Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-04-20
THE HORSE FOB THE, FARM.

- 10 O1U IN W hAN'o'
intrinsic value, or to their market value!
Speed is desirable, ald,should be cultivated
within proper limits; but speed alone is not
what is generally wanted in a horse. Even
one million of fast horses could not lind a
market price equal to that of good draft
horses.
Then another class of breeders will tell
you tina the great requirement is tor a l,6oo
to 1000 pound draft horse, to pull great
loads and do heavy work on the farm. Such
horses are required to a limited extent, in
cities and small towns, and would be to a
large extent for general purposes, If they
had. not been bred to secrete more fat and
grow less muscle in proportion to size, and
thus become unable to. stand our hot, dry
climate, and perform, labor in proportion to
size. The conviction is fast growing that
these horses must be greatly modified by the
infusion of warmer blood, and perfecting a
sounder constitution before they will be de-
manded for the general markell million
of them would not bring a remunerative
price.
Where, then, is the great. demand for
horses? Why, among 2 1900, 900 farmers. If
each farmer owns but two horses, 100000
horses are required to fill this demand, Or
more than sixty per cent. of. all the horses.
In the United States.
Here, then, is the great market to be
filed. til a home market and, therefore,
the most important, requiring animals well
adapted for the work. One of the causes
why farming has been complained of as I'M
remunerative, has been the use of poor
horses, requiring much more manua labor
to cultivate the soil, and thus. increasing the
expense Of every crop. And the cost of
breeding this inferior class of horses used
by the farmer for his own work, has been no
less than to have bred a better class. The
loss to the farmer in working with a poor
team is really something enormous, when
calculated for allthe farmers Of the United
States.
If we estimate only one-half as working
with a poor team, say 100000, and it ap-
pears that the average quantity of improved
land to. each farm is about seventy-five acres.
In working the land with a poor team,
there is not only the loss OF time Of the team
but of the, driver. This loss cannot be less
than one dollar per day, while the team is
used, and thus for 100 days Ga moderate time
to work a team during the year), would
show an average loss of$1O0, or the enorm-
GUS loss OF $3.50, DOC, 1000 per annum for the
whole country. And we believe this is a
low estimate of the actual loss to the farm
ers of the United States from using poor
horses.
How puerile, then, to talk of a few trot-
ting horses, ora few dray horses, as being
the great matter for the, breeder to study
These are all wanted in their places and
should have due consideration, but they
amount to little compared to the. great want
of agriculture itself for better muscle in it's
horses. Strange that the farmer should for
get himself and his greatest need while con-
templating the. sale of a few hundred horses
at high figures.
We have often advised with. reference to
the improvementsot the great class ofafarm-
horses, and we say again that this must be
done by crossing thoroughbred stations. or
those nearly SO, such as the English call
stout hunters, upone our roomy, half-bred
mares. The horses fitted to do the. work of
the farm and go to market shoulds have an.
average weight of 1900 pounds. and be
models OF muscular development. Such
will be. able to pillow at the proper depth in
al classes OF soils, and fifty per cent. faster
than the light, Informed horses now used.
'Ehis must be done by judicious selection.