34 
THE PERCHERON RE\'IE\\^ 
alike. The chagrin and humiHation of the breeder 
was extreme, and he lost more time, money and pa- 
tience in straightening the case out than it would 
have taken to neck brand his horses, which would 
have forever eliminated the possibility of such mis- 
takes. 
Last, but not least, faith is a fundamental in 
founding a Percheron stud. Faith in the future of 
the draft horse, founded on his never-ending ser- 
vices to man in peace and war; faith in breeding 
the best to the best; faith that gives the breeder 
the vision of the artist, picturing in his mind the 
harmonious whole toward which he is working; faith 
that will cause him to continue sculpturing with flesh 
and blood till his ideal is reached. 
Wayne Dinsmore. 
Reprinted by courtesy The Field, December, 1915. 
Manon 105936 (107680) 
Methods of a Successful French Breeder 
M. Adrien Hamelin is noted as one of the most 
successful breeders in the Perche. The following 
extracts from an article written by him for the 
Christmas issue (1912) Breeders Gazette will in- 
terest breeders. 
"I make a close study of the question of the 
sire to which I shall put my mares. Sometimes 
I take mares to the Avelines, or to any other stal- 
lioner who owns the type of horse I am looking for. 
If the female is rather light in bone I mate her with 
a sire having strong heavy bone. Then again, if a 
mare is rather plain in the head I seek a horse with 
an attractive physiognomy. On one occasion I 
recollect that I had five different sires to serve five 
mares. Not every one will go to this trouble. 
"We were more fortunate than you in America in 
having so many first-class stallions in a circumscribed 
area. However, I should strongly advise your breed- 
ers to pay the price of a good horse. It is false 
economy to breed registered mares to an indif- 
ferent stallion, and one of the best means of getting 
a good horse in any locality is for all the farmers to 
keep good mares. It will not be long before some 
enterprising man will buy a first-class sire as soon 
as it is seen that one will bring a profit. In selecting 
likely mares for breeding purposes, look for plenty 
of width in the back and loin with a low-hung roomy 
barrel. One should avoid narrow-waisted mares 
with cut-up flanks. In buying mares one should 
get a line on their ancestors, if at all possible. 
"It seems to me that Percherons ought to do well 
in America wherever wheat and clover are staple 
crops. The heaviest Percherons will be raised on 
the heavy lands where much power is required to 
plow. Limestone clay lands where the rainfall is 
moderate are very suitable, just as we have in the 
Perche. I expect that some day you will discover 
a favored spot in the United States where larger 
horses can be raised than elsewhere. Even in our 
small elliptical tract of land known as the Perche we 
note a difference in the size of Percherons raised in 
different districts. Percherons should not be taken 
on marshy land, nor yet on land that lies too high up. 
"Oats are of course our staple grain ration. I also 
use some rye and barley, as both are good for horses. 
Very little Indian corn is employed for feeding horses 
in the Perche. Perhaps if it were cheaper we might 
use more. It would go well with sainfoin, clover and 
alfalfa, although I should always guard against using 
much for growing colts. Our greatest forage crop 
is sainfoin. Our horses relish it better and thrive on 
it quicker than on any other hay that I know of. 
Clover is also excellent for horses. We have two 
kinds — the common or native, and red clover, some- 
times called Spanish clover. Some alfalfa hay is 
fed in those districts where it grows well, but it 
hardly gives the same satisfaction with us as the 
other two legumes. It would be well for some of 
your experiment stations to take up the study of 
sainfoin and find out the conditions suitable for its 
growth in your country. We consider that it im- 
parts that energy and vitality so characteristic 
of our horses in the Perche. 
"It is very necessary that some one should be 
on hand when a mare is about to foal. That is a 
critical moment, especially in the case of fillies. 
Help is nearly always needed. The first thing we 
do when a foal is brought into the world is to get it 
to suck just as soon as it can stand up. The next 
thing is to disinfect the navel cord. Some mares 
have very little milk at first, but the foal must be 
kept at her. Persistence generally results in de- 
veloping the milk flow. Some fillies are very silly 
with the first foal; others are wild and will allow 
no one to approach. Patience and vigilance during 
the first week save the lives of a great many foals. 
Spring is the most favorable time to have foals 
dropped, as there is nothing equal to tender nu- 
tritious grass for the dam, or sunshine for her 
progeny. 
"We work our mares shortly after foaling, but 
see that they suckle their offspring several times a 
