)5€)7c iLLjyois SJ8T0RICAZ BUBVET ■^^•••iir-r-i '' CETUURY of PERCHEROII PROGRESS 183^ 193^ :|l 4: « « sic * I'lemoranda 3ook 5y LEO A. DILLOK /2<^'V^/^a^<^^1>^ s and Jesse summoned ?s traverse jurors. 1826 » July 12- Npthrn pllowed $20 for services ps conmissioner. 1826, August - Nathpn re-elected county commissioner. 1826, Ser)t. - Tlioraps pllov/ed $1 ps judge of election. 1826, Dec. - Wplter summoned as traverse juror. 1827, April 7- Kathpn Ipst pppears as commissioner. Hannah Dillon, dpughter of Nathpn, was 'born August 2, ISZk, the first white child born in the territory of Tpzewell county. Thomps Dillon -ras the first postmpster, 1825, in the settlanent that afterward became Dillon. Absplom Dillon operated the first store at Dillon, 1826. Two Children Died "That summer following, mach sickness prevailed, and in the fall we had lost two children, whic'.: discouraged us very much — ra^de us home- sick pnd plmost induced us to return to Ohio. Hearing, however, a good account of the Liackinaw country to the north of us, we determined to visit it; and accordingly, accompanied by my brothers, Jesse and Salter pnd Tillipm Hayes, we set out on r journey to explore it. ?e struck the stream at }/'ackinaw Town, pnd after visiting Deer Creek, V7plnut Grove, 'iThitc Opk and Stout's Grove, our provisions failed us, and we went over to Fort Clark (as Peorip was then called) but on arrival found neither provisions nor people, except Abner Sads and Jesse "(Joseph) Ogee, But we managed to catch some fish and on them with some prairie chickens we killed, we subsisted until we returned to Elkhart Grove. "On our return we passed through Pleasant Grove and Delpvpn Prairie. "We made selections for future homes near Dillon Creek, md the next fpll, hpving put up cpbins, we prepared to remove to our new home, got repdy pnd set out. On our journey when a short distance from where the village of Delavan now stands, v,e were overtakien by p heavj'- thunder stoiTi. Te hurried along as fpst rs possible until s-undown, when the V7ind changed to the northv/est, r>nd in 15 minutes our clothes were frozen hard, oiir horses mired down and a:/ wife and c.iildren had to get out of tlie wp^on into the bleak wind. Then V7e unloaded the vTagon and moved it out of the slough by hand, the water hrlf-leg deep, and reloading hitched up the horse, and moved on about a qua.rter of >= mile further, where the same accident occurred again. It wps now quite dark, the wind blowing, the weather freezing cold, wolves howling in every direction. We concluded to start for the timber, which was 5=bout three miles off; so, packing wife and children on horseback, we started against the wind. It wps to do that or freeze on the prpirie. lie were in p truly desperpte condition — no fire and all of us wet, cold, and hungry, ^e had to have a fire or perish, so on our arrival at the timber it devolved on me to strike a fire, for ay brother was so near c-oilled througli he could do nothing as he had been riding and driving a four-horse team. In those days we hpd no matches, and were compelled to strike a fire by a flintlock rifle, which v/as p bad job as txae w::ole ground was flooded and nothing could be found dry. I at length succeeded in getting p fire pnd we piled high the woo.l pnd stood (7) pround pnd thawed oxit pnd dried our clothes; ?nd when my wife went to look for provisions to get so-nc supper, the dogs h^-d eaten it p11 up, P.nd we went supperless to our wet beds. Forded ilackinaw River "The next norning we stpxted by sunrise for the wagon. It wos frozen fast, pnd we had to cut it out pnd take it hack the wpy we cprae in. 'Je had left out cpttle on the previous night and they had started off. I took their trpil and followed the-n several rrlles, when the ground "became so frosen tliat their hoofs npde no impression, so I gpve then up as lost pjid returned to csnip. 3y this tine I wps hungry, pnd mj-- wife, with provisions brought fron the wagon, hpd preppred a good nerl, pni we pll did it pniple justice, as we hpd not eaten pjiy thing for nearly two days. At the beginning of the second day we mustered ."11 our force, detemined to reach our destination that day. When we arrived at the Mpckinaw the ice was running in large quantities, p.nd the strepn hardly fordpble, but with ciuch labor and difficulty we got across* pnd thpt evening arrived at our cabin. There wps no door or chimney to it, not a crpck stopped, pnd situpted so the north r/ind cpne through pt a sweeping rpte, but hpving plenty of bed clothes we kept ourselves cor>- fortpble, snd opened -" plpce in the roof to let the snoke escape, preppred p good supper, slept in the cpbin, pnd in p fevr dpys hpd it warn pnd con- fortpble. "Srcther TTrlter returned to Sf^ngpnon county for p load of corn pnd nepl. TThile he wps gone it rpined p grept deal, ^-nd he wp.s twelve dpys in coning fron Springfield. ■•Villirn Davis cpne with him with p drove of hogs. When they prrived pt Mackinaw the water hpd overflowed the bpnks, so they left the tepxa on the other side pnd with the nen with thern, made n rpft pnd crossed over, pnd arrived at hone the spne night. The next norning we stprted for the tepr.s, preppred to n?ke a rpft Ipjrge enough to bring across a wagon, provisions pnd horses. Brother John wps mounted on one of than, pnd in plunging around in the nad pnd water, he got disnounted pnd thrown into the wpter, pnd when he got out had to ride nepr three miles with frozen clothes on pnd plnost perished, but p good fire pud hearty supper made us pll feel confortpble, but the horses had => hard tine of it, as they hpd to stpnd out in a cold v;ind tied with p hplter all through the cold, freezing night. Indians Troublesome "So ppssed the winter pt our cabin with wife and children. Occpsionplly my brother wps with us, but ny wife never saw a white woman fron the month of December to the following March ; but there were plenty of Indipns, pnd they were quite troublesome and could not be trusted. In the month of I.ipy, following (182^), I wps coinpelled to go to the settlerient after provisions, pnd Johji Dillon pccomppnied me. The night we arrived it commenced raining pnd continued so that on our return the streams hpd risen to a fearful heigjit. ^nen we cpne to Spit Creelc it wps a sea of water fron hill to hill, pnd we were compelled to cross as best we could by ferrying our lopd in p smpll bopt pnd swimming our horses. Kickppoo v/as in the spne condition, and v/e crossed in p small cpnoe, tpking our wp^gons ppprt in order to get them over. The next wps Sugpr Creek, v/here Robert hiusick then lived. Here we were one v;hole day in crossing. The ni^t pfter we Ipy out on the big prairie without fire rJid but little (8) to eat. If such toils ?jid privr^tions wo-uld not try lAen's souls, v/ha.t could? We hrd no aore ferrying until ive reached Mackinaw, hut our tean broke away ?nd we hpd to folloNv then some ei^ht niiles hefore we overtook then. On oar return we founrT Benj^nin Brigjcs, who was on his xipy to Peorip. He hrd heen ps far ps Jtpckinaw and could not cross pnd was re- turning. We returned to that strean and spent p lonesome niglit on its bpnks, pnd in the norning we fovmd an Indipn cpnoe and with its aid swan our horses over pnd repched home. Brothers T?plter, Absalom rnd others started for the strewn pnd brou^t our' wpgons over. "In the month of l-^arch, 182U, brother Absplon moved here (Dillon's Grove). Soon after J-^hn Summers, 7?illipr.i Woodrow, pnd Peter Scott ca_me pnd npde improvements. My brothers, Jesse end Thomps, cnne out the fpll follov/in^, -''nd the yepr pfter my father and brother, Willian, cpine. From that time the countrs' settled very fast with an industrious population." (9) Pioneering pnd Homesteading in Illinois In the twenties of lf>st century Aaron and Ellis Dillon, as boys, with their father, Jesse Dillon, one of seven brothers, emigrated from Clinton county, Ohio, to Tazewell county, Illinois. Some of the hardships of this trip are noted in the foregoing chapter. In Ohio the Dillons were farmers and did a business of hauling supplies from Cincinnati to their home neighborhood. They were practical horsanen and this work taught them the need for large and strong horses. Several of them in Illinois continued on their farms to breed heavy horses, using such stallions as were then available. One known as a Canuck Horse from Canada was probably descended from French stock earlier imported into Canada by the French Jesuits. Canuck is a nickname for people from Canada and the nickname followed the horse. Later they used an English cart horse imported from England by Col. Oakley near Tremont, Illinois. These stallions crossed with the Dragon stock of mares brought from Ohio formed the foundation for a good class of horses. Later they used other imported Normal stallions from which arose a collection of draft horses in central Illinois. Prom tiiese beginnings in breeding was secured the foundation for their future herd in various localities of the United States. To Aaron Dillon, above referred to, ano I'/ialinda Hodgson Dillon were born two sons, Isaiah in 123^ ^^^ Levi in 1836. In early childiiood the ravages of Cholera left these two orphans to be raised by their Uncle Ellis and others. Arriving at manhood these three men were associated together for breeding horses and were known as E. Dillon cS: Company to be referred to later. About 1855 'tl^e above named men and a dozen more families moved from their timber homes along the streams where the original settlements were made to a prairie land about 15 miles from Dillontovm. They to-k up open land in tracts of l60 to 6Uo acres each. Here they established new homes in the almost treeless community. Isaiah and Levi Dillon had adjoining farms with houses near each other. They lived here until I865. each raising = good sized family. The vv-riter was born on this farm in 1858 to Isaiah Dillon and Mary Fisher Dillon. Much work was needed on these farms where the rosin weeds grev: as high as a, horse could raise his head, bluesteu as high as he could r'^ise his tail, and varieties of wild grass as high as a horse's back. The plowing, the harvesting, the building of house --nd barn and fences could never have been done without help. The helpers were usually Gerra^n md Irish emigrants and local emigrants from. Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky ^nd other states. The wages were low, about 12 to I5 dollars per m-nth and board for nine months. The remaining three months in v/inter the men worked for their board. All they h!=d to do these three months was go to the timber, split rails, cut fence posts, hue lumber for building, cut the refuse v.'ood for summer use, pnd bring it "norae through snow and unbroken roads. I v/ell remember the big snow of 1863i wnen snow, tvro feet or noro on the level, filled lanes md covered fences. "Oh, that independent life on a fnrm," so often spoken of by people who never saw a farr.!. The only independent thing I ever saw on p farm is "If you have no s'loes, you can go barefooted. " In I858 members of the firm of Z. Dillon & Co.npany bought a ton- yepr-old imported stallion, Old Louis Napoleon, priced at $2000, an al-ior.t unheard of price for a ten-year-old white horse. The neighbors th-.ugl-:t they v.-ere crasy. This horse wps used in our herd and for public service until his death in IgJO. lae.To; (10) There v.ps pt first very little interest in horses but E. Dillon & Conppny "bought up p11 the hest colts r>t ko to 50 dollprs r>t '/repning tirie. The neiglihors spid they did this only to boost the price pnd it did boost the price for they sold nrny of these colts Ipter for $1000, $1500 pnd $2000 spch. Then the neighbors spid they hpd been robbed. Mpny -Tould not ppy 15 or 25 dollar service fee. E. Dillon & Conrppr^ vrould pemit the breeding of good npres pnd then ppy for the colt pt T/epning or would breed free pnd the breeder own the colt pt wepning tine. The business continued ps I grer: up until in I865 it wps necesspr;;/^ to hpve better fpcilities pnd S. Dillon & Cornppny noved to lTorn?l, where schools, rpilropd fpcilities pnd nprkets -.'ere better. Here they bought three fp.ms epst of Nompl, Illinois, for neT? hones. Here we received the advpntpgos of the Illinois Stpte Nom^l University, '.'.y brother Melvin F. begpn his school \7ork in the grararipr depprtnent in 1870 pnd I p yepr Ipter. Of the six brothers pnd sisters, four grpduptcd; Melvin pnd I were not so honored. Trom. 18/0 to 1336 the doors of the University were never opened for school thpt one or nore froa ny fpther's fpziily, either child or grpnd- child, did not enter ?s pupil or tepcher. If there ever wps p cIpss (mcpning p yepr or grpde of work) thpt sonetinc or other one of us \7ps n'^t in, I do not Icnow pbout it — prinpry, grpnnpx, high sdiool, or ITornpI department. I p-.: not sure thpt I ever did the school pny good, but the school surely did ne some good. Lepving school I spent ny tinie on the fam of 160 pcres, often increpsed by renting severrl hundred nore acres. With these pctivities we did not need pthletic work for exercise. The horse industry wps pl-pys uppor-ost in our work. As early ps I856 pttending fpirs pnd exhibiting our horses ps a publicity stunt wps be^un pnd was kept up until pbotit 1892. This \vill be referred to l^ter. With the retirement of Old Louis on pccount of old pge — 23 ye^rs - it wps necessary to secure p substitute. With n^ne pvpilpble in the United Stptes, p venture wps riPdc in 1870 by Ellis and Levi visiting Frrnce for p supply. They returned with four horses, three were sold pnd St. Lrurent retr.ined. So well did this venture turn out thpt it was repcjpted pnd cepsed to be ^ venture, becoming a hpbit with our fpnily pnd neighbors ps well PS over p hundred other nen in Illinois plone, who crossed the brinj'- deep for horsee. It so happened th^t I wps selected ps one of four of our fpnily to bu;,' in Frpnce in 1881. Sone of the incidents of this ^nd other trips Dpy be told Ipter. (11) Brief Skotcl: of Other Activities In 188U there 7ir>s fomed in Albr-nj', Toxps, an organization knovm PS the North West Texrs Horse Conprny. It w.-^s forned hy i.:cn v.ho hpd a lot of wild pnd seni-wild horses '^n open r^nge in Shrckelfori Cotmty. A Ipnd under fence, citj' property for hprns, md unlimited open rpn-fo. The horses included over 75 percent o: nil on open rrnge which v/ps 100 niles square. The mnge v/ork is Ipter trkcn up. The next pction in -^ experience wps to reduce our over-stock of horses v/hich siirppsscd rur fpcilitios for work. By p conbinption of oTir horses pnd our neighoors we sold npny horses, Detpils of t>.is will be £:iven l^-ter under the hopd of "Conbinption Spies". Vie lepmed in Frpnco thpt Prenchnen could fatten horses in less time thpn -'e could pnd discovered thrt the use of ientpl work r7PS the princippl repson. After pcqupintinf ciirselves with the work, fpther pnd I prpcticed it for p few yeprs in ccntrpl Illin':is pnd in Chic^t^. One ye^^r in Chicpgo we operpted on 2!-l-00 horses. Following this, fpther re- tired for the renpining yeprs pt his hone in Korr.ip.l. I continued horse dentistry work in Chic^/o until the tine horses becpne scprco pnd there WPS no denand to justify the work. Kost of the horses retired fro-a the streets were rerolpced "sir notor vehicles. Spies pt the Stoclcj^prds plnost closed.. Tiie dentpl work wps done for nepTly everj' Iprge tepa owner in Chicpgo, such fims ps the Telephone Corrpnny with 600 horses, Tlebprd Exoress with UoO horses, City Fuel Compny with 1000 horses, Consolidpted Ice Co.:.ppny with 600 horses, pnd dozens of others with vprious r.unbers of horses. We did work for severpl circuses pnd wildwest shows - Rinjling Bros., 101 Rpnch, Buffplo Bill Wild West, Kinnedy Bros. Wild "est and Floto Sells Circus. I did 350 horses r>nd seven cpj^iels for Floto Sells Circus, trpveling with then for four weeks. T"nis wps one of the unusixpl events of ny life pnd night be told at length. I spent three winter sepsons with Prof. 0. R. rlo^son, the world's best nan for handling; bad or spoiled horses. We gpve exhibitions in b^n parks, audi tor iun buildings, and opera house strges, showin{^- .T.en how to handle and correct bad habits of horses and using in this work several "nan killing horses". If I did not learn more, I surely learned one thing — a horse has onl.y one brpin cell pnd cpn think of only one thing at a tine. With the decline of the horse business I spent eight yerrs in Idaho experinenting on irrigation farming. While it v/?s not p finencipl success, it hps been pn experience in fpming pnd pn psset to the farn work. Following this I lived on pn pbpndoned farr.i in Pennsylvpnia and in five ycprs learned that '.'.pny pbpndoned fprr.s in the east could be re- turned to useful faiTis chopper than new Ipnds in the west could be opened up for work. After spendin?7 alnost " half of Ipst century pnd over r third of this century in studying pnd experinenting along various agricultural interests, I feel that if I were sure of pnother century' of life I an now ready and equiipe''- to do sonething. Wliile past three score pnd ten years, I use neither crutch, cane, nor hearing equipnent. I still hpve two teeth pnd cpn read pnd write pn hour without glosses, and pn still going strong. (12) B\iying Horses in Fr?nce In buyi-ng horses in Frpnce ne frequently used p. two-wheeled cprt for country travel — far removed from today's auto. The earlier "buying was done in !Jormandy for American trr>.de. This territorj' is on both sides of the Seine Eiver end runs from Paris to La Havre, the port of entry for Paris. The very early importing was done by men whose business in Prance was far removed from horse ijiterests; but with riding behind these horses previous to general u??e of railroads, they be- came infatuated with Diligence Horses, translated a "Bus Horse", called in French "Cheval de Petit Trait" or "horse of light draft", in distinction from "Cheval de Gross Trait" translated "horse of great draft". Some of the early importers were Edward Harris of ITev/ Jersey, W. H. Walter of Baltimore, lAaryland, Dr. Brown of Circleville, Ohio, T. C. Biglov; of Columbus, Ohio, Samuel Holrapn of Phoenixville, Pcnnsylvpnip., E. Martin and J. Fullerton of Medford County, Ohio, and a few others whose names might be found who were in Prance on business. All these were previous to 1370. Their attention was first attracted to horses of 1200 to 1300 pounds weight. 1l7ith few exceptions their importing was not re- peated. Mr. Walter and Mr. Harris did repeat their effort. In very few of those horses do we find their progeny traced dc.-m to today. ^Jr. Hajrris did sell some mares to Dr. Stetson of ITeponset, Illinois, whose colts were a;nong the foundation animals in both French Draft and Percheron records. The same ma;|/- be said of descendents of Old Louis Napoleon whose colts were admitted under rule of five top crosses which made them eligible, Paris wa.s largely built of stone much of which came from Normandy. It was Carted to the city on tv/o-wheeled carts drawn hy seven large horses or by several yoke of enormous oxen. In ca.se stone was too far away for such transportation, the rock was caxted to the River Seine and taken to Paris by water. Fron this it is seen that Normandy was a good place in which to buj- large horses. BEGim^'ING ABOUT 13U0 AND UP TO 1875 ^JVEEY HORSE BROUGHT TO THE UNITED STATES SO FAR AS YOUR 17RITER KITOWS WAS PURCHASED IN NORiviANDY, For this reason nearly every one of the earlier importations of horses showed collpx marks of hajd work, and sometimes defective feet and joints from severe work aJid brutal treatment of unmerciful drivers. Nothing but these sturdy horses would have stood the work so well. Many of the early im- portations were purchased in harness or in sale bams in Paris and Rouen. Before leaving Normandy, it is well to see the method which pre- vailed there and all over Frpnce. Breeding previous to 18S0 was usually done on small farms. The colts were sold at weaning time or often contracted for in advance, and congregptod at many points. The depots for dealing best knov/n to your writer ."re Evor-eau, La lians, Chartres, and Nogent. Farmers needing j-ovmg horses to replace the older ones sold selected then here, bought their supplies at these depots as yearlings or two-year-olds. Breeders buying for breeding purposes selected those which conformed closely to their idea of perfection. Buyers from Normandy and hilly regions chose coarse or rugged kind, and those from Bauce and more sandy soil selected a sr.aller pnd more active trme. Your v/riter has traveled in France for days sometimes and not seen a mare and again not a stpllion, only such as were used in the stud. With tliis situation described above one can see the difficulty in securing pedigrees. Wliile in some cases it is possible, in manj-- cases it is very, improbable thj>+ r^^ny pccorate pedigrees are to be secu-^ed. Lt'ter i^rt (13) resepTch discloses tlipt horses were transferred from one locality to pnother, both npres r-nd stallions, and only p few records were preserved. This would verify the stptement often n.-de: "All drpft horses in France are of one conrnon origin, differing in several localities rs conditions differ, differing in sundry places as the buyer and breeder differed in their ideas of perfection." Until about 12S0 pedigrees were xmknown except in isolated places and they wore of short duration. To get some of these pedigrees would be like getting a pedigree of a bull sent to the Chicago Stockyards for bologna. To do it, a prospective buyer would have to see the commission naji who sold him and locate the nunber of the car he cane in and from that locate the shipper down state, who again mast locate the f^mer from whom he purchased the bull, and from him find the address of the breeder and when the bull is fully identified the pedigree night be krown. All of this is possible but very improbable and an endless job if one buys a hundred horses. With the reputed reputa- tion of horse dealers, traders, etc., suspicion would reign supreme. Previous to 1S75 La Perche was very little known to American buyers. It was during that year that Ellis and Isaiah Dillon were waiting in Rouen after completing their buying and biding their time when they coiold ship home, that Mr. Christiajn Heifers, their interpreter and business manager, told then he had located a place where mares could be found more readily and next year they would visit it for nares. The Dillons wanted a show stallion and mare with a colt of their production and bred to have one next year which they could show at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia the next year. So faj* they had failed to find the combination. They decided, in the short tine remaining, to visit the new Mecca which proved to be La Perche. At La Ferte Bernard in Sarthe they m.et Mr. Tacheau from whom they found the combination they wanted. They bouglit a stallion, a maxe, and a colt named by then Tacheau, Boquet and Odinet. With these they were set for the Centennial in IS76. But, Tonforeaeen obstacles occurred and they coiild not show then, much to their disappointment. This combination of the four would have permitted them to show singly and collectively in seven classes. This w^s the first great horse show they had ever missed since 136o. Returning to Rouen, Isaiah Dillon told M. W. Dunlian of his discovery. Mr. Dunham iminediately went to La Perclie for his first visit ajid bought some horses. Araong them was a nare. Mignonette, which won first prize at the Centennial. Following the purchase of these three horses the Dillons restricted their buying for future importations to this region except less than ten horses which they purchased from M. Pegash, near Rouen, from whom they bought one of their first horses. They continued to buy from him as long as he lived. Later the Dillons purchased many horses from M. Tacheau and others near Nogent and all parts of La Perche. The friendship between the Dillons and Tacheau was broken only by death. I have previously said that up to 1875 every horse bought in France for shipment to America was purchased in Normandy on both sides of the River Seine as far up and including Paris, where many horses were bought of dealers in work horses. The principal dealers were M, Vida.l and M. Revier who bought all over France. In 1875 Isaiah Dillon discovered or learned of La Perche where he visited and with Ellis Dillon bought three head. Mr. Dillon related his venture to M. W. Dunham who in a few remaining days hastened to La Perche where he bought a fevY horses. Among them, were Vidocq and a na.rc that won first prize at Philadelphia in I876. Much heavy teaming work v?as required in Normandy in stone, sand, and heavy building materials. The farming soil of this locality was of very heavy and stonj-- ground, requiring heavier horses than Perche and surrotmding pastures were scarce and hreeding was at a low ebb. It was customary for Normand;/ farmers to buy weaning colts and as yearlings brerJc them in on farm work. At t77o years of age the horse was sold to ? teamster to be worked in seven horse tandem teams on two-wheeled carts drawing from seven to ten tons of stone, or in six horse teams in pairs drawing a wagon for crashed stone or sand. It is no wonder the eprly importations were sore-footed, blemished, and some with serious harness marks that were always visible. The wonder is that they lived four years with such hardships under the whip of the most inhuman, cruel drivers. The scarcity of sound horses was a detriment to biiying in JTormandy. While the horses in La Perche were handled none too tenderly when v/orking, they were often fed from thirty to sixty days, prepared for American bu^'^ers, and a horse st-ll-fed v;ith little exercise shipped better than one from hard work and deprived of accustomed exercise v7hile enroute to America. It is a mistpke to think that the Normandy horses were not as good as those in Perche for the Normandy buyers selected those colts to develop large — the same type we sou^t. They bought colts and yearlings, while we were buying three, four, and five-year-olds. So they beat us to it in getting the best. (15) Early Shipping In early ocean shipping the horses were shipped on the upper deck, PS there wns a prevailing idep thrt if horses cpme in contact with steam heat or lower deck conditions, it would be very disastrous. Hence, ship comppnies would not permit horses except on u;opor deck. To lopd these aninpls they v/ere put in p crpte eJid by a derrick were raised to the level of the first dock and swung aboard. Here they were placed in pempjient crates closely confined like a crpted stove with sides 7/ell prdded. Being closely padded they hsd no opportunity to sway bpck pnd forth to adjust thenselves to the felling of the ship by waves or storm. The result ii-as that cany were braised and in some cases the scprs so made remained diiring life. On a later voyage we were permitted to ship on second dedc as the upper deck was lopded with heavy machinery. This \7e gladly did with good success. Stalls were "nuilt vvider and longer. Second and third decks df. not rock as the upper deck did. Ever afterward we shipped on lower deck. We were frequently asked, "Do horses get seasick?" The pnswer is "Yes". The remedy'- or relief is the use of fever medicine pnd condition tonic. I have hpd p dozen or more horses knocked dovvn by a huge wpve. Seasickness is easily detected on horses by rising tsnper.-ture, red, swollen eyes, loss of pppetite, pjid depressed condition. Sepsickness in humrvn beings is about such as is experienced when one gets sick on p nerre-go-round or a rope swing. It is remedied by stopping the swing. But one cpn't stop the boat or waves, I think it is the most distressing sickness I ever spw. For p dpy or so one is pfraid one is going to die and for a i?y or so following one is afraid he will not die and wishes he could. I speak from observation, not from experience, for I WPS one of a few of our shi-oriers who was never seasick. In 1882 four of us acconpanied the horses homo. Uncle Ellis h^d been sick before shipping and wp.s ver*- sick for weeks af ter.Tp.rds. His son-in-lpw, R. G. Bright, and cur cousin, Ed. Hodgson, wore poor sailors and were seasick before we were out of sight of land and remained so en route. With three niglit men and five dpy men' to help with over l6o horses, we \7ere ?ble to Ipnd evcr5'- horse at hone plive and well. To my knowledge this was the first time anyone had landed over a hundred horses without p loss. Arriving in port these horses were reloaded in box cars for r^^il- road shipoing. This was previous to the use of Palace horse cars. Each car would carry six smaller horses or four of the largest horses. Each carload was cared for by a. groom pccompanj'ing it. (16) A Bad Hoss The Nomal stallion, Cogniac, w/.ich was sold by S. Dillon & Co:"inny of Nomal, Illinois, several years r^o to a California denier is achieving a horrible reputation for ferocity and thirst for himan blood. Sent weeks p^o the Pantagrnph of Bloonington, Illinois, related the pajrtic^olprs of his killing James Kennedy, a nan whom the horse attacked near his quarters. In the San Francisco Chronical of October lUih, lS73i we find a long account of a second bloody attack made by the sane stallion. The Chronical says of Cogniac :- "The raea-eater whose other nane is Co^iif^c is a seven-year-old, dark Japple gray Norrnan stallion weighing in fighting trin 1800 pounds, inported two years ago by E. Dillon ^c Conpany to Illinois, subsequently bouglit by Joseph liTooden, the Norman horse breeder of Pctalun^, California, and brought to tlds state, declared by horsemen to be the best of the horses ever brought to America. Until brought to Illinois he had been an exceptionally gentle animal, but having indiscreetly and brutally bitten out a couple of pounds of an Illinois groom, he was so indiscreetly and brutally beaten, as Deacon Duncan would say, he experienced a change of heart. He has ever since been thp terror of all who' have necessarily been thrown in his coinpany. Mr. "Yooden consigned him to Mr. Trapr), Icnown as the California Earey, to have him cured of his sole little foible. Yesterday at 2 o'clock the exhibition commenced in the presence of about 200 spectators, and progressed until 3:30 during which time the horse had been handled by the Profes'=-.or, driven to a btiggy, and appeared perfectly tractable. After being unhitched he was crosshobbled by mailing a stout rope fast from the fetlock of the neigh (left) fore leg to that of the off (right) leg, an arrangement which permitted hin to trot but pre- vented him from g&l loping or kneeling dovo. Professor Trapp's attention v/as drawn away for a moment and his eyes v/ere drawn from the animal, when the latter jumped for him like a tiger. The horse cauglit the man up as a terrier does a rat and flung him through the e.ir against the enclosing planking. Before Mr. Trapp could regain his feet the ferocious monster was again upon him, seizing hin v.-ith his teeth by the shoulder and endeavoring to kneel down upon hin. The cross-hobbling prevented him doing this and the cool Professor, with his shoulder still in the gripp of the monster's jaws, struggled to his feet ajnd y/ith his right hand so held the bit as to prevent as far as possible the successful worlcing of the horse's jaws. By the aid of these distractions Trapp was enabled by degrees to draw his arm through the horse's jaws, the horse chewing it as it slipped away from him until it was entirely withdrawn. The crowd shouted to Trapp to jump for his life but the pluckj'- trainer called for his whip pjnd. with his mpjigled left arm dangling by his side, so tickled the fetlocks of Cogniac th^t the enterprising animal w^s again in subjection. Dillon & Coayjany may thank their luc;:y stars that they got rid of the horse as soon as they did." P.S. by Leo Dillon: The half of this horse's activities have never been told. Cogniac wfis found to be bad soon after starting to his new hom.e in the United States, and we did not dare and would not sell hin without the prospective buyer knovving all we knew about hin. He vps the Ipst of a large (17) importation to leave o-ur bprns and then was loaned to s maji in Indiana who was one of those men who never saw a horse he was afraid of, tut Cogniac buffaloed him and when Mr. Wooden visited the barn, the surroiindings soon told the tale of a bad actor. - Leo A. Dillon. (18) Early Importing The importing indastiy has been in vogue about 100 years. The most of it has been done by men of sound judgment with a desire to improve our horse industry pjad none of us can deny that all classes of hor-^es in use now are superior to those of our early memories. While not so numerous as in earlier days the common horse is improved. The early importations were made under different conditions. The men who imported them were only interested in those horses in Prpnce and other countries as they saw them drawing the vehicles they rode in and they thought the horses of 1300 to 1^00 pounds were best suited to their wants. The next band of importers v^cre men who needed heavier horses for heavier work and they bou/ejit for that purpose. These were the earlier Ohio importers who bron^t over Old Louis Napoleon, Pleasant Valley Bill, None Such, Napoleon III, Success, Old Polly, all ranging from l600 to I85O pounds. Beginning with the Van Hoenbeck of Monmouth, Illinois, pbout lg6g, W. J. Edwards, with his large bay horse four years old weighing I95O pounds, James Perry v/ith Duke de Chartres of I876 Centennial fame weigliing 2000 pounds, sad in I870 Dillons' St. Laurent of 2100 pounds that could easily have been made to weigh 23OO, Rouen vveighing 205O, Mahomet weighing 2000 pounds, the demand grew for ton horses. In ISjG the buying drifted away from the Seine Vr>lley to the center of France, pway from work horse region to breeding localities and buying from city dealers disappeared. With the buying of a half dozen horses pnd mares in Perche in 1375 'the noted ones, named Tacheau, Bouquet, and Mignonette, a prize winner in I876 ft Philrdelphir- , p 11 ton horses, were used as ide^^l horses for American trade. When French breeders of Perche learned that one hundred horses vere being shipped from La Eavre to America they started out to capture this trrde. The follo'^.'ing year the barns of Percheron dealers and breeders v/cre filled with such horses as those few bought in 1875- Tiie work of buying wps simplified as horses were found in lots of ten to twenty to select from. The almost universal demand wrs for gray horses. In 1879 "' few black horses were imported. Mr. Periot and Fardonett of Nogent and A. Tac/.eau of Laferte Bernard each had a large black stallion. Mr. Periot sold the two Brilliant stallions to Mr. Dunham pnd Mr. Tr.cheau sold Pa.vory, a Parisian prize winner, to E. Dillon & Company. A few other black horses accompanied these, not because the American breeders wanted black horses, but they hoped that introducing blpck would assist in darkening the color of our own grays that so soon turned white. Becpuse of the white color, local buyers used it to jev; down prices from farmers. Mr. Tacheau had two old blPck horses too far advanced in age to ship. One, Moutou, he retained for years iii his stud. Mr. Pardonet did likewise. With the publicity given by Dillons and Dunham to Favory pnd the two Brilliants and the favor they received, r desire soon grew for black. For years following, nearly every black horse near La Forte Bernard was said to be sired by Favory or Moutou and those near Nogent by Brilliant or Old Decide, owned by Fardonet. If the above named bl?ck horses sired all the colts reported as their colts, the mpres must have had litters like old sows of five to ten in p. litter. Tiie color has changed for at the Internrtionpl in 193^ grays were very conspicuous by their absence with black color almost universal pnd the same thing prevailed in 1935* '^^-^ Percheron record shows 65 percent of foals registered in 1935 were black. Wow there is p growing demand for (19) sorrels. I predict this will cpusc some conflict nnd errors ps thft color is Belgipn in origin rbout 9,000,000 in I909. It grew pgain to phout 18,000,000. These cli^ntyes were cpused by m?ny reasons. In e?rly days h,"rd work wrs done with oxen, such os plov/ini;; our hard, tougli prairie, clearing timber land, drawing saw logs, nnd ranking long trips overland. T;:e horses were of a small variety, about ? thousand pounds and up. Early canals needed horses. Horses were required for overland freight from IJew York and Boston to the Ohio River. St.-^ge roiites and mail routes called for horses. The introduction of rpilroads reduced the number of canal horses and overland work. Farmers lamented the condition as de- priving them of horse mrrket. Soon the cities demanded more hordes for city work thpn was formerly deinanded in ?11 branches. The introduction of street cars cplled for more horses. The cable lines replpced the dernr^nd for horses on main lines. The main lines caused more Ip-tcr^^l linos rnri C'^lled for more horses. The first cable lino in St. Lonls of two miles required 80 horses in one hitch to stretch out tlae line. 3y this time the street cars were using pbout 2,000,000 horses r>nci required roplrcing every five years. About t:ipt time, 139^, there were more horses used in Chicf^go alone to transfer freight, brgg^ge, ^nd ppssengors from rpilro-^ds than were used on all transportation lines r fcv; years ngo. With the -^dvent of electric line street cars and motor -DOwer trpnsoortation the demajid again decreased. The electrifying of street cars ce-^sed the bu^/ing of a quarter of a million street car horses a ye^r and threw ••= million cheap horses on the market plone. 3y this time oxen ■'-vere almost displ-^ced ajid the generaJL use of electric and motor pov/er automobiles ^nd tracks hr>s driven the horses off the roads and streets and reduced their demand on farms very materiplly. Some people think or try to think that horses will come bpck as formerly and some thinlc apparently that one man's guess is as good as another, but they will never do so entirely. To will never discard tractors and tractor ra-^chinery for horse -power entirely, nor discard the automobile for a horse and buga^ pny raorr than v/e will discard railropds for canpls. T7hile this is tnae, the government report shows p r^jid increase in number of horses. Breeding records show p substantr-i increase of foa.ls being registered annually. Driving in an auto frorj Baltimore to Kon^no City through p^rts of Maryland, Virginip, Pennsylvanis , Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, ISissouri, pnd Kansas recently I saw very few trs'Ctor plows working, but many two, three and four horse plows. More fields plowed v?ere plowed by horses than by tractors. More corn wa.s being husked by hpnd ->nd horse drp.wn wagon than by tractor drawn picking machines. I pIgo saw more colts in fiulris t'nan in several years. In 193^ more horses were shown at the International thpn since 1920 and the show this year surppsses last year's show in numbers. These statements are not for the purpose of convincing anyone to discard horses for motor mpchinery or vice versa, but they axe statements as I look at the observe' tions. i (23) Going to Fy'irs No ono fpjnily hps h^d more nor grepter vpiriety of f^irs than riy ancestors pnd I pnd a cross line survey mny here be noted. Going to ffirs pnd exhibiting '-ns one of our methods of publicity used by 5. Dillon & Conpnny pnd Iptcr by Dillon Bros. The first sho-.v was about IS57 when Isaiah and Levi Dillon, ns was their custom, were operating a tra.voling tlirashing nachine ^nd working near Lincoln, Logan County, Illinois, about forty miles froia hone. There was to be ?> fair at Lincoln and every one wanted to go, so thrashing took a four day holiday. Being too fpT away to go hone for that time, they took the four horses ^nd two nules that -.vere being used on the old fashioned down power for no tor, dressed them up .-^nd exhibited them. These four naves v/ere stich as tliey were breeding from before the day of specialized breeding. At this fair they secured several prizes and set the beginning of a long career of going to the fair. It vtps the simple beginning of esiiibitions which were later awarded over 2000 prizes, probably the greatest number ever v,-on by one exiiibitor. Tlie showing continued rt leading county fairs and such state fairs as Illinois, Indiana, Misso-oTi, Ohio, T7isconsin, and Minnesota, also at Buffalo, Toledo, New York, Colunbus, Ohio, St. Louis Fcir, Cotton Centennial, and the old Fat Stock Sho,.' held for nrny years ia the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue, Cl^icago, which was the forerunner of the present International Stock Shov7 at the Stockyards, Chicago, Someone has said, "The groves were the gods' first temples," so they were also the homes of the first fairs. They were held in the shade of trees near the church or school house as neig'-iborhood ret- together places where colts, calves, pigs, and farm produce v.'ere exiiibited along with the house supplies of cakes, butter, canned fruit, "nd crazy quilts. Sometimes small prizes were given. Lata- the covmties provided fair grounds as we know them now but now a memor3'' only. The earliest of my memory is attending one such fair at Atlanta, Log^n County, Illinois. How I remember, fr>ther nnd Uncle Levi taking the horses over to Atlanta ten miles away on Monday. The wives and six of us youngsters in a farm wagon with four days' supply of eats followed on Tuesday. Sleeping in a stall reserved for that purpose, eating from a camp fire with victuals cooked in a skillet and Dutch oven is ^n e''''ent never forgotten. From this show in 136U I cpn now remember soap, ly.'' the horses shown there. Later it became an annual habit to be out fro:.i four to six \,'eelrs. About this tine many states formed stnte fairs. Horse shows were held in Chicago. One, following the Civil War, was held at 35^^ pnd Cott-^ge Grove Avenue, using the barracks of the southern prisoners as the building for the exhibition purposes. Later, fairs were held at Dexter Paxk at the entrajice at the present stockyards, the present home of the Intr^rn^tional. Father often later told of the trip from the Cliicago & Alton r-^ilrc^d at Canal and Adams streets to Dexter Park over sandy roads lined with taJl grass on either side, of the trouble with green heads and mosquitoes and flies en route; and later at the Illinois State Fair held at Decatur. At one of these shows the neighbors from ivicLean and Tazev/ell counties ex- hibited one hundred eleven colts and grandcolts of old Lons along with him. This was made possible by the railroads transriorting stock, fo.^d, ajnd grooms to such fairs and return fee. They realized that breeder-stock of horses and cattle sold would be slii ;ped to great western re/,ions from where carloads in the future would be returned. That idea has been later demonstrated as true. At these shows and fairs such men as M. W, Dunham, (21+) John Virgin, W. J. Edwprds, Jpmes A. Pero", Ed Plodgson, pnd Dr. Vrn Kerteck and over 50 others became interested ?nd Ipter were all engaged in importing and manj^ visitors "bou^t the hplf-olood stallions shown here for $800 to $2000. One in particulpr needs mention. Mr. i^ark IXanham becarce infptiiated with the horses. He was thon engaged in dairy work yt Wayne, Dupage County, Illinois, and thought it a good place for a stallion. He selected a half- blood. Farmers Interest by name, but would not pay $2000 for an old -.vhite horse — and I do not blame him. An agreement was perfected by him and Isaiah Dillon by which he should lease the horse, 5O-5O on collections. This he did and with it was formed a friendship that remained through life even if they did differ on some subjects. Sometime later Isaiah Dillon told Mr. Dunham it was time to sell the horse or he would be too old to sell. But Dunham refused to buy, so it was agreed that he should keep the horse through the fall season but immediately after January first he sho-old return him or send a check for $2000. He returned the horse and later bought Success and French Emperor of W. J. Edwards who had recently im- ported them. He kept Success at the head of his herd ps long as Success lived. Mr. Dunham began importing horses from Mormpndy, France pnd became the greatest individual importer and breeder and is too well fciown for my comments. Going to fairs was a very wide experience, I tliink very few men have visited more fairs than I have in various capacities as visitor, exhibitor or judge. This gives a. large experience to draw from. In very early days drpft horses were not in much favor. Trotting and running horses fpT excelled them in fpvor. Owners pnd trainers were looked to as knowing about ^11 that was worth knowing about horses. From these there arose a class known as "red shirt men". The grooms of race horses, usually in red shirts, hence the name, were occasionally drawn for judges of everything and judged everything from a standpoint of speed. A story is told, more comical than truthful, that pt one fair tv;o competing deplers each showed a corn sheller. The judges disagreed, so a "red shirt" was drafted and after deliberation decided the ovmers sho'uld run a foot rpce to see who should receive the prize. Another incident »t Illinois State Fpir tells of a Mr. Brady v7ho wps a running horse fan. He found p, long steer horn in the grsss, pidced it up, and carried it over to Uncle Ellis Dillon. Stpnding near Old Louis Napoleon he spid, "Old mr'n, I did not know you h^d dehorned your "Sormr-n bull. Here is the horn. You better keep it." Another time while showing our horses in front of the pjnnphi- theater someone objected to using the race track for show ground of heavy horses, lest they make holes in the ground and cause a race horse to fall and break a leg. '7e were directed to the other side of the amphitheater on grpss. We frequently shov.-ed our imported horses as draft tepjns to be shov/n in harness. At one time we were showing two pairs of recent importation so hitched with James A. Perry ps our only competitor. To our siirprise a farmer drove up p pair of l^+OO pound weiglit with a truck loaded and sho-.ved the premium list where it said "to be tested" instead of "to be shov/n in harness" as previously pointed out. The superintendent decided we oust have a pulliug contest, $25 for first prize and $15 for second prize. Horse men reading this will know our horses v,'cre not prepared for this as tney were not acquainted with that method of bitching. But we decided to pccept the farmer's challenge, he to pull first pnd he sure did some good pulling. i>'ir. S-Qperintendent called out, "Next te-^ra." Father said fctr. Perry v.'ould pull next, but he declined. Then father said, "Jim, can't your team pull (25) $15 worth?" Mr. Perry with his quick wit spid, "Yes." So he hrd the lopd rernoved from the v/rgon pnd pulled it phout twenty feet pnd quit, spying, "I think thrt is $15 vTorth. " Thpt night we h?d ?>n oyster bpjiquet on Mr. Perr^''s fifteen dollr'rs. Another time .-^t St. Louis we were sho'-ving for "best farii mrre" . Wo exhibited Bouquet, weighing over p ton. One of our conrpotitors wns ? gr?y trotting mpre of about 1100 pounds pnd she v/on the prize. On being psked why he gpve so smpll a nare the prize over a largo one, he spid he knew the little mare was worth $3000 and did not think Dillon's mpTe would bring so much, pnd he thought farmers should raise $3000 nares instepd of those worth less money. Sometimes competition in Ipter shows greYj to great magnitude. Well I remember at the old F,-t Stock Show one yepr we won first prize on Powe- ful as four-year-old stallion pnd on Modesty as four-yepr-old raaxe in the French Draft class. This gpve us entry for grand champion prize of all draft breeding class, Clydesdales, Shipes, Percherons, pnd French Drpft, two verj' coveted prizes, and ve won boih of then, the greatest honor of the show. In the fpll pt a shov/ in Chicago previous to the opening of the Cotton Centennial in New Orlesns to be opened a year later, p Jlr. Curtis from Washington called on many breeders inviting them to shov; their stock a year Ipter. The manrgeraent wpntcd a good show there as a good exhibition v/as never rapde in the South pnd they only wpnted to build bprn room p.s needed. Many signed up for the show, piiiong them LI. W. Dunhpjn, our greatest competitor. We hpd never had p show of any size agpinst Mr, Dunhpm pnd everyone laiew it v7ould bo a hot fight. We specialized on home breeding, Mr. Dunhpij on imported horses. After signing up Lir. Dunhpm with Leonard Johnson, his Europepjn buyer, cpne to our headquarters at the Chicr'go show. Mr. Dunhpm said to father, "Ispiph, I wpxit Mr. Johnson to see Modesty. He has never seen her." After looking her over Mr. Dunhpm said, "Johnson, we are going to New Orleans next -.zinter to the show and vve must beat Modesty. I want you to buy the first prize mare to Nogent show, Alenicon sho^v, pnd at La Majis show and get one to beat her. How pbout it?" Mr. Johmson replied, "Dunhpm, thpt is the hprdest job you ever gpve me to do pnd it cpn't be done. If it must be done, you will hpve to breed p mare in America, for tMs mare. Modesty, cpn't be beat in France." We spent p yepr getting our herd ready and decided to shov7 in every cIpss, full-blooded cIpss and grpde cl^'ss, calling for over 50 horses. W-ien we received the premium list, my brother mpde p. list of entries before October 1st ps per order in catalog. After finishing the job he looked over the rules of entry to be sure that some horses we hpd borrowed from our neighbors to fill our deficiency wo'old not be throvm out ps not being our own. In doing so he found a rule he hpd overlooked. "The ?ge of all animals is dated from. Janupry 1st of year of birth." So he consulted Washington by wire and letter. Tlae answer came, "Horses foaled in 18?U would be one year old January 1st, 1885 '^^•^ ^o deviating from this order." So we were compelled to rev^rite our entries, setting one, two and three- year-olds one year ahead and must borrow some more grade weanlings to fill our shortage. When all was done we had fifty-two horses listed. As we knew Mr. Dunham borrower some three-yenr-olds for the three-year-old cIpss pnd others, we decided he hpd overlooked the fpct thpt they woxild be four years old after Jpn-opry 1st. Entries soon closed pnd we hoped he would not discover the error. It was dog eat dog on arrivpl in New Orleans when our competitors had only two, three pjid four-year-olds to show and by error (26) the two pnd three-year-olds would be three pjid four-yepr-olds in Js-nupry when we went to shov7. The opposition offered ,"11 kinds of conpronises. We offered r>, conpronise to let them, reenter their two rnd threo-yep.r-old exhibits in ISSk as two ?nd three-year-old cIpss in 1885- We hnd only two horses in the four-year-old cIpss. We hoped to win on Leisure, p fivo-ye^r- old of our ovm breeding, but to show agpinst six or eight of Dunhpr.'s thpt had been sold for $3000 to $U000 npde our outlook doubtful, ^e were de- feated in four-ye!=r-old cIpss but won the six prizes in the one ^nd two- yepr-old shows. We thought with Leisure we hpd sone hope of getting inside of the noney, but we knew we were in high cIpss comppny. Our own horse, Leisure, was plpced No. 5» "^^ of re^ch of ribbons or noney, but we consoled ourselves that it took good horses to bept us pnd we v/ere proud of our conppny. A few weeks following our return we sold Leisiire for $5500. In the nare class we showed three horae-bred nares pnd two imported npres pjid received all the prizes, first and third on hone-bred and second on iniported nare, with Modesty to the front. On one, two, and three-year-old npTes v/e won everything. With our grpde class well filled pnd DunhPH getting prizes on horse and five colts ?nd v.'e getting prize on npre pnd two colts, both full-bloods pnd grpdes, we received, j>11 told, thirty- tr/o prizes, lepving loss thpn ten for p11 conpetitors. While this as p great victory in the show rir.£r, it h?d it's heprt brepks. We lost the best stpllion pnd best grade stpllion by death. We got lung fever in our herd pnd to spve sone with nustpxd plpsters we killed the hpir in Iprge pptches on epch side of some yoiong nares so it never cpme bpck pnd v/e sold then for little of their vplue to get then out of sight on oMT fpm. Sone of the men took the fever. One in another bprn died. We sent two nen home sick. We expected to sell some pnd open up sales in the south, but only sold one for one hundred dollars — he was too near dead to ship hone. We expected to show our horses to rirospective btiyers but none were there. With no buyers for future sales as there were very few who cane to the fair. At no tine vyhile showing vrere there thirty-five men viewing foe horses. When we loaded our horses in Nor al for shipment the thernoneter w-^s below zero; four dpys later when we unloaded in New Orlepns it was 100 in the shrde and nuddy. On returning we encountered p snow blizzpjrd in Kentucky which acconpanied us all the way home. WhSe in New Orleans our horses shod most of the 7/intor coat and we had to keep then warn until spring. "So all is not gold that glitters." Unusual things sonetines hpppen, even at fairs. One yepr when the state fair was held in Centrplia, in rddition to our horses wevere ex- hibiting a car of Poland China hogs. One I-r. ficCrary, p large breeder, was detained at a fair the previous week ajid could not arrive before Tuesday noon. Ke sent his advance nen ahead on Saturday and pxrpnged his pens, put his entry tags pnd advertising nrtter up. The following: noming someone rounded up a lot of Egyptian razer-back hogs running loose on the fair grounds and filled Mr. McCrarj^'s pens with a very poor assortment of hogs for a joke. They pttrrctcd sone attention of people passing ^nd some remarks made about these hogs v/ere not very conplimentprj'- to the liog and will be omitted here with respect to tht> hog. Mr. McCrary enjoj'ed the joke. There is another phase of the fair-going work v/ortliy of thought and that is the subject of Horse Judges. It is difficvilt to do justice to it and not hurt someone's feelings. (27) In the \3rTly dpys of the dmft horse pnj'-one who could t^.llc "rpce horse lingo" was sou^rht for pdvice in n?tters of veterinary medicine. In the sixties pnd seventies of the Ipst century there ^-p-ev; up p cIpss of men knovm ps "red shirt nen," ncvv known in trotting- circles ps swipes who pttend rnce horses. They were crlled on ty pros-oective hu^/ers to protect then fron buying blemished pniarls pnd. ppss on gouniness. For sor-ie unknown cause they universplly wore red flpjinel shirts, hence the "red shirt men". These were the judges in early fairs and their super idea of everything was speed. Can an exhibitor at the Internationpl picture it nov/7 Following: the red shirt=;, judges were selected from buyers, irivers pnd owners of work horses. For example, at one tine we shovved before the baxn boss of Anheuser~Busch Brewery, Superintendent of horses of St. Louis Transfer Company and a nan from the Street Cpr Company of St. Louis. Following this the judges were usually fam breeders, intporters, or their buyers, using such men as Wm. Bell, Ohio, James Fletcher, Illinois, Wn. Pritchard, Ed. Ho-'i^son, and many others of their class of nationally known nen, on whom I would not dare comraent. It was at the old Fat Stock Show on the Lake Front at Chicngo that the next innovation cane bj'' using college professors, vvhich practice hps been very universal ever since. I hpve personally shown horses before p11 of the above classes and to relieve the reader of the embarrassing question as to which class I prefer, I would spy that the horse business never went backward and I would no more want to use the swipes or red shirt men today thpn I would want to send a letter to Californip via pony express instead of by air line. The story was often told of early fairs using the above red shirts for cattle and hogs, with more comedy than facts, thrt the judged then by chasing the pninals a quarter of ^ mile dovm the road with dogs behind them, to determine their speed. Tines have changed and the old fairs are of the past. Bloonington, McLean County, Illinois, is an example. For twenty or more yeprs we were prominent exhibitors. It was a grept fpir. People came for forty miles, some staying two dpys, some all week camping out. Under the great soft npple trees great dinners were spread for fam.ily gatherings where they sat cross-legged on the ground enjoying fried chicken, baked ham, roasted leg of lamb, etc. , winding up with a bucket of lemonade or cider, and oitting a lot of watermelons pnd enjoying themselves 100 percent. Todpy and recently as I ride over old trails, now boulevards, these fair grounds are gone, sone donated for cons olidp ted schools, some for conmercial work, others for residences. In those days the state autliorities subsidized one fair in each county, $1000, with a provision that there be no liquor, gajTibling or horse racing. Early in. the eighties to advance the interest and attraction, the bpn on drinking, gambling, and racing was raised. The follov/ing fair was one of afternoons and evenings of frequent rowdyism, fights, etc. , followed later in the week with a mu.rder as r beginning of the decline. Living as I do in Marylpnd, I rend in the Baltimore Sun thpt next week at Tirnonixim, the oldest State Fair in the United States, would hold a fair. As I had attended nearly all the state fairs in middle United States, I did not want to miss the oldest; later I found it wps not the oldest. Instead of asking the r.an pt the gate where we could nut up our txisn, 1 asked where we could park our err so we could get it at 2:30 P.M. He Said if we wanted out at that time I hpd better stpiy out as the ground would be full of autos. Like hundreds of other^^ we pp-rksd across the read (28) in a meadow. Entering the groiinds we first saw hot dog stsnds, hamhurger stands, then around the long amphitheater nothing hut fumes of liquor and lunch. Parallel with these were 500 feet of midway. There were plenty of nice trees to shade a nice lunch party, but under each tree was one or two midway trucks used to transport it's load. There was no place to sit down except at a lunch table. Everything was to make money and nothing for comfort except the Grand Stand to see the races at one dollar each. The livestock consisted of a few very good herds of cattle and hogs, no horses except trotters and runners each hidden from view. From noon to sundown every foot of space was full of autos pnd race fans filled the amphi- theater. The name Agricultural State Fair should have been Agricultural Horse Trot. A few weeks ago I visited Hagerstown County Pair, Maryland, where they advertised the greatest horse show in twenty years. There were over 100 good horses, one lot of imported Belgians recently arrived from Belgium, and nearly fifty fine colts exhibited by U-H Club members. The fair was quiet until 1:00 P.M. when ? five acre lot in front of the amphitheater was displayed a hippodrome vaudeville, high diving and military review lasting from 1:00 P.M. until 11:00 P.M. This was enlarged by over forty tents of shows of every sort. The usual races were intersperced in the program on the track. Within a radius of thirty miles of Baltimore pre such race tracks as Havre de Grass, Selaire, Tirnonium, Pimlico, Uppsr Marlboro, Boise. Some of these race one day each week; the larger ones thirty days each spring and fall. The state and county get a percentrge of proceeds at gate and Par Aftitual Betting table often $6000 per dsy, and frequently more. It is as much as one's life is worth to try to drive on leading roads to ajid from these races during rpce vreelcs. Maryland and joining states are pleasure bound with races, fox hunts, sport horse shows and steeple chases. It is not a well reg^alated family if several menbers have not fallen off a horse and have one or more broken experience. Your writer in person has seen the grov/th of the Illinois fair from the small grove or timber fair to countj'-, local and state fair; from tliere to the old Fat Stock Show at Lake Front; and then the present clim^ix, the International Livestock Show. Nothing I could say or suggest would improve it. I ajn glad I had the opportunity for almost a half of last centr^ry pad over one-third of this century to help improve horses from the time the average horse on the levies pt Peoria, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Louisville weighed 1200 to 1300 poTinds to the time when even on bread and milk wagons the horse frequently weighs l600 pounds; and breodir^ animals from 1750 pounds to 2300 pounds -.vith the largest a_s shovm at Century of Progress, 1932f weighing 2750 pounds, - nd still gro"7ing strong. (29) Percheron-Norman Controversy With the early importations tought in Perce in 1875 there later grew an idea that only in Perche could ho found pure specimens of a breed of horses celled Percherons, not called Percherons on account of heing bred in the country,- of Perche which has no definite houndary, any more than Egypt in Illinois has. Zveryone in Illinois knows thpt Egypt is the south end of Illinois "but cpn not tell when he enters Egypt. So with Perche, there is no douht that there has for over a century "been a hreed or at least a lot of draft horse hreedirg in this locality, as we seen under the heading "The History of the Percheron Horse", Desarme 538, Percheron draft color bay, long tail, and others most all gray. While Kr. Writers of Baltimore bou^it several horses somewhere in France and daring his research for interesting articles for his museum later donated to the City of Baltimore, he came across a book, "The Percheron Horse by Charles Du Hay or Jhi Hryes" who formerly wf:s Master of the Horse under Napoleon, which to Ilr. 1>j. Hayes seemod authority. Charles Du Hayes was a military man with no great love for dra-ft animals and has tried to convey the idea that pll Percherons were descended from Arabian blood brou^t from the east. He was interested in army horses and two or three Arabian horses were kept at the stable at La Pin, weighing 1000 pounds or more. On page 28 translated in 1868 but originally printed at an earlier date he said, "It would be verj' difficalt, if not impossible to find there at the present moment, a Percheron completely free from mixture of foreign blood. "^ Along about 18/6 there were several meetings called in Cliicago ^nd. Peoria aJid attended by most of the importers of French horses. With the distribution of the translation of Charles Du Hpyes' book there was a split among the members into two factions, one knovvn as the Dunham faction, the other as the Dillon faction. Tiie discussion V7ps not confined entirely to the two greatest firms then interested but was entered into by nearly everj'' importer in the several :niddLe states. The Dunham faction contended that only horses from Perche were pure-bred and entitled to enter the proposed Stud Book. TThile the opposing faction contended that rll drr-ft horses in the several breeding regions of Frpnce were of one common origin, differing in localities as different horses were needed, and that p11 horses imported frc.n France were eligible to entr;.' in the sajne Stud Book. Mr. Darilaam pnd his followers s-like -.vith the Dillons and their follov/ers bought -'11 their horses previous to 1875 in Normandy or of city dealers in P^ ris and Houen and advertised in papers and Cfitalogs as Norman horses. At an earlier meeting Ellis Dillon v/as elected president and J. H. Senders secretary, ^nd there was harmony prevniling. The secretary wrs ordered to coiiipile nrmes and prrticulars of horses plready imported and print Vol. 1 of Normpn Stud Book, which '.Tps done nnd necessitated a second volume. Had the matter from this period or d^te been wholly managed by importers, liarmonj'' would have prevailed. B^at "ir, Sanders proceeded with the second volume -^nd "Ithout orders from the organization gave the title Percheron-Norman to Vol. II. When ready for publication Hr. Sr^nders came to the office of E. Dillon & Compj^.ny in Bloomingtc n and proposed, "If you v/ill advance $500 to help print this Vol. II, I ^7ill rliow E. Dillon & Com-vany the exclusive right to insert pictures and pdvertising matter." (In Vol. II.) (30) This aroused the indignation of the Dillons pnA. Levi told Spnders, "This is no Dillon Book nor Danhrn Book ?nd surely not r Senders Book but p. book for everj-- breeder", pnd he probably spid more. Ellis Dillon, the president, did not clepr the situation. Is.ii?h pronosed, subject to the ppprovpl of Ellis snd Levi, for Mr. Senders to go to M. W. Donhpin rnd solicit from hin rny number of ppges he '.vpnted for pictures, etc., pnd they, Dillons, T^ould tpke p sirailpr nunber pt the spme price p.s soon as they saw the cpncelled check ppying for them, pnd in case Duiihpn \could not take rr\y, he, Sanders, v.'ps to sell all he could to other members and we, Dillons, would take p like number. The book was published and only Dunham's pictures were included. At p l^ter meeting follo'Ting discussion, the name Norman -aps pbandoned, causing p split that made two distinct organizations, the French Drpft Associption pnd the Percheron Society of America, r/ith the same horses often recorded in both books. Tliis contention v/as carried to several State Boards of Agriculture when one faction insisted on a, separate class for prizes allowing only imported horses registered in Percheron Stud Book of France and their American descendants in the American Book eligible for entry. Thus dis- qualifying pJl horses imported previous to 1875 ^^^ they to be known as grades or other names q.s may be needed, giving prominence to men who had horses registered in the Frencii Books, making such men as James A. Perry, John Virgin, Eli Hodgson, Ed Hodgson, G-eorge Stubblefield, J. H. Sr^nders himself, -.71 th ter^-IS. lions, Dunham, and all others who purchased horses not registered in the French Book, ps traders, reckless buyers, on a par with David Haram. Vi^ny horses bought and registered in French Books were bought by Perche dealers np-ny miles from Perche then brought inside of region of Perche pnd were Percheronized to be sold later as Perdierons. One item alone is enough to illustrate this. Mr. Periot, a Percheron dealer of Nogerit, bought a black horse from Nevar region one hundrod miles south of ITogent outside the imp^inaiy boimdary of Perche, and had him registered in the Percheron Book. Later he boiaght an older horse at Evereau, 125 miles northwest of Nogent, ^nd registered him in the same book with p number much larger th?n the previous black horse. Then it wns discovered the old horse was the sire of the younger bl.^ck horse. Prcb-bly the aged horse recognized his son on sight* The controversy was carried so far ^s to complicate matters with the Illinois State Fair organization to the extent that the owners of the super-bred Perche- rons petitioned the Bo^rd to ma2t all others were of grade breeding md that vrauld include all horses imported previous to 1883, the year the first Percheron Book of France was organized. , At a meeting called Jan. h, 1888, by the Illinois State Board of Agriculture the matter of offering tv.-o lists of prizes for these French horses was discussed. The fraction petitioning for a separpte clpss for Registered Percheron horses -.tps led by members of the Percheron Society of America, S. D. Thompson, sec'y., T, 7. Palmer, president. The opposing side was presented by C. E. Stubhs of Iowa, J. S. H. Jordan of Iowa, V. D. Strawn of Illinois, pnd I. Dillon of 111 inois. Following the debate the Boa-rd formed a committee of Spr.:uel Dysart, president, John F. Reynolds and Edwaxd C. Leases to ftirtiier investigate and decide if all breeds of French dra-ft horses -ffere one pn:\ the same or if sufficient difference existed to warrant two clrsses at the Illinois St^tc F^ir. Eiis corjiittee fvdly (31) studied the book T^ritton by Chrrles Du H»yes rnd the trajislp.tion of the sane and by writing p VLnifora set of questions to Eugene Tissprnnd, Dir- ector of Agriculture of Fryince, h;?>rouis de Drnpierc, president of A^-riculturc in p-.-^nce, Viscount de 1p Kotte P.ouge, inspector of studs, Chrrles Du H^yes, M?.ster of Horse under Napoleon. All tliese were pnsv/ered pnd the report ras thpt while there r.ny be loc?JL na^-es for liorses in different pprts of Frf^nce, the often ninglinp; of horses in Frnjice, thej' are for p11 purposes of the spne origin. Froi the interpreted copy of Ch-rles Du Hpyes' book on ppge 22, we find, "It \70uld be vevj diffic-jdt, if not irnpossihle, to find there (in Perche) pt the present nonent, p Percheron completely free fro:.i mixture of foreign blood". Fror. tlie report of this corxiittee the Soari decided to or.ke only one cIp.ss for said horses pjid the spme action v7ps adopted by the Iowa. Board of A^jriculture pnd other states. (32) RrJiso Breeding One of tlae activities of -ly life wps "hone on the rpnge". In 1283 there was fomed nt Albpnj', Texfs, the Northwest Texas Horse Associrtion.^ The enterprise was a consolidation of owners of horses on open rpnge lUo niles west of Fort Worth, Texas, owners of nrny sections of Ipjid and village properties. These people incorporated a stock company. The properties were turned in our corporation pnd stock given in exchange. We T/ere invited to contribute stpllions ps well. With this enterprise there were ahout 20,000 acres, city property for headquarters, pnd ahout 3750 wild and stoi-wild horses. The object wps to cross these range mpxes with gfaded and full-blooded strllions and prodace work horses weighing 1100 to 1^0 pounds, suitpblc for street cars, city wagon horses for city work, and for southern plantations. Rpd this begun earlier the enterprise wo\ald have been a bonanza, but vxith eighteen nonths of drouglit we lost npjjy of our first two crops of colts and some older ones. About the tine we should hpve horses to supply the street car dengnd, which in the United Stptes wps 2,500,000 horses to be replpced by 500.000 per aimun, vse list this trpde but for the sane reason 200,000 chepp horses were thrown on the nprket . It wps our idea to sell the loorses ps two pnd three-yopr-olds to fprners who would brepk ^nd use the:2. (We could sell at a profit of $4o). They in turn work then two yeprs pnd sell for $100 to $125. Witxi this obstpcle pnd the introducing of trpctors, autonobiles, pnd advpnce -ip.chinery the horse populption wps reduced fron 23,000,000 horses to pbout 9>000,000. I wps npde a director of the conppny pnd spent portions of five yeprs riding in p $4o saddle on a ten JuDll-^r horse out on the rpn^e. ^e sent ebout 30 stpllions fron our fpm pnd sple barn to Texps. It wps r good opportunity to rid our herd of severpl undesirpMe pninpls. To convert these bpj-n-bred horses bpck to npture on the open rejige is quite pn exper- ience. To do this p corral or yard was filled with npxes, pnd the stpllions of the rpnge excluded, then our stpllions were turned into the corral. Soon they began to select p nunber of apres, epch forming whnt is Icnown on the range as a caviyprd. A rpnge stpllion is prized by the nunber of nares he keeps in his caviyard, sone eiglit or ten, sone forty or fifty. The next morning these horses were turned out in p fenced pasture, l^^ter on open rpjige, pnd bid goodbye until fpll round-up. These severpl bpnds '::iP2r scatter over a territory 75 ^y 100 niles. Each stpllion cares for and herds his cpviyard, keeping other stpllions away. The nethod of fighting pnong stpllions is to repT up on the hind legs, strike the pdversary on the bpck or hepd with his front feet, or ps he passes the other ne na;i' kick hin or bite hin on the neck. In biting he uses his two sharf) canine teeth. Mpjres don't, have these teeth. By biting on top of the neck these two sharp teeth ma;;,' sever the spinal cord and a horse so bitten cpn not afterwprd rpise his head higher than his back, which renders hi-i useless ps a herding horse. In selecting his nares they pre sonetines followed by her fpnily. Often p nare nay bo followed by her one-yepr-old or two-yerr-old colt. 77hen they are fillies they remain in the herd, but if stpllions they pre driven out to start their o»7n herd. During the round-up in our cpse pnd on r-ccount of our owning a la.rge portion of the range horses, -'e supplied grub-v7Pgon pnd tepn feed for all. Ken who h^ve a few horses on the range send p nan plong ps helper and to protect his interests. Every r.pn furnishes one horse. He nust be well broken for saddle work. At night he is stpked near canp pnd is known ps p stpke horse. He is for emergency use pt night pnd to round up hobbled (33) horses half broken to ride the next day. We used twelve to fifteen men, sometimes out for we^s. Horses pre gathered at vprious corr?ls, the colts "brpnded, pnd those for sale put in a hunch and driven to home pasture pnd the others turned loose agpin. At our home in Illinois two brothers and I sold pbout 1000 of these western horses, some from our own brand and some from Nevada and Kontpna. These western horses shipped to Illinois were usuplly broken and when they were young aM bought by good horsemen became good and useful animsls. No one fully knows horse nature until he handles some range raised horses. Our experience s-olling, trading and breaking these one thousand horses would make Dpvid Har'U.Ti's book look like thirty cents. The cross of those Texas range mares, some of which were the cross of earlier mares with saddle stpllions, trotting stallions, and other derivations, weighed about 1000 pounds and the^e again crossed on grade draft stallions produced a good, cheap class of horses, especially if they were broken young and were in the hands of good horsemen. From the farms in Illinois where these horses were broken they drifted to cities, I saw quite a lot of them on streets in Chicago as livery horses, on grocery wagons, and on light express wagons. A pair we hpd shipped in from Montana and sold near Bloomington were seen ten years later used as wliite hearse pair, having snow white skin and color. The owner was very proud of them and was very much surprised to learn they were western branded, horses. ?or five years he had failed to see the brand until I showed it to him. Previously he assured me they were Arabians bred in McLean County, Illinois. In other cases they were in good fpvor. Another pair of yellow horses with long manes and tails were used on J, W. Bowles' medicine wagon several years on street concert trips through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio. They made perfect f8.rm horses of 1300 pounds and in a few cases when they were a little too light an extra team could help them. Your writer has used all kinds of horses on farms, from four-horse teams on plows, harrows using four purebred Percheron mares averaging 2000 pounds. These teams were preferred for very heavj' work but v/ere out of place in light cultivating pnd truck patch work. To do light work with p ton mare is like using a five-ton truck to go to church Sunday morning for it is unnecessary waste of energy. (3^) The Range Rider's Dream Lpst night PS I Iny on the prairie And looked at the stars in the sky, I v/ondered if ever a cowhoy Could drift to the sv/eet hy pnd by. The rof'd to that bright, happy region Is a dim narrovv trail, so they say; But the road that leads to perdition Is posted and blazed all the way. They say there will be a great round-up. And cowboys like dogees V7ill stand To be marked by the riders of judgment Who are posted, and know every brand. I know there'll be mpiiy a poor cowboy TTho'll be lost in that Grand Final Sail, When he might have gone into green pasture Had he known of the dim, narrow trail. I'm scared that I'll be a stray yearling, A maverack, unbrrnded on high, That I'll be shot in the herd with the rajigy stuff, When the boss of the riders goes by. But they say He'll never forget you. That He knows ever;"- action and look, So for safety yoxi 'setter get branded With your name in the Great Tally Book. - Author Unknown - With 0. H. Gleason For three winters I was with Prof. 0. R. Gleason, the world's best authority on handling spoiled or vicious horses. We gave shows on fair grounds, ball parks, colosseuTiS, md theater stages, giving lessons with these horses to teach men how to overcome bad habits of bad horses. If I learned only one thJ.ng from Prof. Gli'iason, I did learn that a horse has a single brain cell and can only think of one thing at a time. If a horse decides to sulk pnd lie down, by making him think of something else he may jump and start to run, even in harness or under saddle. If he is afraid of paper by the rordside or a flag, by teaching him the paper or flag won't hurt him, he will walk over the paper or under the fla-g. We used several man-killing horses in our demonstrations. (35) Breeding In early days breeding v/as very primitive. Pioneers ajid eDJ:*ly settlers were so interested in opening up their fpnns and were usually short of funds so th^t little attention wps given to breeding. When my pncestors introduced drpft strllions in Ta2e\vell County, they V7ere very little respected; they were morcTften ridiculed. A fpir expmple is shown by the following narrative. It wps customary for the Dillons to keep Old Louis Napoleon (errlier referred to) at their own home for spring service, but being persuaded by Eli Eodgson of Ottawa, a member of our family ancestry, to let him have the old '.-.orse for fall service. The first fall 7/ork was five maxes, two from Aaror, Hodgson and three from Eli Hodgson's fpTB. The next season he was returned to the Hodgson place. He arrived early one morning and during that day forty mares were brought and booked for service. Many men would not pay the price of service as it was considered excessive. In that case, for good mares we freqaentl5' offered the owner $50 for colt at weaning time or bre:' free if we did not wnnt the colt when we saw him. From this action we secured many colts that later sold for $100 to $2000 at breeding tine. The neighbors said the Dillons did this to boost prices. That did not last very long. From those purchased before birth and those raised fro.z our own large mares we had a lot of stallions. i!.pny were farmed out on shares while young and maturing, later , they were sold. This sort of breeding kept up until 1873 when E. Dillon & Company imported three mares, Gertrude, Surelca and Jo^n of Arc. This beg^^n our purebred breeding. This was continued by annually importing and occasion- ally selling until our herd numbered over 100 marea. For years we still retained some of our best graded aares, some so v/ell bred they were 63/6U pure blood and it was impossible for strangers to select thea from imported nares. All this tine we continued buying from our patrons £:ood stallions, two years old, for $225 ^o $250, selling then a little later for $S00 to $1000 ^nd earnestly hoped for the day to arrive when two to four pure blood mares might be on many farms s- we could buy their produce instead of importing. At the beginning of the present economic depression our hope had materially come true. The desire for home breeding caused the Dillons to hpve over 100 mares. M. W. Dunham and Daniel Dunham, Singmaster, Avory, J. H. Funk, B. T. Babbit, S. !T. King, Horace messenger, Papst, and Killogue were breeders of herds of 50 to 100 each. From these expert breeders it is demonstrated that a greater percentage of colts vrill prevail when mares are in smaller numbers than in excessive large bands. Selecting brood mares is a lot of food for reflection and subject to various interpretations. For a nan of ample means it is a hobby or semi-pleasure J He wants to outclass competitors usually in the show ring and must iiave the very best. Whether he b-oys one or two-year-olds or fully developed mares, the cost will be about even, from $500 up. Second: - One buying purely for profit can, '^.ith good jutl^ment, buj' those where life is half ^ent, seven to twelve years, but proven good breeders, raised more naturally and never overfed or pampered, for about one-haJf of the above price and probably as well bred. This will give twice as many colts r>nd probably more, v.'l:ich is double income. I lipve in mind today eight mares probably in a corn field all i?y, iigging feed and grass from under ei^t inches of snow, eight to eleven years old, I7OO po-unds and would fatten up to 2000 pounds, price $300 each, all black or gray, all (36) regular breeders tut not in show shape and never were, not tsking rmich work in acclimf^ting them as they are familiar with work and hardiiip. If "bought, the new owner would have four good teans for spring work. Many- more of the same kind may be found. Third: - Man5' hiyers want to buy young mares to insure having tiie full use of their lives and are looking for fillies one and two years old. If one such prospective buyer will make a six year chart assuming 100 per cent breeding, he will find thpt in six years he will have two and one- half times as much produce from two mares seven or eight years old or over than if he had bought two maxes two years old, and if the two old mares die after six years, there v/ill be less loss on each by death than the loss by depreciation in value of the two young mares. The same is true in buying stallions. Good two, three or four year old stallions pre worth from $300 to $2500 even today and will depreciate in value so when he is eight or ten years old he will be worth about $500 and then you will want to exchange him after five years' service.. Now if, instead of buying the gbove, one would buy r stallion of S to 12 years old for $1+00 or $500 and use him five more years, he will be worth $200 to $300 and the owner will have less depreciation in cash, even with death or sale, I have in mind one twelve year old horse that cost $1200 when tv/o years old. How at twelve years he can be bought for $250 and has been on one farm in Tazewell County, Illinois, ever since he wps two years old. When a stallion sta^'-s on the same farm ten years in central Illinois it is positive proof he is a good breeder. In 1873 v-'s imported a mare, C-ertrade, from Formandy, Pr^-nce. In IS75 ^'6 imported another mare, Bouquet, from La Perclie, Frr^nce. Prom these tv/o mares we raised and saw developed under our observation 6h colts V mostly mares, besides selling several horse colts early. The mares weighed over a ton each and those we developed from them averaged over a ton. We imported Bouquet in 1875 ^^^ Gertrude in 1873 "nd never sold a filly from then until 1889. In 1881 I selected and imported I5 weanling fillies. liVhen at nine years of age, seven of these fillies had raised to useful age or sold seven colts each. Along with breeding good stock it is well to remember that good stock is Uo percent breeding pnd 60 percent feeding. In many places today it is plainly shown that our previous good breeding li;-es are reduced in quality during the past 25 years from the poor feeding to the point where it v;ill take two or three generations of both breeding and feeding to return the animals to the equal of their ancestors two or three generations ago.. (37) Bouquet ?oaled Igyo - Imported 1875 The follo'.ving are nnmes of descendants of Bouquet th^-t hfve been developed ty us (Dillon Eros.) or under our observrtion. lipny v/ere sold errly -^nd not follov;ed up. ITamc 1875 Odinet IS76 EvBlena 1S77 Excelsior 1S79 Lorelia igso Leisure B ISgl Little Peprl ISSl Alphp B 1882 Fresno 2727 1883 Honesty B 1884 Lillie B 1884 Mailstron B 1881 Coco B 1885 Lorengo B 1884 Min:aie B 1886 Otto 5092 1886 Ostrone 4l01 1887 Metta 5O85 1888 Bingo B 8086 1889 Baccaral 77l4 1907 Monte 1897 Leslie B 189- Melissa B Eldora 13509 1890 Edna 99^4 Sire In Erpnce Tacheau St. Laurent Loiret St. Lrurent St. Laurent Sprthe AuEair AuJFpir Heno Leisure B Sarthe Extrador Heno Extrpdor Extrpdor Extrador Extrador Pippilon Dam Pounds Bouquet 2050 Bouquet 2100 Bouquet 2100 Evplena 2000 Eval ena 2100 Bouquet 2050 Evplena 1950 Little Pearl 1900 Bouquet 1900 Alpha I85O Extrador Extrador Extrador Bouquet 2100 Eval en p. B 2050 Eval ena 2000 Little Pearl 2000 Little Peprl 1950 Minnie B 1900 Bouquet 2000 Bouquet 2000 Lpjidora 27579 2000 Estella B 6208 Eval ena Eval ena (3S) Proven;.' of Ge^rtrude Imported 1873 Kpjae Sire Dan Pounds 127^ Died St. Lpurent Gertrude 1875 Avnlanch St . Laurent Gertrude 2000 1S76 Modesty G St. Lpiirent Gertrude 2050 1873 Augerone St. Lflurent Gertrude 2350 1879 Vineux St. Lpiirent Gertrude 2100 18S0 L evern St. Laurent Gertrude 2050 1S83 Bonus Dudee Gertrude 1900 1881 Died 18Sl+ Anna G Suitor Lor oillo 1950 1883 Leslie G Dudee Loirelie 1950 1880 Loirelie Loiret i/iodesty 2000 1885 Norma G Extrador Loirelie 2000 188S Acche 65SO Extrpdor Loirelie 1950 1887 Bpjitom 5713 Extrpdor Loirelie 188^ Surprise 2690 Leisure Gertrude 2000 1889 Kodessp 3 7709 Extrador Modesty 1900 1890 Roda G 771 8 Ppppilon Roxy G 4l03 1900 1886 Roxy G UlOS Extrpdor Anna G 77IO 1950 1889 Rosanna 7713 P'ppilon Anna G 77IO 1950 1890 Annorp 7710 Pils de Dominpnt Ann? G 1900 Roxy II Fils de Doninpnt Roxy 1900 Fills de Nora Pils de Dominant Nora 1900 I90U Roxer G Cash Roxy G 1903 L^'ndora Fils de Doninant Monte G 1U366 Dpve P 1^361 Medoria. Medorp Record unfound Honte G D^ve P Medora Extr.-dor II 31007 Drve P jfodesty Dellp 3160 L^nrlorp Minnie B Nora U0270 P Fils de Doninant Anna, G Charettfl 20905 Cprnot I52I+3 Alice (35) Conbination Sales The tine cones to sll breoders when they :aust sell. To sone breeders early in life is the nost profitable tine to sell. Often fol- lowing we'^ning tine is p good ^te for selling. Those in different environraents can successfully feed p yopr longer. In cpse p breeder hps too r-'pny brood npres, if he nptures p11 of then, he is overcrovrded pnd the stock business overruns the fprning department pnd he vill be like the dog Y/hose tpil was so large it \7Pg~ed the dog. It takes publicity \7ork to sell pnd splesnanship to complete the deal. For the breeder to "cturlly know prices he mist know what similar horses are selling for pni nust know what nust be paid or is being paid for horses similar to his. Tliis knowledge is not leprned on his farm plone. Tlaere is no staple and established price for horses but is question of sellers and buyers being brought into contact. Try for yourself on a list of p dozen farmers Tvith one to five tr/o year old stallions. Write each of then for description and price. The answers pnd descriptions will all be plike but on \'lsiting their bprns they are fpr different from others personplly, and as to prices, well you simply v/on't get them. Your answer will be, "I \70'>ald be gl'^d to show you my herd", or else they will say or have a card printed, "ITo prices quoted by mail". In 13S9 v/e were overstocked with nares and hpd several stpllions for sale. We conceived a plan and named it "A Combination Breeders' Sale". We solicited our neighbors pnd patrons to consign their horses and we would catalogue then pnd a like number of our own. The idea wps to make the sale comr.ussion pay the expense of the sale and pay ovr cost of selling our own. 1e received consignment of 25 head of horses, p11 from within twenty-five miles of ^'Ur b^rn. The s^^les so m.ade were .Tithin fifty miles. It was a snail but successful venture. The following spring we repeated the sale and had over 100 consigned. Kpny of those horses cane from Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Minresota pnd were sold into severpl stptes. We continued for five sales in all, selling about 6OO animals and were sold out. Following tliis, In. Hurt & Son took up the v;ork to reduce their overstock for two sales. We used a tent 100 feet wide and 150 feet long to stable 65 najres in pnd the morning of sale found a foot of snow had fallen aiid the canvas was all down under the horses, trampled in snow. A similar experience at Mr. Hurt's sale tpught us to have no more spies with- out permanent buildings. Tiie demaJid for these sales encouraged us to h-old then in Bloomington. We rented every liver:/, feed barn, and wa^on yard for stabling horses and rented the colosseum for sale room, costing $1000 per sale, continuing for eighteen sales. We had a capacity for 5OO horses and in these sales we sold nearly 5OOO horses. The following yepr =11 barns a-nd yards were converted to garages causing a shutdovTn of one of the best horse activities Illinois ever had. Your writer V7as superintendent of horses and so skillfully handled this vrrious assortment of pnimals that of the entire lot, \7ith two exceptions, was rea:!iy to sell when called. 'Je had hearses to suit every call from weanlings to twenty-year-olds. All the buyer hrd to do was pay $5 more than the previous bi'-ier and get his horse. Sone b-uyers wanted stallions to turn out on range. Som.e were limited to $200, sone $^KX). This was a grrnd outlet for low grades of both crossbred and purebred stallions and a good n-^rket to clean up on. While other bijyers wanted p11 classes up to 230O pounds and up to perfect formption. The sale was topped at $2500. Our best regular buyers bought thin horses to sell pt next sale in good n^rket shape. Others "bought their horses to feed for next spje or young p.ni:-.pl3 in the spring to feed for autumn sale. One nan imported p lopd of eighteen Percheron nares and p lopd of Belgipn nares direct to the sale, unlorded on Sunday night, r-nd tjps sold out hy Wednesday evening pnd V7?s pleased with the sale of then. A sale of this kind is now needed in each state where stable facilities are to he had. I would be glpd to assist in orgpnizing one on request. The finpncipl crisis of 1S93, I907, 1921, did not ei^fect the Sale as sone nen were pnxious to sell before the bottom fell out pnd others wanted to buy on falling n^rket for future developnent. (Ul) Bank There has huen r.iore btmk p'oout percheron purity, Perchcron pedigrees, Porcheron origin, etc. th=>n alr:ost rny other livestock industry. It cones Iprgel:.'- fron p. trpnslption of Clvnrles du K^ys' work on Perclieron Horse Histor^r, trpnslpted by Orrr^o Judd & Co., New York. lir. Da Hays wps a French warrior whose horse industry related only to arniy horses with no especial interest in draft or work horses. He stresses Arabian blood as one of the elements in the Percheron horses. He says: Page g - "aJid then spreading itself over all Prance." Page 11 - "At the present time encloses in the center of four departments, Orne, Every & Loir, Lair, & Cher." Page 16 - "We cannot, however, find in history the written positive proof that the Percheron is an Arab." Page 20 - "The Percnoron nrast have been especially modified by contact with the breed of Brittany." (Brittenj' lies plong the west of France many miles from Perche.*) prge 20 - "The arrival of the Danish and English stallions ^t the stud stable of La Pin put pn unfortunate end to the influence of the Arab horse in Perche." Page 21 - Speaking of bringing into Perche of mares from Brittany, ■But the mares from Picardy, from Ceux, and from Bolognc - the races from the north, what can be said of them?" Page 30 - Stallions fron Brittanj'', Picard;;/', Cauca, Bologne - "the change was so rapid, that today in many places there does not remain the sli^test trace of genpaine Percheron blood." Pago 53 - "For the horse is as much and more the son of the soil upon which he is foaled and reared as he is of his sire and dam." This last qaotation is in capital letters. In the 100 pages of tl:is translation more time and space is used to show and explain the mingling of vajrious French, English and Danish horses, both mares and stpllions, than in proof of purity or judicious breeding in France. Leaving the translated book of Charles du Hays and transferring to the History of the Percheron Horse by Breeder's Gazette, which is the Literary Digest of American Percheron breeders, wo continue: Page 181 - "Hesolved, that in the opinion of this meeting the Picard horse, the Bologne horse, tiic Percheron horse, the I\ormandy horse are essentially the same race or breed and should be designated ps the Norman horse. " The resolution was marSo "by Jpmes A. Perry pnd unanimously adopted. At that time there were not many importers in Illinr.is, biit such ps ¥1, 77. Dunham, Ellis Dillon, Isaiah L. Owen, Prichard, J. H. Senders of Illinois, and Simon Ruble of Wisconsin were present. The ^bove resolution wa? Bassed after some formal talk. To finance the organization E. Dillon & Coroprny advanced a reasonable ano'ont of cash, about $1000, which was later repaid to them. Llr. J. H. Spnders proceeded with the editing of Vol. I Norman Stud Book of 1^5 pages. This wps soon exhausted when Lir. J. H. Senders proceeded with the second volume, using the title Percheron-Norman of his own choice, not the name Norman -s per resolution above referred t'". Later there was heated debate over the na.'.ie, causing two factions knov-n as the Dillon f potior, which insisted on the name Nor~pn as used by p11 the above named men including M. W. Dunham and J. S. Sanders, and the Dahhan faction which wanted the na^ie Noi~nan dropped and Percheron used. Had i/.r. Senders (U2) dropped out of the affair, as he was a very sraall importer, and the matter discussed only with inporters who had thousands of dollars invested, the controversy never would have arisen and harmony woixld have prevailed as previously and during the last fifty years as it is now. The name Percheron was used after reeding the interpreted book of Charles du Hays above referred to and anyone competent to read sho\ald have arrived at the conclusion that draft horses in France were of one comirion origin and in no way concerned with Arabs. To try to increase the size of draft qualities of the then large horses by crossing with 900-pound Arpbs would be like crossing a bramah hen of seven pounds with a Bantam rooster of one and one-half pounds to produce a larger breed of chickens. Of all the men who attended those meetings of I876 and 1827 » if there is ojoyone beside myself living March 1, 1936, I would like to know it. When Mr. J. H. Sanders had the copy ready for Vol. II he came to the Dillon office on East Street in Bloomington for more money to complete the printing. He proposed tha-t if we, the Dillons, would supply funds (he oust hpve thought we looked like suckers) he would make the following proposition: If we would supply funds he would give us, the Dillons, the ex- clusive right to insert pictures md advertiisements in the book. Just then Uncle Ellis blew up pad said, "Mr. Sanders.'.',' This is not a Dillon book, nor a Dunham book, and surely not => Sanders iDook, but a book for all American breeders of French horses." Levi m^de similar remarks I do not recall. Isaiah then spoke up by saying, "Sanders J .' ,' You go back and see Mark Danliara and sell him all the pages you can and we will take a like number at the same price as soon as we see the cancelled check from Mark Dunham, but the name Percheron mast be left off and only Nonnpn used. If Mark Danhan will not t^ke any, you go to as many other importers as you wish and sell all the pages you can and we will take as many pages as all others at the sane price." When Volume II cane out it had plenty of Dunham pictures and no one else's pictures, and the title was Percheron-Norman, contrary to the unan- imous vote of the organization. Pago 152 - Historj' of the Percheron Horse. "This was St. Laurent 435 Imported by E. Dillon & Conpany, foaled in 1S66 and said to have weighed nearly 2,U00 pounds. He was loosely put together and a somewhat uncertain getter, but there is no question as to his mastodonic size." St. Laurent may have been "loosely put together" but he stayed put together for over 20 years and must not have been an uncertain breeder (from our catalog 1882) and he lived long afterward. We sold of our own breeding from him over $27,000 and collected for service up to January 1882 $23,060, pnd had stock on hand worth $U4,000, a total of $94,000, to say nothing of many of his colts which our neighbors sold pfter paying $23,000 service fees. It is safe to say he left in McLean County over $200,000. He was never beaten in a show when he showed with five colts. His colts won prizes at all lajrge shows, except Centennipl in I876 v/here he did not show, from Buffalo, New Yoth to the Mississippi River and from Minneapolis on the north to the Cotton Centennial at New Orleans in I885. Some of this i9 taken from the History of the Percheron Horse, copyrighted by Sanders Publishing Company, pnd compiled under the personal direction of Alvin Howard Sanders, D. Agr. Lid. Mr. Senders did not compile St. Laurent's cash income nor premium collections. St. Laurent nsy have been loosely put together but his colts wore well put together, some remained pat together ps he did from 20 years to (^3) 32 yepTS. Noted pnong then ere Leisure B thpt lived 18 years vnd sold for $5500. He v/.ps well put tigcther; pnd Modesty G thpt lived 17 or nore yeprs. When li. W. Dunhpn wpnted p npre to heat Liodesty G pt the Cotton Centonnipl in New Orlepjis he showed her to Leonprd Johnson, his French buyer, pnd told hin to "buy one in Frpnce to beat her. Mr. Johnson sp.id, "She cpn't be bept in France pnd if you do bep.t her, it nust be vath p narc bred in AiTiericr." Modesty G secured first prize md sweepstpkes at thpt show. So she wps put together rbout right. St. Lpuront's produce stood work. Mr. F. Bpsting nepr Bloonington Tpised p blpck gelding fron hin thpt pt four yenrs old weighed over 1,900 pounds, sold hin to I. H. Light, p horse buyer, who shipped hin to Chicpgo. There Nev/gas & Son, comission nen, sold hin to E. 3urk Trpnsfer Conppny, v;ho used liin on a fo\ir-horse tepn 20 years for Corbin & Uays Compni'', wholesple grocers, on their sugpr pnd splt wpgons, doi/vn town, plwpys on cobblestone streets. At the pge of 2U years he wps trpnsf erred to Phelps, Dodge, & Pplner boot pnd shoe depler wagon for lighter v/ork nnd did service four yep.rs when he wps retired to p fpm nepr Chicpgo pnd lived five ye^rs more. He died at 32 years of pge. I spw hin when 27 yeprs old r.nd his feet would hold p shoe ps good ps ever. He V7PS in the first six-horse tean showed in Chxago that yepr the FpI Stock Showw\s held at Tattersoll Building on 16th Street. So sone of his colts were put together. Ppge 266 - "The Dillons were good pdvertisers and were appreciative of value of showing exhibitions." "The extrenely hot ppce set by Mark W. Dunhan, W. L. Slwood, Leonprd Johnson, pnd H. A. Briggs shut the Dillons out of the prize list at nost ir.TOortant shows as fpj" ps stpllions './ere concenied. " This is quite a joke, ^e never showed ag-inst !.tr, Leonprd Johnson, Mr. W, E. Slv/ood, nor Mr. H. A. Briggs, and only two tines pgpinst Mprk W. Duhhaa, once pt Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where we each had expctlj'- equpl numbers of ribbons Tliursdgy evening pjid on Fridpy we won on horse pnd five colts; the other tine was at the New Orleans Cotton Centennial in 1885 where we won 32 prizes and Mark Dunhpn won less than 10; that does not look like a very hot pace to shut us out. At t^^is Irst show we had only one entry, Leisure B, in p class where ;'.r. Duniipn hrd nearly t'/renty entries, nany of then sold for $3000 up to $U000 or .nore. Brilliant, Caesar, Confident, Avata & Ed. While we were placed in fifth place we were in good $3000 to $4500 society, and on returning hone we sold Leisure B for $5500. I mist a'dnit it was a hot p^ce but ve had p three to one shot and sone of St. Laurent's colts wore not loosely put together. Pp^ge 166 - "They (Dillons) were not pprticular, however, to hold strictly to Percheron type pnd bouglat najiy useful horses of other deriva- tions. " It was in 1875 that Dillons discovered Perche and was the first fim ever to invpde Perche pnd buy there for Anericpn trpde, and fron that day in 1875 » ^^ Dillons bought eiglit horses fron M. Pegash nepr Rouen where Dunhan ^nd Dillons and every other importer had previously bought. We bought good horses fron Mr, Pegpsh in I87O pnd continued to buy of hin until his death, but fixDn 1875 '^^^'- during our later career never bought outside of Perche except as above stated. For Alvin Howard Sanders, D. Agr. Lid, , who is not and never wps a horsempn, but as later known, a brain truster, to criticize Dillons of four generations as horse breeders is just too bpd. Page 3^5 - Spepking of Mr, Avery's off-colors, "The off-colors were clearly due to the dans, however, as ton out of eleven off-colored colts (UU) were out of top-cross nares he "bou^t of the Dillons in 1873, The sorrel pjid "bfiy colors vjore so stron&ly fixed in these l=as thpt not even Brilliant 3d's reoprkable prepotency coul:l not entirely offset it." The grade nares, five in nuriber, vere 'bou^t on Adolphus Dillon's fpTO, all one yepr old, one bay, tv;o black, two grpy. On tliat fam since IS65 up to ISyS and later there never was bred any color mare except gray, black, and hay. In one c^se fro- a red-gray stallion, Rouen, one strawberry roan wrs raised and sold early. I know personally every color on that farr.i, no sorrel, yellow spotted, bald face, gl^ss eye, -vrhite feet above p-^stem joint. All nares that raised these colts were fror. Old Louis Napoleon or his sons or daughters. Sonetines in early days Old Louis Napoleon's fillieS were inbred to hin. Every stallion used previous to I85S when wo began using Old Louis Napoleon was bl^ck, bay or gray. From no nare Mr. Avery ■bou..":t coul^"". he get nore objectionable color than a 'bpy and that -.^as no objection to hin for he lanented the f^ct that he could get no nore bays. He further favored bay as sho'Oi by his paying $1000 at the tine he bought the fillies for Qainper, p seven months old bay stallion fron Pavorite, gray, and Mace, and an inported gray mere. One tine on Mr. Dunhan's farn I saw sorrel colts of Brilliant breeding. Mr. Dunhan sold a sorrel colt to Horace Messenger of Lockport, Illinois, th^t sired several sorrel colts. The horse he sold to Mr. Messenger was fron TivAz Brillia-nt. So Mr. Averj- got his sorrels from a Brilliant cross, he bought of H. T. Dunlian not fron Dillon's grade nares. Speaking of colors, it is well to say that since IS65 on 10 of our fams we never h^d a colt of p'ny color except bay, black, or gray with the exception of in 1S71» Then in ISJO we inported St. Laurent, Rouen, Paris, and Mahonit, v.e never intended to do any nore ir-iporting. 1e sold Paris psai Mahonit for about enough to pay for all four, two we reserved for our own breeding, We used Rouen verij- hcavj'- the first yepjr and were disgusted the following year to have tv70 3tra'.7berry ropji stallions, two stra'i^'berry roan nares, five red roans, and one blue roaji nare. With that lot staring us in the face we put Rouen on the bargain counter for the first npjx who cane along. Soon he came and was delighted with the edit aJid wanted hin and he was acconnodated to the tune of $5,000 and the roan colts sold for good price readily. (^5) A S.=s,d Happening One of OTir trips wps nsrred by an occurrence which prohphly no other im-Dorter experienced. In 1883 our pprty consisted of eight, mj'^ orother iielvin pnd I with our wives together with two of Uncle Levi's daughters with their hushands, Jpmes C. Duncpn and John Harding. 7?e decided to combine a pleasure trip with business. Two couples had been married a few years and two of us a few months. Most of us experienced the usvial sickness on hoard the shir) with no serious results. But Inter Hrs. Ida Harding became sick and '^as confined to her room at La H^avre v/here we were to embark for home. So serious w?s her illness that she could not return as was hoped with the party. This caused her husband, my wife and I to remain with her. It was a spd breaking up of a happy party. A fc".7 days later she died and '-e buried her in r high country overlooking the sea toward home. "She died and they parted her soft sunny hair On the bro? that death h^d left so fair, And buried her on a hill, no more to roam, Looking across the sea toward her old home." Mr, 5ro'.7n, a resident of La Kavre, a member of the horse importing firm of Virgin & 3rov7n, Fairbury, Illinois, pnd United States Arnbrssador to France, on hearing of our condition came and •..•;^re of much comfort to us ajid will long be remenbered. Such was the sad endinj-, as we returned home with one of our party missing, of a belated honeymoon trip. -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- News of a Tragedy In 1882 father and I were in Paris '.7hile waiting for the date of shipping room. Father T.'as sick in a hotel for several days. The land- lady, who could not speak English (I do not knov/ her name), was very kind to us. One morning there was a fast and furious knocking at our door. I hastened to le^rn the cause. The landlady was very much excited ajid did her best to tell us something in French. She said "President Garfield il a mort. B^^ng .' Bang.'" She s-^id it sever'^l tines. I interprnted it that President Garfield was shot. Her actions spoke louder than her words. All I could get was "G»rfield dead, shot". That was enough. I rushed down to the Pnxis office of an An^rican paper only to see the Stars and Stripes at h^lf m'^st and p lot of excitement. I soon learned a full pccount of the tr^ged;' and returned to ^dvise father. Some Frenchmen We Met It is v7ell at t'us plrce in the nprrrtivo to xir-y respects to some of the people met in France ^nd recall them. One in t)prticul-"r wrs Christij^n Heifers with v/hom, n:i the first trip of Sllis pnd Levi Dillon in ISyO.rc hecpme pcqufintcd. During our iniportir^ pctivities he wps our intciTDrator .-nd husiness mrnrger. He v/rs p Germrn by- birth, loc.^ted st Houen buying horses for the Geni^n Government. Finally he locpted there porm-pnentl-/. His knowledge of the location of horses wps of very much help to us. Ho spoke German pnd French fluently, but wps p little short on English. His snortpge on English wps overbplpinced by his sup erlciowl edge of liorses pnd humpnity; We dep -nded on him for p11 genernl detpils, R grept relief to us. In Id- ' s sickness, pfter the ship pulled off for New Ynrk, ho cpme to the aotel hnping to bid us goodbye before returning to his home. He psked ne how v/e were for repdy CRsh. I srid I hpd p little pnd woiiLd cpble ^t niglit for more pnd rt one o'clock the following dpy I v/ould hpve plenty. He spid, "Your expense will be much here. Don't wire for more yet." Here he gpve ne r snpll roll pnd promised more the next d?y, whicli he did ^ive me. At Idp's death he wps tliere and prrpnged detpils for ever;rthing. As he pnd I collected our bills we owed him $2000j he hpving ppid everything. He suggested I should return thpt money ^^en we rettimed next yepr pnd would tpke no note or receipt to be used in cpse of pccident, etc. It is one event of my life thpt stpnds oxit prominently, to know fnrt he would so conplc-tely trust ne ps he did, five thouspnd miles awpy from hone pmong strrngers. I wpnt to ppy respect to Mr. A. Tpchepuprd. other French deplors. With Mr, Trchepu we hpd dealings since 1375 ''^^ bought more horses of him thpn of Piiy other dep.ler. The confidence bet'.^een him pnd our orgpnization is one to be long remembered. I remember in settling his pccount in one yepr we p^id him over $50,000 in cold cash, not in checks or drafts ps that method wps not in use then. At one tine he offered my brother pnd I twenty two-y«ar-old stallions to tpke home and pay for when sold, so grept WPS Ms confidence in us. At that time Kr. T=cheru hpd a son, A. Trchepu, Jr. , who just returned from school where he wps leprning the English Ipngupge to further pssist in the business. Lpter I met the son at the Internptionpl Stock Show in Chicago. In our conversation I psked him how he lilced our horses raised here, especially the mares. He used p11 the pdjectives he knew, both English pni French, to :!escri be the good opinion he hpd of our mpres. He said he would return next year and buy t-;enty mpres, but the World 7pr WPS raging pn^\ he did not come. In a letter lpter he wrote he was plpced at Chprtres ps distributing agent of the government to secure and properly distribute the :r)rses for the war, but ps all young men hpd been sent to the front, he expected soon to be relieved pnd sent also. I lepmed lpter he WPS dead pnd with that en:Ted the name of Tpchepu omong French people as Percheron breeders. He left no son to fill his -olpce. Sidelights Upxiy people visit foreiiiTi lands pud do not see the outlook only ps p vision, visiting l^rge cities only ? few days. To visit Pnris p few days, Dpuville, pnd Longchrnip Ercos then cone home and tell pbout Frpnce, would he like p Frenclmpn visiting the United Stptes pnd heing in New York a few days, then Chicpgo, Nipgprp Fplls, pnd Yellowstone Park. Thpt would give p very vp.gae idep. of the whole. A three or six dpy trip vve took vTith Cook's Tourists with p hundred peonle in Iprge sight-seeing "busses cprrying 30 people drawn "by five sqpII sized Percherons, now replp.ced with puto busses, with a good guide will give p visitor p good outdoor idea, seeing special buildings, parks, noted cathedmls, Versailes, Hiver Seigne, etc., returning later for inside view. But Frpnce is not all in Paris. Real peasrnt life is in the country as seen by various horse buyers and gives another idea of Frpnce* Fprr.iing is largely done by vTonien, plowing, har- vesting and threshing also. At the large slaughtering house one sees on the left side of the street a large bronze cowhead over an entrance, then p sheep hepd; rn the opposite side of the street p hog head and a horse head, signifying the aninal butchered there. Yes, horses pre consumed there. Whenever I saw on the nenu pny kind of meat "a la cpxte" the cart suggested p horse cprt and I ppssed it up. Sometimes "what the eye doesn't see the heart doesn't grieve." We occpsionplly visited Mr. Grunshpu's place. He wps quite p horse dealer, three hours "by horse and cprt east of Chprtres in a sandy region, a good place to buy 1800 pound horses. He, being advised of our visit in advpnce, had his neighbors bring in 20 or 30 horses to be seen at one tine. Mr. Grunshau would do no business until after dinner. We always had a dinner pprty with several giiests there and p good dinner it was, several meats and wines of all sorts. On one occpsion -^ve had a squirrel dinner, of which niy father was very fond* We caJIled for a second helping, which pleased our hostess very much. So fond were V7e of the squirrel that I increased inj'- French vocabulary by asking our inter- preter the French name. He spid "cachet", and to be sure I had it correct he soon saw a cat go through the room and showed it to ne saying, "Alia la man chos,"-when trajislated it is "Look J Look.' The sane thing." We were eating cat instead of squirrel. Later he showed ne in the yard the skin of ? white and a yellow cat. Tnile visiting or waiting in Paris Mr. Vidal, a large city dealer, invited us, Uncle Ellis Dillon, Uncle Sli Hodgson, my father, and ne,to do to the Grand Opera House to => show, at that tine one of the nost noted opera houses, large enough for a full sized opera and hotel acconnodations for the pctors. We were shown pll over the whole b-oilding, as very few were. Our seats were just behind the middle of the parquet. Tiii s portion of the house was reserved for the elite, or society, with men in full dress, long tailed coats, stiff bosons, nnd silk. hats. We were not so dressed, as we were dressed to go out and b-uy aorses* The two older ones had blue serge suits, blpck broad-brinned soft hats, pnd stiff boson sMrts, while fpther and I had gray suits and derby hpts. Mr. VidpJ was popular at operas and that permitted us as his guests to enter. We received a small applause in his honor. You can see how very unpleosant to sit there three hours and not understand a word that was mid. There are sights not every one sees in Pnris; one is on § ride on "Centaur Railroad" around the city where one can see p11 outdoors of Ppris 0:';«- (^8) for t'/ro pnd a hplf frpncs or fifty cents, s.o v/e were told. For fear I v/ould niss something I bit the bpit. Vfhen I told father v/here I v/ps going on Svmdpy noming, he wanted to go plong. '.7e entered the train ?t station Lezarrc Depot. Lerving the station we foimd ourselves betv/een tv/o long rows of hi^ houses. Then v/e trpveled v/ith p hi^ v/pll on one side pnd cars on the other, then through p tunnel, after which we crossed the Seine P.ivor in an enclosed bridge. Tl":.is continued for 30 niles, or two hours. It is used PS a joke for strpn.;ers. TMs rrilropd connects all ropds entering the city. In riding fron Rouen, two hours along tlie river there is " drivev/py sone miles long of solid stone 100 feet wide v.-ith a background of white stone 30 or Uo feet high. This is du^ out for houses of four or five roons. The smoke chir.iney is drilled tip to the top of the rock. Here people hpve lived since the 12th century. T!iis is a horse stores so I v/ill get back in line. In 1873 "-'Q imported a mare, C-ertrude, pnd in 1875 another one. Bouquet. Sertrude was sold when about 17 years old. Bouquet died at 20 years of pge. Prom these two \je raised and developed over 6U of their descendants, pveraging over one ton in weiglit, besides selling several horse colts earlier, More details earlier herein. Som.e may ask hov? long a mare vdll breed. The m.ost prolific mare we ever hadvips Delia, p half-blood from Old Louis Napoleon, who foaled her first colt at 23 months and her last one p.s 23 years and died the following year. ?rhen the Fate of Perchercns v/?s Decided by p.. Poker G-fne A^pin retuminjj to Old Louis I'Jppolcon for ser.ii-pncient history, v;e find he was inported as a four-year-old in I85I; the next four ye^rs were spent in Ohio, where he wp.s no favorite hut played second part in David Haron episodes, and was traded rround until he fell in the hands of A. P. Cushman, viho moved hin to Illinois, Even there he hpd conrparatively few friends, and by nore trading E. Dillon & Company hecane a half ov;ner of hin, which r/as the heginnino of Ms popularity. In I858, Mr. Cush'-ian decided to nove hin to Kentucky, nuch to the displeasure of the Dillons, "but ha'n.n£; possession could do as he chose. After a Sunday dinner the :.vatter was discussed, and Isaiah Dillon, ny father, said: "If I h^d $1000 I -sould go to '^^ynesville, where Mr. Cushjnan lived, and try to hu^' the horse, and if I did not succeed would go on to Kentucky and buy an imported English hose there." Uncle Sllis said he would get the money tlie following day and for father to be reaoy Tuesday morning. Tuesday he started for Waynesville, apparently to buj.' cattle, and on arrivrl stopped at the ss>ne tpvem each dpy. For several days he rode in the countrj' appe^ririg as a crttle buyer, returning-: in the eveninr; where a poker game v,-as szi evenin^r occurrence. One eveninr; V.r. Cushrian becpr.e finajicially embarrassed and hpd to borro-A- $25.00 for chips, y;hj.ch wps soon j-one. Then he wanted to borrv; $100. One nan offered him $500 if he .vould t'ive r.ortgage on the horse, which w^s refused. Giving father a friendly pat on the back, said: "Here is a man who paid me $1000 for half interest in him, ^ni the first m^n pl^^cin^ $1000 on the table r.ay h-^ve the other hplf." This called for several sarcpstic remaJdcs, all doubting the offer, but Cushman said, "liy vord is as good as my bond ^nd as good as cpsh." At this tine father laid ten $100 bills on the table and pushed ther.i toward Mr. Cushnan, who c^ve up the b-Tn key and said: "Isaiah, I did not want to sell him, but if he is sold, I '.Tould rather see you have him than pTiy one else. Take the key and feed him in the morning." A strange beginning for so gr-at an industry whose records in Majch, 1935> showed a registration of 315»000 animals. Had father gone to Kentucky and secured an English horse, pnd advertised hir. as E. Dillon & Company advertised ajid broadcasted French horses, one man's guess is as good as another's, but the poker game settled it. Over 20 years later Mr. Cuslxman, then living in Kansps, v;ps returning from, a visit to his old home in Ohio, ^nd stopped in Eloomington to pay a \'l3it to his old friends, the Dillons, »nd spent the night at our f^rm. hone telling tales of olden days, during which he said he needed a stallion to replace one he recently lost as a stsllion would support his rem.pining days. The next morning father took him to the barn and presented hin with a two-year-old horse, a full brother to our great shov? m^re, i.iodesty, and gpve hin a new halter, bridle, bushel of feed pndh=y. We loaded him out for Ka-nsas, a verj- happy m-an. A full story might be written on this topic. In reflecting back to days of Percherons before the commercial pctivities of tl-ds breed, there occurred earlier in tMs narrative of a community exhibition of 112 horses being sliown at the Illinois State Fair. Tliis gigantic collection was from Taze'.vell Coionty and licLean County, Illinois wh^ch cpused much interest in horse circles. At this frir Hi J. Edwar'i.s, ii. 1. Dionham, Jpiies A. Perry, -Jolin Virgin, Eli Hodgson, \7ilson Richmond, John Powell, Dr. Ypn Horback, severpl Dillons, M. Fisher, Thomas Stprr^tt, md m^ny more who night be named. All were (50) infatuated by the display to this topic of larger horses, and in a few years nearly every one of them became importers of horses from France and heavy horse breeding became active, and were the earlier importers of Illinois. During the seventies end eighties of last century, I personally knew over 80 men who became importers or breeders or both, from this imported stock. From this long list I now recall only eleven men whose descendants are now follovd ng up the work. The present breeders names were scarcely known in early years. All this does not indicate the business is run out. For in 1870 we see, from about 10 mares and 20 stpllions of imported stock, there were known in the United Stptes from this small number the Percheron records in Vol. XXIII published March 1, 1935. there are shown 215,000 animals recorded by this Association. Beginning with the advent of electric and machine age, many farm boys turned to college work and became electricians and engineers, so real horse- men are as rare as the proverbial "hen's teeth". An old time transfer man in Chicrgo recently told mo one can find over a hundred good auto truck drivers before finding one good horse driver. My brothers and I sold over 1000 head of wild and unbroken horses from the ranges of the west in a few years near Bloonington, Illinois. It would be impossible no"/7 to do it again. The rigid traffic laws give autoists righi of way, and with this lack of knowledge of approaching half-broken horses that have no regard for traffic Irws it became impossible to use any horse not fully broken on the road,rnd, sgain, a horse is never fully broken until he has had road work. For many years I was associated vith horses under many conditions of different horse dealers, from dealers in good horses to real Plug Dealers who trajffic in half-worn-out horses do'/m to killers. The letter dealers are necessajy and are legitimate, honorable as any. But dealing in Plug Horses is a business of itself, 'ifith the disappearance of horses he was more hard hit ajid the auto and electric truck gave them a new calling, viz: secondhand car dealer, whose previous vTork fully qualified him for the latter work. Those horse dealers seldom have a horse over eight years old, but a gray or white one was possibly ten years old. From then: one caji buy very cheap animals, but if the horse c^^n't get to his new home the buyer caja return him and pay $5 or $10 to boot pnd get another similar horse. The Same is true of a secondhand car dealer. So well did I know these dealers I called them by their first name "partially because I could not pronounce the sir name, ^nd when I did I sneezed." Man^' of these dealers were equipped with bam room for 100 horses and secured them from dealers traff icing in good horses, selling 25 to Uo or 50 good horses to customers ?nd taking as trade-in a like number of undesirable ones. \f.pn;/ of these secondha-nd horses falling in good h-^nds in the country or for light work became good farm horses and frequently return to city work. Recently in conversation with one of the old dealers, he told me the business was gone from him. Years ago I helped a ccuntry draler buy a load from his barn, 18 head. We bought, tried and \7inded them in less thaJi tv/o hours, pnd inspected over 100 head. He told me as I l=>st saw hi.:i he could not collect such a load in t'.vo v/eeks, if ever. As ho sattiere in p small office he h^d six horses and ninety-four empty stalls. (51) The Age of the Horse To tell the pge of pny horse, Inspect the lower jpw of course. The six front teeth tho tple will tell And every doubt pnd ferr dispel. Two middle nippers you behold Before the colt is tno weeks old; Before eight weeks two more will corae, Sigh.t months the corners cut the gum. The outside grooves vdll dispppear From middle two in just one ye^r, In two yerrs from the second pair - In three yeers the "corners" too pro bpre. At two the Tiiddle "nippers" drop; At three the second ppir c^n't stop; When four yeprs old the third pp.ir goes. At five p full new set he shows. The deep blpck^ots will p?ss from viev? At six yeprs, from the middle two; The second ppir r.t seven yeprs; At eight the spot epch corner cleprs. From middle "nippers" upper jaw At nine tlie blpck sJ)ots will vvithdrp.w. The -second pair pt ten pre bright Eleven finds the corners light. As time goes on the hjDrsomen know, The ovpI teeth three-sided grow; They longer get - project - before Till twenty-.when we know no more. (52) Conpetition, The Life of Trf^de Some wisepcre in dsys gone by spid "Conpetition is the life of trpde. " Probrbly this is just ps true in breeding horses ps in other places. For yeprs pfter the Dillons ?nd their pssociptes begpn horse breeding on p_ perceptible scple there w?s no conpetition but p lot of knockers. Often « knock is as good as a boost. These men v/ere constpntly on the lookout for choice inpres belonging to their neighbors pnd they tried to persupde the owners to breed to their stallions. Failing to be successful they rescrted to ^m original idea and gpve the owners of good nares p pronise to pay $50 or $75 for the colt at weaning time pnd succeeded in severpl occasions in perfecting p depl. The owner frequently told his neighbors of the deal pnd wps uauplly proud of the trpjnspction. All of this increpsed the idep thpt it was a publicity stunt to boom the horse prices. But when these colts were grown pnd at tv/o yeprs pjid upward were sold for $500 or more ?nd a few sold for $2000, the yo'ong stallions were eagerly sought. Conpetition was unknovvn until pfter 1S70« For the next decade many men in Illinois, lov/p, Pennsylvpnip, pnd other stptes inported p goodly lot of horses fron Frpnce but until 1882 the horses were so far ppart that com- petition was negligible except in central Illinois. The list there is pprtiplly noted here: E. Dillon & Co. , ii, '.V. DunhpjTi, John Virgin, ^m. Edwprds, Jmes E. Perry, George Stubblefield & Co., R. W. & T. T. Stubble- field, Sauuel Sill, Dan Sill, Dr. Hobbs, E. Fuller, J. "^ . Richmond, I. E. Becket, Dr. Van Hoorbeck, and Eli Hodgson. The list in Illinois night be extended by exercising my memor;,'- a little. A more congenipl gathering of nen in one enterprise would seldom be fo-jnd th^n -.vhen a gp thering of some of these men psse.ibled on fpir grounf.s or other places pnd discussed pffairs and a grept unpninity of ideas prevpiled. It wps eprly in the eighties vaien we concentrated most of our activities in Nompl, Illinois, and built four Iprge sale bprns pll clustering ajound the crossing of the Chicago & Alton pnd the Illinois Centrpl Rpilroads, pll in sight of tlie many ppssengers tr'-veling through Normal. Tliis wps the center vdth production on their fprms pnd those of the sons-in-lpw. All this mpde Nompl the center of horsedo™. Then hone competition begpn. I^. A Built ^ tprn for pbout 15 horses along the side of the Chicpgo & Alton Railroad in si.^it on our show grour^d. Mr. 3 Built r> good slpte roof br^rn for t'.venty horses between the above pnd our two princippl barns. Mr. C built a bprn directl.y across the street fron one of our bprns so thpt his north door opened directly opposite our south door. Often when vie opened either north or south door to sliow horses to prospective buyers, it seemed ps if horses from other barns needed exercise and were walked up pnd down the street. Frequently som.e of these b^^rns were pprtiplly sold out pnd the emptj'- stplls v:ere filled by dealers V7ith horses a little distpnce from JJorn^'l. So v,e hpd p. competition no other importer ever had. Ken who used these etapty stalls were Mr. D, Mr. E, pnd Mr. F, pnd others occasionally. It was said of some of these m.en that they bought horses of Parisian deplers and with p good number of horses received many certificates of Percheron horses, far more thpn the number of horses they imported, pnd thej let the buyer have his choice of the papers. This condition with neighborly cooperation niglit hpve worked well, ^e were paying Lord & Thomps A^-vertising Associption pbout $3000 per yepr. in 1886 we called a gpthering of severpl local doplers and proposed a local system of advertising. We were pIso showing for k to 10 weeks each fpll at fairs. This, while our premium paid quite a little, was quite pn expense, as we seldon showed less than 10 horses and some cpses the number was fifty or over. Our neighbors showed none except Mr. A v7ho usually showed pt three or (53) four locpl fpirs. We proposed to cut aur nev/sppper t)ublicity 25^, if they wc-Qd rnptch it with p like poount. We proposed a conmmity exhibit of horses s>t fpirs in pddition to our o'.7n ^hows using such of our horses ps v.-ere needed to fill out p good clpssificrtion pni to rivide fairs V7ith the two herds; but the opposition pfter considering the proposition said they were satisfied '.vith present conditions ps they were selling out each yepr pt no cost for publicity. It was plwpys our policy vrhen p prospective buyer co'old not be plep-sed in our bprns or fpms to find for hin what he wanted vith no charge to hin. We figured that nipjiy of our neighbors were patronizing our breeding facilities and we were under obligption to help then sell their surplus. This w?s fully apprecirted by npny, but not plwpys as the following n^rrptive will show, '^^^ile this is pjl pggrivated cpse, it is well worth nentioning. In 1267 a na.n soon to be our neiglibor noved on a 2U0 pcre f arn joining our fam on the ropd lepding to both Bloonington and NomaJ. pnd we ppssed his place daily. Ke did not like big, clunsy horses ps he cplled then and ov7ned a black non-descript nare that would bplk, pnl kick, and was otherwise ver;,' bad tempered. He decided to breed her to a hplf-breed to correct her disposition. Her first tvro colts broke v/ell and clever, so he ventur^-d to use an imported horse fron v/hich he rpised several good horses. He bred to car horses severpl yeprs rnd got quite in debt to us and was surprised when our collector went for pay. He quit breeding to our horses rnd pptronized a conpetitor's st^^llions. Frequently a buyer riding to our fam with us would see these gray npres in the ppsture and asked if he could try to bnj;;/ p nare. We probrbly sold severpl for hin that way pjid even sone of the colts fron our conpetitoi's st.-^llions, pll for no chprge. In 1221 this neighbor thought he could do well with a stpllion on his fpm and 77e sold hin a four-yepr-old of last yepr's inportation for $l600 which closed out that lot. About a I'epx Ipter p btij'-ur fron Georgia cpne up fron Georgia for a horse and would only consider p horse fully pcclimpted. 7e sold hin this horse for $3000 c^sh. This horse was delivered to our Bloon- ington bpm to 77rit for p cpr for shipping. The horse wps delivered with a 25 cent hplter pnd the bridle v/ent b^ck to the fpm. T-iVo dpys later we shipped this horse the spme ps our own with new halter, bridle, bprrel of wpter, pnd a bple of hpy. After buying the horse for $l600 pnd selling hin for $3000 he never said p word pbout pay to us. He npde ? sunner season of U2 nares settling 37 of then pt $15 each pnd npde $1^00 profit and never Said p word of thpnks for our pctions pnd p $10 shipping expense. Sonetines conpetition is not the life of trpde. (5^ Footprints on the Sands of Time Most men who have made a grest success as inventors or discoverers, or have done some other unusual work, have left their names so closely connected with their work as to he inseparable. To think of electricity is to think of Benjamin Franklin and his kite. With telegraphy we associate Korse. Electric light reminds us of Edison. Tiith radio we connect Marconi. Yfhen the farmer is getting his plow at in the spring in the cornhelt region, he remembers John Deer and R. Orndorff who in- vented a plow that would scour in the soil divested of sand. No sooner is his crop read;^'' for harvesting than his mind runs hack to Cyrus McCormick, the inventor of harvesting machinery, and to J. I. Case or Altman and Taylor with their early thrashing machine. Let us now look over livestock for noted men. Who thinks of Sriort- horn cattle and does not think of Cruckshank as the early clianipion of them? There stand out with the Percheron horses of America men whose names will never he forgotten. First, there is Mr. Edward Harris, who in 1839 while traveling in France and riding behind those dapple gray horses, became so enthused tiiat he bought and imported two marea and a, stallion for his home farm. Bad luck was against him as he lost a marc a:ad stallion on route. Hot dis- couraged he sent for three mares and one stallion. During the following forty years several men from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Ohio imported the same class of horses. Wliile some of these importers' names may be re- called, to most young breeders of today they are scarcely known. Mr. Edward Karris' name should be perpetuated as the one who as pioneer with this great breed of horses rvhose niimbcr of registrations nov7 runs above 300,000 head. As the Percherons migrated westward with cany settlers, Illinois beca.me a center for them. As early as 1858 Ellis Dillon ^-nd his younger associates were foremost breeders. In the year 186o Ellis Dillon and his associates arranged for a grand ex!aibition of Percheron descendants at a fair held by the State Board of A,Tricj.lture. A community exhibit of 111 horses were shown at this fair and net with such a.Dproval that your writer can not name many men v7ho soon became importers and breeders. The popu- larity of Percherons went wast as migration increased. It was Ellis Dillon and associates who deserve credit for this and his name should never be forgotten^ His activities were narrated earlier in this work. It is to be remembered that Mark 'lentworth Dunham, a man with his early life spent a,s a dairjmia-n near Chicago, u.sed his influence v/ith the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, and through them all railroads entering Chicago, to ship stock to the fair at Chicago and ret-urn free, fully realizing that their merits would cause untold breeding stock to follow westward emigration and in return train loads of conmercial stock would be shipped back. Mr. Dunham, seeing the great array of horses at the fair, became the largest individual importer of these horses and with a liberal expenditure of cash in newsp^ipers ond circulars is entitled to a place of honor never to be forgotten. Probably no nan ever excelled Isaiah Dillon in placing Perclierons before the public at state fairs, exhibitions, and locaJ shows, always showing real horses. He directed most of the great shows of E. Dillon & Co. and later of Dillon Bros, at Buffalo, N. Y. ; Detroit, Mich.; Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois State (55) Fairs; locpl fairs, St< Louis Expositions, New Orleans Cotton Centennial^ in all, over 125 fairs and shov/s. He always was pn expert in preparing horses for the fairs nnd in training the grooms to show the horses. A few great shows stpnd out in the size of the exhibit. At McLean County in ahout 1275, over 50 horses were shown and a like number at the New Orleans Cotton Centennial VTinning over 35 prizes. The most spectpculnr show in dpy paTade and night torchlight procession was on the occpsion of a Gprfield campaign rally. In this parade were 28 gray imported stallions with a uniformed rider, one six-horse team of white mares, one four-horse team of white mares, and one four -horse team of dapple gray mares with each float loaded with 30 to hs Soldiers' orphans from the Illinois Soldiers' Orphans' Home dressed in red, Y;Mte pnd blue. In addition, the girls of the families were riding saddle horses. Isaiah Dillon is known as the greatest show mpji among his competitors. He began showing in IS^S and continued up to I89U, V7hen on account of age he retired from the shov;ing. The Dillon herd had won over 2000 prizes.. So I say the names of Edward Harris, Ellis Dillon, M^rk W. Dunham, and Isaiah Dillon should go d.own through the years unforgotten, and some visible mementos should be erected at some place. (1) Supplemental Putting Horses on p Conr-ier-cipl Bnsis Up to rljout 1775 horses did not enter very extensively in the fr^m progran while in the e.^st there wps quite a denpnd for their use on c^npls, st.-sc copch and nail routes. The breeding was in no organized nanner. True it is that in Kentucky, Virginia and Lirryl^nd there was qpiite pn interest in saddle horses pnd trotting horses. For ^rork horses the ideal pnir.nl wps the Morgan of Vemont origin, about 1?50 to I3OO pounds in weight. In 1775 t\io related farulies - Dillon pni Hodgson - lived pt Circle- ville pnd throughnut Clinton County Ohio. They were f amors, storekeepers, blacksr.iths, officers of the law and usual ocnupations. Tlieir stores and hones required the transfer of supplies fror. Cincinnati as far north as Colunbus, and they fomed a mniature express conpan^''. There were no systems of roads, only trails to follow. This brought about the necessity for a heavier horse. An English cart horse knorm as Dragon fro::i New York ws used, pt the head of their stud and fron his descendants a class of horses lcno'-7n ps Dragon horses grew up. During the twenties of Ipst century these people, to a great nunber, enigrated to Illinois pnd settled nepr Peoria and over vprious pprts of aiddle Illinois. In IS34 Sllis pnd Aaron Dillon secured a gray stallion brought in fron Canada, probpbly descended fron French horses inported by French Jesuits s centurj^ eprlier. His work was followed by a bladi English stallion known rs Colonel O^^kley Sa,':rpson w'uch they used. T?ith his death they used such as -.vere avail?ble until 1858 when they secured Old Louis Napoleon, inported fron Frnnce. During his long life, up to 187?. pfter experinenting r little, they inported four horses frun Prance, vis, St. Laurent, Eouen, Mahonit pnd Ppris, and the rer.rdnder of the work is fp..iilipr to pll. About the close of the Civil Hvjc bull celves were being shipped to Texas to cross v/ith the native long-homed aninals. The venture was so successful they visited the dairy region west of Cliicago and as fpx as Wisconsin. With a dairy firm they arrpnged for p lot of calves to be bo-ogl-it by then. A na-.iber of Qie Fletcher Dplr;^ pcconpanied the shipnent. His visit convinced hin of the imortpnce, vastness pnd success to follow. Now for continuing the !:orse story. When this dairy npn returned he went before the nonthly neeting of the railroad officers of pll the roads entering Chicpgo pnd psked to be listened to. He s?id: "There is to be held in Chicago this fpll a State Fair," relating his contpct with western breeders he suggested that "you advertise free trpnsportption for all breeding stock, feed pnd groons attending tMs ?pir." He explained that for every bull or stpllion -shipped west where breeding would be done in quantities a carload would be returned, pnd for every car- load shipped west p trainload would be returned. Tl'ds net hearty approvpl and was so pdopted. For hundreds of miles around Chicpgo the ropds so advertised. The result was thpt when the Fpir was opened there wps n great horse show such as has never been known.. Ellis, Isaiah pndLevi (E. Dillon & Conppny) canvpssed by horseback central Illinois, Eli Hodgson of Ottawp, Illinois did likewise in LaSplle and Livingston counties. The coveted prize offered was for the best show of horses and five or nore of his colts. (2) Stipplonentr>l E. Dillon cl: Comppny entered this contest vTith Old Louis innl 110 of his colts pni grandcolts follovdng hin ;^nd received grep>.t r'pplouse. This show nut horse business on the npp during; the fr^ir rnd in the follov'ing nonths nenrly every stpllion in centrpl Illinois v/ps sold» The Lvn 'vho npde this fair possible was M. W. Donhpm of Fletcher Dpiry Conppny. He hpd no p?»Tticulpr interest in horses pnd cpnc to the fair v/ith pn exliibit of cpttle pnd returned with p Nompn stpllion. He soon becpr.ic tlie {^rentest indiviiup.1 breeder pnd iriporter of Perchcron horses in Aneric?.. The Dillons folloved the fair from IS57 to IS92, showinc p.t over 200 fpirs frorr. Buffp.lo to lov/p, and Minneapolis to Ke\/ Orleans, pnd winning over 2000 prizes. Fron this Isaiali Dillon and Mprk Duahan fomed p friendship severed only by death. Mr. Dunhp.ni's life ended by blood poisoning cpused by relieving the pain of a horse. Isp.iaii Dillon overi^vorked hinself one dpy at his work of horse dentistry and never fully recovered, so they lived for horses pnd died by thera. Fron this fair horse business grew by lepps and bounds. In lEjG a second book was fomed to preserve records of breeding;. This book con- tpined about I60 pedigrees or statements; it hps grown until now the Porcheron Society has XXIII volunes wit'i over 300,000 records, pedigrees pnd other societies following. The peslc of inporting war. reached in 1S22 when over 1000 horses were inported fron France ajnd ps far as I know the greatest ship load was that year piloted by and shippdd for E. Dillon & Cor.ripny vyith myself fully in charge, landing l62 horses without the Ipsso of a horse, over what the csptnin of the ship said was the *orst passage i 3 c:qjerienced in 30 years on the sea. The above naned nen axe lar^-ely responsible for the grov/tli of horse business, raising the average wei.ght fron 125O pounds in 1220 to the greatest weight now of 2U00 to 2700 poiuils, and horses of lUoo to 2000 pounds are seen every place. If the above names are nover v/ritten on the scroll of honor nor their pictures ever decorate the Fall ■-f Fa'ir;, the nnnes will go dovTn in history ps benefactors of fam life along with: Jolin Deere, plow fane; Cyrus McComick, newer inventor; J. I. Case and his thrashing npchine; Osburn of self binder nenories; Studebpkor Bros, of wagon building; EsUJotth, check-rov/er; Brown with his corn planter. All of these n^chines I have used and worked with* FROM All OLD FRIEND OF THE DILLON FAMILY The writer was raised on a farm in Woodford County, Illinois,, twenty-two miles north of Normal, My father, John Baughman, with his neighbors, Messrs. Engel , Phillips, Reuvenacht and Donner, who were early pioneers, had settled on the same section of land. They became quite prominent fanners and stockmen. My father first became acquainted with the elderly Dillon family in the seventies, probably by contact at fairs or througii the Dillon adver- tisements. These pioneers were especially interested in the raising of good draft horses and the combined interest manifested by these neighbors induced my father to purchase many stallions from the Dillons for breeding purposes. This became a prosperous business. It was not uncommon for ray father to have from three to five stallions on stand, some he owned and others were entrusted to him to put on stand for the season or until they were sold. Two of the outstanding stallions that were entrusted to rr^^ father were St. Laurent pnd Favorite. I happened to have charge of both of these stallions. St. Laurent died at the age of twenty-three, evidently from acute indigestion. Being located twenty-two miles from the nearest vet- erinarir-n, he died before a veterinarinn could be reached. Favorite had been shown at many fairs with five of his colts and never was defeated. He was in our change vrntil sold, and lived a few years longer. In the winter of 1886 I \7as emi^loyed by the Dillon brothers to care for and show horses in the Wliite Sales Barn in Normal, During the latter part of the year the Dillon brothers sold two carloads of stallions to Mr. E. C. Hardy of Towana, Nevada. I accoraoanied the shipment to its destination in Nevada, cared for the breeding of about four hundred and fifty range mares and showed his stallions to prospective buyers. While employed by the Dillon brothers in NormaJ I boarded at the home of Leo A. Dillon which culminated in an acquaintance and friendship that has lasted to the present time. In reading the history of "The Percheron Century" many fond memories of my association with the Dillons have been brought back. They viere men of their v7ord, kind and considerate of others, honest, conscientious and conservative; in fact, they were v/hat one would expect from the good old QuaJcer stock. Having been raised on a livestock fann, I became especially interested in handling horaes and being for a time employed by the Dillon family \7as probably one of the factors that induced me to enter the vet- erinary profession and dedicate my life to being helpful in a small wa^y in the livestock industry. In 1889 I entered the Chicago Veterinary College, graduated in 1892, and practiced veterinary medicine until 1912, when I began the manufa.cture of anti-hog cholera serum and other veterinarj^ biologicals and pharmaceuticals. While I am in my seventy-first year, I enjoy good health and still retain the presidency and management of the Fort Dodge Serum Company. I realize that motorized farming is largely superceding the horse industry but I believe there will always be good horses raised and a place maintained for them on the farm. ^.,r /^f^^ ypl^/Z^ Fort Dodge, Iowa. y I -f