New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-16
IMPORTING FINE HORSES.

I>rrpFsTING FACTS ABOUT A RECENT MOVEMENT
TO SECURE STRONG DRAFT HORSES IN AMERICA
The steamer Greece which arrived last week.
brought nincty-seven horses OF the Percheroh
breed for NJ. W. Durham. an importer of horses
who lives at Wayne, Du Page County ILLINOIS. ms
is n small village ab0nt thirty miles west OF
Chicago The horses were taken To- STABLES on
(,reenwich-st and aiterward sent West 10 Mt
Dunham's stock farm at Wayne. About onr-fourth
of them colts and the rest are inI-G 81 O@n
stations; their weights ranging from I1Oo 10 %'Oou
hounds This is the largest Importation OF h0tses o
this KIND ever made INTO this country. Nj. Dunham
sad 10 TRIBUNE reporter, whic speaking ol 'ne
importation of horses: 800,
"Wili,an Harris of MooIcstown, \. j.. brought the
first PefcherOn stations to his country III lS3o. ne
was travelling III Europe for hs health ana saw
some OF these horses at work in France lie was so
strnck with their strength that he determined 10
bring some of them home with HIM Accordingly
he shipped four to tins country. TWO Oh mem uigo,
however before they reached Moor eSiown. charles
Fulhngtou. of OHIO, imported the next lot IN 1921.
I'm 1856 one of the stations imported by MI tui-
hugtou was sent to Illinois, where for twelve years
Inc WAS the only one OF the kind III that State. In
1865 imported two of these stations. ana In lS'Z
| went regularly INTO the business. since that tune
have brought over from France between 800 and
400 of them. | put them on my stock farm at
Wayne and sell them whenever an opportunity
OCcurs." L.,
these horses {" -
The district which goes by the name of Perchc
is a plateau between the Seine aud Lore hNers,
abOut 100 miles from Paris. The plateau Is sIAtS
mics In length aud forty miles III width. aud EN-
braces parts OF the districts EuTe-et-lou Eure ana
Orne The climate Of the country is something
like that of Vermont. The people live entirely by
agriculture and by raising these horses. 1hey are
a people of wonderful industry and economy. My
dealings with them during the last nine years have
been very pleasant although / have found them
very sharp at bargaining" 49,
"Uow often do Won visit FranceV
EVERY year. ALWAYS 90 there during the last
of June or the first of July. The greater part OF
| the farm work IL done then and the horses are
cheaper than at any other time of the YEAR Then,
August IL good month TO bring the horses over to
this country, ~ the voyage IL usually quiet one,
| and "a they accInate better If BROUGHT over here
| inst before the cool weather. All the horsebuycrs
40 TO PeIche during the months Of June and Jnly.
| and the region Is pretty well cleaned out of IT,
| horses now. If you were II Perche today you
! would have hard work to find young iirst-class
| stallion III the whole district"
What do these stations cost there !"
| "From $500 to ~ 900. Ii also costs great deal
| to import them. had special train from Perche
| 10 the sea coast thing never heard of before ~
France. In 1873 II cost me 300 tor every horse
brought ACROSS the ocean. Now, however. when
bring tbem IN largo numbers it costs only little
| more than half much Tor each. IL VIII cost me
| 800 a car for my special tram 10 Wayne. ! put
Six Of the horses in ear. | insure them when
| start, and have to pay or per cent on the IN
snrancc. You there are large RISKS In this ons
| ness When sell these stations. however, VIII
| qet from 81 900 TO So 900 each for them.'