Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-04-25

DaiIp krnnthtt 3ournal.
Raising Horses.

Raising horses to sell is yearly becoming a
more and more important branch of farming.
The demand for good carriage horses is far
greater than the supply, and prices are ad-
yancing large number of good carriage
horses have been purchased in Maine during
the past three years snd carried out of the
State The most of them have been horses
weighing ten hundred and upwards and
worth from two to three hundred dollars
each. At such prices tpavs to raise horses
to sell horse can be raised nearly as
! cheaply as an OK and if he is a good animal
will sell for twice or thrice as much. There
are horses, however, that are worth less than
oxen, and it would be unprofiitable to breed
such. Any one who proposes to breed horses to
sell should secure good stock to breed from to
start with 1t is not best to breed trottng horses
especially, although it is desirable to have
horses that can trot fast. 1t is best to breed
what is termed the general purpose horse,
which will be good for work. fast enough for
a carriage. and possibly once in a while a
rrotter may be produced. What this horse
should be. is well described by Col. n. j.
Coleman of St. Louis, Missouri, proprietor
of the Rural World, who has had thirty years
of experience as a practical horseman. He
claims that the horse for all purposes should
be sixteen hands high, with good serviceable
| body and limbs, and the more style the bet
ter II he carries a fine head on a well arch.
ed neck, has a long, bushy tail and All active
way of going at walk or trot or
| run even, all the better. Such
horse is just the size for the plow, the
wagon, the saddle, the buggy or the carriage.
| He is ready and suitable for any job of work
| on the farm or off of it. If he is for sale
his owners will find plenty of buyers; if he
has the size and qualities spoken of, and is
| in addition. trottIng bred. so much the better,
| for he will command so much the greater
price. The horse, Capt Lewis, was taken
| from plow in the spring and before the sea-
son was over, trotted in 2.20i and SIC, 900 re-
| fused for him. St. Julian, with record of
2.ll used to be worked on farm and driven
in milk wagon; $4,000 would not buy him.
1t will pay to be to considerable expense in
purchasing the right kind of stock TO breed
from. 1t will be more profitable to pay 5000
or $500 for good mare to breed from than
500 for an inferior one. 1t will cost no
more to to rear good horse than an inferier
one. If the farmer breeds from hundred dol
lar horses, he will have hundred dollars horses
to sell. and the profits will be very small. If
however, he breeds from three hundred dollar
horses he will be likely to have three hundred
dollar horses to sell, and there will be a hand
some profit in the business. If it costs one
hundred dollars to bring colt to a salable age
and he sells for 5000 to $500, there is profit
from 500 to $500 on each one raised. BY
having good mares to breed from and using
good sres, the product is quite sure to be
such as will be salable and afford good profit.
Ii will not pay to breed scrub colts and the
less of them there are raised the better. The
best mares should be kept in Maine to breed
from instead of selling them to go ont of the
State Pennington Chronicle.