THE PERCHERON REVIEW 
33 
of the word, for horse breeding is most profitable 
where carried on as one of the Hvestock hnes on a 
good farm. Teams return their greatest earnings 
when used nearly the year round, and regular em- 
ployment for a considerable number of teams, in 
winter, is not found save on good livestock farms. 
Farm, tools, other classes of livestock, and working 
capital all require funds of no slight amount. Aside 
from this, the cost of foundation Percherons will be 
considerable, and usually two years must elapse be- 
fore any produce can be sold, even if bred mares 
constitute the initial purchases. Percheron breed- 
ing is not a "get-rich-quick" proposition, and those 
who have not the means to carry their business 
along for two or three years before counting on 
revenue from Percherons sold should not undertake 
to found studs. 
If a man has the farm, pastures and means to 
justify proceeding, he should train his eyes and 
judgment on good Percherons before making pur- 
chases. Those fortunate ones who are already well 
grounded in the fundamentals regarding eyes, wind 
and limb, because of experience with high-class 
saddle, trotting, carriage or good draft horses, have 
only to acquaint themselves with the size, draft 
conformation, and breed type of Percherons, for 
good eyes, feet, legs and wind are the same in all 
horses. Such men can, by attendance at our lead- 
ing livestock shows, and visits to the farms of several 
successful breeders, acquire enough mformation to 
make their purchases reasonably safe. To other 
ambitious breeders, with means but no experience, 
the only safe course is to do all that has been out- 
lined, and then secure some breeder of success and 
integrity to guide their purchases. There is no 
counsel so valuable as that of such a successful 
breeder, and lucky is the beginner who recognizes 
this to the full. N. H. Gentry, the greatest con- 
structive breeder of swine America has produced, 
frankly admits that his success was due largely to 
the assistance and counsel given to him by veteran 
Joseph Snell. Will and John Robbins, Shorthorn 
breeders who have bred and exhibited many of the 
best Shorthorns, started without good counsel, but 
had sense enough to realize it before two years had 
passed. They then went to one of the leading 
breeders in Kentucky and, on his advice, sold all 
they had and started over. Looking back on this 
after thirty years' successful work, Will Robbins re- 
marked: "It made us. We could have bred Short- 
horns for one hundred years, and never bred one 
good enough to be heard from, if we had held to our 
first purchases, made in misguided enthusiasm, with- 
out good counsel." Specific cases of similar char- 
acter could be cited from among living Percheron 
breeders, were it not for our intention to avoid in- 
dividual mention. 
The man founding a Percheron stud needs all the 
information he can get, and then has need to pray 
for the friendship of a real breeder, whose integrity 
puts him above self-seeking, to guide his purchases. 
Without such help, mistakes are apt to occur, and 
time and money be lost. 
Knowledge of the details of breeding, feeding, 
fitting and showmg is also necessary, for success 
hinges on these factors. All keen observers, includ- 
ing importers who are intimately acquainted with 
the French system of developing colts, agree that 
80 per cent of our American breeders fail to feed and 
develop their Percherons sufficiently. This makes 
sales slow and difficult, and returns are not up to ex- 
pectations. 
A careful study of the detailed methods used by 
successful breeders, who have developed prize- 
winners, is the quickest road to knowledge. 
The man who cannot give his farm and breeding 
operations personal attention must have a compe- 
tent horseman in direct charge — should have one 
definitely employed before purchases are made. A 
sober, industrious groom will save his cost many 
times over. 
Mouton 104780 
Complete reliance must never be placed on a 
groom, however, for real success cannot be looked 
for unless the owner puts real interest and close 
supervision into his work. All horses should be 
hoof branded, or better still, branded with plain 
figures on the neck. This simplifies the work of 
keeping breeding reports, and makes it impossible 
for the groom to make a mistake in giving the 
identity of a mare in foaling or breeding dates. 
Within the past year, one of the new Percheron 
breeders, whose wealth and equipment was such 
that errors should not have occurred, made serious 
mistakes in submitting his registrations. These 
mistakes, when traced out, were found to be due to 
the fact that the hoof numbers had not been kept 
renewed, and the groom became confused as to the 
names of two gray mares which were very much 
