The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-08-21
Draft Horses.
MessIs. Degen Brothers Import II Fine Lot
OF Norman and PercherOn Draft Horses.
Also Coach Eorses--A Quick Trip
from Havre To Montreal and from
Montreal to Ottawa.

Degen Brothers, composed of Solomon, Isaac
and Jacob Degen, of this city, has been one
Of the most successful firms of dealers in
French draft horses in Illinois. In this
county they did more, probably, than any
other three men to raise the standard Of La
Sale county horses and to call attention Of
horse buyers throughout the country to o.
tawa as horse market Almost year
since Mr. Jacob Degen, the youngest men,
Der of the firm, died, but his widow still
maintains his interest in the firm. 1t has
been customary for the firm during the past
eleven years to have a buyer in France pur.
chase their horses and ship them to them at
this point While this method brought to them
very excellent horses and was accompanied
by less expense than their buying direct, the
firm concluded this year that they wanted
still better horses, and that to procure them
one member should 90 to the Norman and
Percheron districts in France.
Accordingly Mr.. solomon Degen, the Sc,
Nor member ofthe firm, sailed on April Goth
from New York, on the steamer City of Chi.
cage, lnman line, for Liverpool arriving
there after voyage that was unattended by
any accidents. Within eleven days from the
time he left New York he was in Rouen, the
largest city in Normandy, and was busy look
II, Ia. L
first purchased some Percheron horses at
Charities and then bought those of the Nor.
man bred. At Caen he purchased four
coach horses. AT the city of Everux MIR.
Degen presided at a meeting of American
horse dealers, there being some twelve pres.
sent, including Mr.. Butterworth of Quincy,
Ill.,, Secretary Of the National French Draft
Horse Association. Still later Mr.. Degen
attended great meeting and banquet given
at Nogent le Rotrou, given by the Perch
eron Horse Association of that city.
At the meeting at Nogent lie Putrou every
attention was paid to American buyers. In
the course of buying his horses, Mr.. Degen
travelled ever all of Normany and the draft
horse region of France. He procured and
brought with him TO Ottawa seventeen draft
stations, Percheron and Norman; four coach
stations, two mares and three sucking colts.
The Percheron and Norman stations are most
ly dark and dapple grey in color. However,
there are two blacks, two bays and one
brown. They are in age two and three years
old. In weight they average from l 800 to
1000 pounds. All are recorded in the
French Draft Stud Book and also in the Per.
cheron Stud Book. The French Stud Book
is issued by the National Agricultural De-
partment of France, and is under the direct
Of the government. The Perch
eron book is issued by private individuals
The stations bear the names Of Forton. Bril-
liant, Mouton, Moral, Odon, Bon Occur, Her.
Guile, Ncaise, Numa, Favori, Pandor, San.
sonnet, Bonvoeleil, Prampton, Villars,
Apotton, Button.
Among the draft stations is one, bay,
weighing 1900 pounds, that tro,s a mile in
three and one half minutes. Mr.. Degen will
exhibit him at the Illinois State Fair.
The coach horses, four in number, are
three and four years old and will weigh,
when mature, from 1850 to 400 pounds.
Two are sorrels, one is bay and one a
brown. They are not named yet. In ap-
pearance they are very snowy, and thus far
none have ever been brought to this section
of Illinois. The mares are a bay and grey.
They are named Biche and Mignonne. The
bay mare has grey sucking colt. The colts
are grey in color and bear the names
Bichette,I Angevin and Beaumant. Taken
all in all they are remarkably fine lot Of
horses, by oil odds the best lot ever brought
to La Sale county.
After having secured his stock, Mr.. Degrn
made preparations to sail at 8 o'clock In the
evening for home, and on the 30th of July
left Havre by the steamer Siberian" one
of the finest Of the Allan line, arriving at
Montreal after a voyage Of eleven days. Dur
ing the first few days Of the trip the horses
were sick, but by proper attention they
rapidly recovered, and though somewhat
fatigued when landed. they still were in good
condition. Mr.. Degen remained with the
horses in Montreal two days, until they had
rested up sufficiently to make the overland
trip. An Iowa stock buyer was with Mr..
Degen on the steamer, together with his
purchases, and the two Of them obtained a
special train over the Grand Trunk road from
Montreal to Blue Island where the Crank
Trunk crosses the Rock Island track The
special train consisted of fourteen cars. 1t
left Montreal at eleven o'clock Saturday
morning and arrived at Blue Island in Just
forty-o one hours and thirty minutes, as quick
time as was ever msle by a long freight train
on so long trip. The managers of the
Crank Trunk were particularly accommodate
ing and furnished every facility possible for
quick and comfortable travel The time
made by the train is particularly creiitable
to them. At 1880 Monday Mr. Degen and