6 
THE PERCHERON REVIEW 
In Missouri 
Again referring to the position of the dealer, I recognize that 
the average breeder usually is not in a position to sell his horses 
to the final users. The selling of pure-bred horses, especially 
stallions, is an entirely different business from the production 
thereof, and must necessarily in large part be handled by dealers. 
Instead of desiring to injure the dealer, I am willing, not only as 
an individual, but as President of your Society, to aid the legiti- 
mate dealer in every possible manner. 
My friends, there has been a good deal of complaint during the 
last year regarding the poor prices for horses. If we will be 
honest with ourselves, we wOl say the price for poor horses. Good 
horses are bringing good prices and the topnotch show horses are 
bringing bigger prices than I have ever known them to bring and 
I have been breeding Percherons for nearly twenty years. This 
prediction, which I made, is coming true; namely, that there would 
come a time when breeders would recognize the value of good indi- 
viduals and would recognize good breeding in Percherons, breed- 
ing which would give assurance that the individuals represented 
by these particular blood lines, would prove extremely prepotent. 
That time has arrived! If I may be pardoned for a personal ref- 
erence which I shall make solely for the purpose of presenting 
my point, I will call attention to the fact that not long ago I sold 
a sixteen-year-old mare for more money than I paid for an Inter- 
national champion when the horse business was considered to be 
booming. Why? Because this sixteen -year-old mare had pro- 
duced many good individuals and they, in part, had showyard 
records. One of her sons was Junior and Reserve Grand Cham- 
pion of the Panama Exposition; and one of her daughters was 
Senior Champion mare at the Ohio State Fair. 
This year I could have sold this old mare to several different 
breeders, whereas, five years ago if I had written to any one that 
she was for sale and had told her age, I would probably have 
received a reply that the prospective buyer was not in the market 
for "has-beens" but for "isers. " 
This change in sentiment indicates that the public is beginning 
to get down to business and to realize the value of breeding and 
the value of animals that have demonstrated their ability as prod- 
ucers. I think this old mare was cheaper to the buyer than many 
champions that are but five years of age. I, myself, would never 
have parted with her but for the fact that I have several of her 
daughters in my stud. 
Another illustration. Five years ago I was asked to judge at 
the Iowa State Fair. I placed first in the futurity class a filly be- 
longing to a small Illinois breeder. Her name was Coueeorous. 
After the show, I bought this yearling at what was said to be a 
foolish price. Her first foal, a filly, won first prize as a two-year- 
old at the Ohio State Fair and repeated this as a four-year-old at 
the same fair. Her second foal, a stallion, won first in the three- 
year-old class at the Ohio State Fair and finally won the Grand 
Championship at the same show, which is conceded to have been 
the greatest Percheron exhibit ever staged at any state fair in 
America. He was subsequently sold for what is, I am sure, the high- 
est price ever paid for an American bred Percheron. The other two 
colts out of this mare, Coueeorous, are still at my farm and will 
be heard from in the future. In the October 30th issue of the 
Breeders' Gazette, an article, written, by Sam Guard entitled 
' ' Proving the Pedigree of a Percheron ' ' gives the breeding of this 
mare. Any one who read this article will realize why this mare 
has been so successful in the stud. She was bred by an Illinois 
breeder whose holdings were small, but was bred from dependable 
blood lines and from good ancestry. 
I have mentioned these mares solely to show the importance of 
obtaining in foundation stock good individuals of dependable 
blood lines. Such mares, no matter who owns them, are worth a 
dozen of the ordinary kind. I sincerely hope, both for the breed 'a 
sake and for the sake of the breeder, that our Percheron breeders 
will become more and more discriminating, both as to individual 
merit and as to blood lines. Just as surely as certain well-bred 
Shorthorns, Herefords, and other cattle produce what is wanted, 
the same is true of Percherons and all other horses. The mediocre 
horse has gone, never to come back. The good horse is just come 
to his own. I would not be surprised to see, within the next two 
years, the real topnotcher sell for twice as much money as has yet 
been paid for draft stallions or mares. Castrate the poor stallions 
and don 't breed the unsound mares. Discard them as grades. 
The longer you waste feed and labor on this kind, the worse off 
you will be, whereas, any reasonable amount of money spent in 
feed and labor on good ones will be returned with 100 per cent 
interest, besides the satisfaction and pleasure that comes from 
producing that kind. 
The importation of Percherons, in my opinion, is a thing of 
the past. Some, no doubt, will be brought over, but not many. 
Our society should do everything possible to encourage the Amer- 
ican breeder and the~(Iealer in American bred Percherons. Our 
breeders exhibit mostly at state fairs and I am, therefore, of the 
opinion that it is through and with the state fairs that the Per- 
cheron Society can do its best work for our breeders. I am sorry 
to say that our financial resources will not enable us to increase 
Good Draft Teams Are the Most Profitable to Use on a Farm 
