546 A HISTORY OF THE PEECHEKON HORSE 



it was not long before I had plenty of horses to use 

 and some to sell. These big, strong-made colts 

 brought good prices, considering horse values at 

 that time. Soon I was able to sell enough horses so 

 as to buy more land. This policy I have continued 

 to follow until my farm now comprises a total of 

 400 acres. 



"I bought my first purebred Percheron mare in 

 1888. Seldom have I made a mistake in buying a 

 mare, because I never allow myself to be persuaded 

 into taking anything that is not of good breeding. 

 If I buy a filly I make sure that she is out of a mare 

 that produces the right kind and does it quite regu- 

 larly. I have bought a few imported mares, whose 

 parents and past records I could not trace satisfac- 

 torily, but in so doing I have always made it a prac- 

 tice to buy nothing except good individuals from 

 reliable importers. Frequently, when times were 

 hard, I have bought mares for which I thought I was 

 paying twice as much as they were worth. However, 

 I always satisfied myself before I made such a pur- 

 chase that the mare was the kind I wanted. After 

 30 years of experience in the business I have found 

 that the initial cost of an animal is of little concern, 

 if it is the right kind. Some mares are just as high- 

 priced at $500 as others are at $1,500. 



' ' I beleve more in Percheron bloodlines than many 

 breeders do. If Percheron breeders generally would 

 pay more attention to selecting animals of the right 

 kind of breeding, progress would, be made more rap- 

 idly. Now that the war has cut off the importation 

 of horses from Europe and we are trying to produce 

 the good kind here at home, the cry has gone up 

 from everywhere, 'I am in need of a good sire.' 

 Breeders are just now coming to realize that con- 

 structive breeding of the highest degree cannot take 



