Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1879-12-18
LIV { STOCK.
WILL BREEDING PERCHERON-EoRMAN
HOEsEs PAY AS A FUTURE BUSINESS.

try begin TO turn thelr attention toward the
production of large horses, from both ne
cessity and profit. They no longer find
sale for the kind Of horses they breG a few
years ago. while there is an active demand
for large, compactly formed horses, at
splendid prices.
Every man knows this to be a fact, but
we doubt whether many have taken the
trouble to inquire into the cause. The fact
that large horses are readily sold at highly
remunerative prices seems to be efficient to
warrant men in breeding to frst-class STALL
ions; yet a man who intends to invest very
much money in the business should look
for some more substantial reason than the
mere fact of a good present demand. 1t
small horses are low, and large horses are
high, there is some good reason why it is
SO. Whatever the causes are that have con-
tributed to produce this effect. we ought to
know them, in order to intelligently direct
our future course of breeding. On ~inyesti-
CATION, we find the condition of the horse
market is not confined to the United States
alone, for go to what country we will-En-
gland, Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium,
i. Or Germany-you find that draft horses
during the last twenty-five years, have
doubled and trebled in value. Many men
who have come from Europe within that
time will remember that a good work horse
would only command from e25 s3O-S125
to $3.50; and now $500 $500 is looked upon
as only a fair price for a good, serviceable,
large horse, and often $500 is realized. But
a short thine since the entire lot of work
horses upon a farm were sold at auction at
a tride over $500 each. This advance in
price is not because they are breeding less
of the large ~kind-quite the contrary for
under the stimulus of constancy increasing
prices, their production has been largely in
creased, and manv = the most practical
men <snst:1 LII taap tne" interested in
the Improvement and breedi g Of them be-
sides, in some of the countries, the govern
ments have adopted an organized system of
encouragement. Yet, Notwithstanding their
rapidly increasing numbers, the prices con-
tinue to advance, plainly showing that the
supply is not adequate to the demand, and
that there are needed and being used a
larger number OF draft horses than ever be-
fore.
Why is it? A few words will tell. From
the commencement OF the application of
steam as a motive power, a new CONNER
cial era began, which has changed all
things. Railroads have superseded the
stage coach and diligence, and gradually
thrown out of employ a vast number of
small horses. The breeders OF these were
forced to find markets in other directions.
The enlarged facilities for rapid, safe and
cheap transportation has swelled commerce
to ala extent never dreamed of under the
old order of things, and opened a hundred
new channels for the use of the heavy, mus
cular and active horses. In the great cities,
railroad centres, factories. %foundries. mills.
machine shops, quarries, and the lumber
woods, thousands more are now annually
purchased than were ever need years ago.
The American farmers are also beginning
to find deep tillage and a more systematic
aud economical method of cultivation nee
essary. in which a larger class of horses are
indispensable. Thus on every hand we see
the plane of usefulness of the large, strong
work horse extending, while that of the
smaller family is yearly becoming mar
rover.
Our late war partially relieved us of our
surplus light stock. and for q time restored
the confidence of light horse breeders, who
permitted themselves 10 believe that if they
could Introduce the element of speed they
would still be in the ascendancy. They
have found to their sorrow their mistake,
aud thousands of farmers are to-day doing
their work with animals utterly incapable
of performing their labor properly. and if.