Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-01-26
A9rienltnral department.
A FEW WORDS MORE FROM
sEZEKIELn IN REGARD
TO HORSES.

Mr.. Blake AS you had the kind
ness to publish my former article in re-
gard to breeding horses, | venture to
send you another l would like to i'm
press upon our farmers the Importance
of raising kind of horses that will find
a ready market, for if they will do this,
they will find it to be as profitable as
any part of farming. The people
throughout the whole country are be-
ginning to find out there is no sale for
the kind of horses they have been breed
ing for few years past, while there is
an active demand for large, muscular
built horses at good prices. Every man
knows this to be the fact, but we doubt
whether many have taken the trouble to
inquire into the cause. If small horses
are low, and large ones 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, in order to intelligently direct
our future course of breeding. On in
vestigation we find this condition of the
horse market is not confined to the Uni
ted States alone; we find that in all the
foreign markets the price of draugh hit
horses has doubled in the last twenty
years. This advance in price is not be-
cause they are breeding less of the large
kind, for under the stimulus of constant
ly increasing prices, their production
has been largely increased, yet, notwith-
standing their rapidly increasing num-
bers, the prices continue to advance;
plainly showing that the supply is not
adequate to the demand, and that there
are needed and being used larger num-
Der of draught horses than ever before.
Why is it? A few words will tell. From
the application of steam as a motive
power, new era commenced, which has
changed all things. Railroads have SUI
perceded the stage-coach and diligence,
and gradually thrown out of employ
vast number of small horses. The en-
larged facilities for rapid, safe, and
cheap transportation has swelled COM
MERGE to an extent never dreamed of I'M
der the old order of things, and opened
hundred channels for the use of the
heavy, muscular, and active horses. In
the great cities, railroad centres, facto-
ties, foundries, mills, machine shops,
quarries, and the lumber woods, thou
sands more are now annually purchased
than were needed years ago. The Amer
lean farmers are also beginning to find
deep tillage indispensable, in which a
larger class of horses are preferable.
Thus on every hand we see the sphere of
usefulness of the large, strong work
horse extending, while that of the small
er family horse is yearly becoming less.
Our late war partially relieved US of our
surplus light stock, and for time re.
stored the confidence of light horse breed
ers, who permitted themselves to believe
that if they could introduce the element
of speed they would still be in the as
oendenoy. They have found this mis-
take, and thousands of farmers are to-
day, doing their work with animals in
capable of performing their labor proper
ly. If, from any chance, they have ;
large horse, he is sold, not from choice
but because he will sell, and the Others
will not. This practice will soon cease
for all must see that it is ruinous pol
icy. If in Europe, where every countr,
has thoroughbred draft stock, the,
are unable to keep pace with the increas
ing demand, how can we expect here il
our own country, without any effort il
the direction of large Thoroughbred
breeding, to supply our own demand
much less to have any such stock to sci
elsewhere. There is nothing our farm
ers can do that seems to give promis
of better returns, then from breeding t
the best percheron, Norman stations
These large horses possess action, sym
metry and beauty, and | think our hors
breeders will do well to try this stock
Mr.. Pierce of Stanstead has made
move in the right direction, in procur
ing stations of this stock.
EZEKIEL PIPER.