Semi-weekly herald., 1908-11-12

papers talked about him-with pic
lures. Today the draft importer will
touch nothing under 1900 pounds, and
3-year-old colts often run up to q ton
The favorite draft breed In America
-6 or to lis the Percheron of
France. He comes from Le Perche
(southwest of Paris). and nowhere
else. The horse breeders of that dis
trict have banded themselves into a
guild or union and decreed and de-
cided that no horse from outside the
irregular borders of their district can
be recorded as Percheron in the
stud-book Of the breed. A colt foaled
just across the line. out Of mare and
by sire correctly registered can not
himself be registered.
The foundation blood Of the Per
cheron is. or is said to be. Arab. The
Frenchman will tell you that Percher-
on is an Arab made heavy" by the
climate.
The Breeds Increase in Weight.
But whether Arabian extract or no.
1t is sure that the breed has been made
heavy by the climate or human selec-
ton, during the past half-century.
When George Sand wrote, the Percher-
on was famous as road horse,
traveller, a ground coverer. Her he
roes used to drive hither and thither
behind four splendid distance eating
Percherons." No modern Fren nchman
would dream Of driving up to his Nj
nette's door behind four Percherons.
The Perche peasants are artists.
sculptors who, within the limitations
Of their material. most wonderfully
fashion into being their equine imag-
inings.
1t is much easier and simpler to
carve a horse of the shape you want
on the Pathenon frieze. than out in
lucerne pasture in the Eure-et-Loir dis
trict. Dazed by their artistry, the
French minister of agriculture grave
ly reports: These men of LIE Perche
are incredible! Command from them
horse, they will build you one to
your specifications"
But they weren't clever enough to
keep their best stations for breeding.
Tempted beyond endurance by the
incredulous prices of the stranger"
says the historian, "the country was
surely being denuded of its most su
perb breeding animals" Naturally the
oncoming generations were falling off,
| and then in 1885 the French govern
ment stepped in and began paying
even more than "the incredible prices
of the stranger" for the very best stall
lions raised in France. The fees
charged for the services of these splen.
did government sires were fixed at RI
diculously low figures-from SO down
to 81. The owners of horses not quite
good enough for the government stud
but too good to be exported. we're sur
sidized at from $50 to 500 a year to
keep their animals at home and stand
| them to not less than sixty 1cares a
season.
Then" continues the chronicle. be.
| gan the American invasion, st 'ung:y
| apropos at time when a crisis threat
| ened ragingly over the breeding indus
try, following on the development of
railroads.; and their (the Americanl
apparition was veritable mine of
good fortune for LIE Perche; but they
did wrong to demand that one should
make a new type of Percheron for
their convenience and almost to their
measurement. They paid prices un-
known until that very moment, but
they exacted enormous horses and
1t was necessary therefore to con.
struct them. Then the dapple gray
not being to their taste. they stipu.
lated for black. This was likewise
done for them. What would one not
do to satisfy such good clients?"
| These same good clients import
about one thousand Percheron breed.
ing horses annually at an average cost
of $500. which are sold in this country
at from $1,000 to $4,000. Fewer than
| WV huAui GU are over
each year. The peasants of LIE Perche
hate to sell any except barren mares
not because they are afraid of us as
( breeders, however.
! Hear the photographer, NJ. Val.
lee de Loncez: THE North American
is not a veritable breeder. With the
national device, Go ahead En- avant,'
he has not the patience, the perse-
verance. the consecutive series of
! ideas that are qualities neces-
sary for breeding. He does not know
how to wait. 1t is because the Yankee
is not veritable breeder that he
has not been able to realize the dear.
est of his dreams: to create an Amer.
lean Percheron race superior to the
French Percheron race"
And it is true that SO far American.
| bred Percherons have never equaled
the imported horses in our show rings,
In all the big shows Of the past
dozen years the highest an American.
hrn hac