128 THE HORSE, ASS, AND MULE 



close contact with the everyday life of the people. Many of the 

 horses are sheltered beneath the same roof as their owners or care- 

 takers. As the author has seen these horses at work on the streets 

 of the cities of Belgium and on the farms, he has been much im- 

 pressed with their docility and their great and uniform draft power. 

 The maturing quality of the Belgian is distinctly superior. As 

 has been already said, he develops quickly and attains mature size 



Fig. 47. Babette, a typical Belgian mare. Photograph from A. Van Schelle, 

 Special Commissioner of Agriculture from Belgium to the Louisiana Purchase 



Exposition, 1904 



and weight with more than ordinary rapidity. In the United States— 

 in the Central West — professional feeders of horses look with 

 favor on the Belgian on account of the way he develops. 



The crossbred Belgian has as yet been but little seen in the 

 United States, but he has met with a favorable reception where 

 produced. A few years ago a consignment of grade Belgian 

 drafters, the product of pure-bred stallions on native mares, was 

 sold at auction in Chicago market at excellent prices and received 



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