490 A HISTORY OF THE PEECHERON HORSE 



exercised to prevent them from becoming over- 

 heated. Nevertheless, one finds the general health 

 of Percherons in the south equally as good as that 

 of light horses. 



"More Percheron horses are needed in the south, 

 and there are two important reasons why they are 

 needed : 



"First, diversified farming is rapidly gaining 

 headway. More feed crops are being raised. Such- 

 a system of farming calls into use heavier farm im- 

 plements and machinery, the handling of which re- 

 requires heavier teams. 



* ' Second, the south has long given much attention 

 to the raising of mules, animals that have proved so 

 well adapted to the work on southern farms. The 

 great majority of the mules, however, are the prod- 

 ucts of light mares and are therefore themselves 

 generally small and of the class known as cotton 

 mules. Even in the past there has rarely been a 

 time when large, smooth-turned mules were not in 

 demand at good prices, while light mules have often 

 been a drug on the market. The changing to diversi- 

 fied farming is making the heavy mule more neces- 

 sary and more in demand than ever and in the 

 production of such mules Percheron blood must play 

 an important part. By the use of good Percheron 

 stallions excellent mule foundations can be obtained 

 by grading up from native or Spanish mares and 

 from mares of Saddle, Thoroughbred and Standard- 

 bred breeding. More mares that possess size and 

 draft conformation must be used, if large, high- 

 priced mules, capable of doing the heavy work of 

 the farm, are to be produced. 



"Feeding Percheron horses in the south does not 

 differ greatly from feeding them in other sections 

 of the country. Oats here, as elsewhere, is one of the 



