owned, taking her turn in the teams most of the time 

 the year around. She has never been shod except when I have 

 chosen to tak§ her out to county and district fairs, but it is 

 interesting to note that I have won more in prize money by 

 exhibiting her than the mare herself cost. Her daughters have 

 been prolific, have reared excellent colts, and I believe that two 

 of them will in time make a better record than the old mare as 

 money-makers. 



"I have never made an investment that has paid me as well 

 as the purchase of this mare." 



