152 



THE HORSE, ASS, AND MULE 



breeder and horse student who died in 1916, was long a leader 

 in the work of improving the Shire. 



Importation of Shires to America began many years ago, but 

 just when the first of this sort came over cannot be absolutely 

 stated. A horse named Tamworth, possibly of this breed, was 

 brought from England to London, Ontario, Canada, in 1836. 



In i847anotherhorse, 

 named King Alfred, 

 was imported. In 

 1853 a Mr. Strickland 

 brought a stallion 

 known as John Bull 

 from England to Au- 

 rora, Illinois, where he 

 became well known. 

 Several others were 

 imported into northern 

 Illinois soon after this. 

 George E. Brown, long 

 a prominent Shire 

 breeder at Aurora, 

 states that as far as he 

 has been able to learn, 

 the earliest advertise- 

 ment of Shires by any 

 importer in Western 

 agricultural papers was 

 in 1875. Along in the 

 eighties many stallions 

 were brought to America from England. In recent years there 

 has been but little activity in importing, the leading importers 

 being in northern Illinois. 



The characteristics of the Shire that distinguish the breed and 

 which may be considered of most interest are the following : the 

 head is large, with a tendency to Roman profile. The withers are 

 high, the back strong, with wide-sprung and deep ribs, showing 

 a large middlepiece. The cronp is comparatively level and wide, 

 and the quarters are powerfully muscled. The legs are large, and 



Fig. 58. Boro Blusterer 14187 (31 140), grand-cham- 

 pion Shire stallion at the Panama-Pacific and 

 International Live-Stock Expositions, 1915. From 

 photograph by Hildebrand, by courtesy of Truman's 

 Pioneer Stud Farm, owners, Bushnell, Illinois 



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