The Stallion 313 
them a horse at an inflated value, there has generally 
been dissatisfaction on account of the high price of the 
horse, or disagreement among the individual members of 
the company. Occasionally such a system has proved 
satisfactory, and it can be recommended only where the 
individual members are not able to buy a stallion in any 
other way, and where a few horse-men can get together 
and agree on some horse which they wish to buy. 
The time is at hand when the buyer should take the 
initiative in regard to purchasing a stallion. At present, 
$1500 in the hands of a buyer who knows what he wants 
will purchase a horse from the breeder or dealer that would 
cost him $2500 or $3000 from the dealer or stallion sales- 
man. At the same time he can secure a wider range of 
selection and therefore buy a horse that more nearly suits 
his conditions. In practically every section of the West 
there are some pure-bred breeders who have good founda- 
tion stock, and who are selling pure-bred animals at so 
low a price that one cannot possibly afford to use a grade 
or mongrel sire. The dealers are also selling horses at 
reasonable prices, especially when the buyers go to the 
farm and offer cash. There is no one factor that will in- 
crease the general merit of the commercial stock produced 
as will the going of the buyer to select the stallion. Pure- 
bred horses of merit cannot be bought at grade prices, 
but $3000 should not be paid for the average horse and 
nothing but a stallion which is good enough to go at the 
head of a bunch of pure-bred mares can be purchased at 
that price and money made on the deal. 
The European War has barred the American horse- 
men from using imported stallions to any large extent. 
Previous to the opening of the war, there was a fictitious 
value placed on the word “imported” and now that such 
