St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-06-27
THE HORSE ERA.
Reasons Why the Business of Breeding
Equines Has Assumed Such Proper
Efons.

Reasons Why the Business OF bfeeaAhS
Equines Has Assumed Such Proper
lions.
With occasional interruptions, aris-
ing from disturbed financial conditions
there has been continuous cattle era
since 1917. This was confined until
within few years to a few States. not
ably to New York, Ohio and Kentucky,
for prior to the Importation made to
Illinois, by the Illinois Importing Com
pany of 1857, there were but very few
improved cattle within the State, and
the interest in this class of stock was
slight indeed. The same may be said
of Indiana. Michigan, Missouri, and
States west and northwest. The build
ing of new railroads added each year to
the facilities for handling cattle, and
while the roads were accepted as boon
to cattle growers and feeders, it was
expected that steam having taken the
place of horses for hauling produce to
market, at the same time driving the
old-time stage coach before it to the
frontier, the demand for horses would
gradually decrease before these lnf1u-
ences. especially with the addition OF
the expected steam ploW upon
the farm; but in place OF TINS
there is now a ''horse era stand
ing out as bold, prominent and prom
ising, as did the cattle era at any perl
cd of its highest successes. For every
added railroad to the list and tof every
added mile of extension, an increased
number of heavy horses is required to
move carloads of coal, lumber, ma
chinery and goods of every SOFT. Not
alone are these needed at points to
which these things are shipped, but
equally so at the points from whence
received. Any person in doubt as TO
this description of hauling beng OF
great magnitude can satisfy himself by
looking over the statements made for
railroad lines for a given period at any
railroad center, leaving out of the esti-
mate the loading of cars with grain dl-
rectly from elevators. J,
It is not oyer-stating it to say that it
will require two heavy teams one day
to load freight car, considering the
usual distance to freight depots from
the business center in large cities. Ii
this estimate be correct, then it will
REQUIRE the work of twenty such
teams to load an ordinary train.
We venture the opinion that one
half of these horses viii do this de-
scription of hauling over paved streets,
during a term Of four years, and the
other half during a term of six years,
or on an average of five years for both
classes. There will be not a few OF
these horses, we admit, that will be tit
to return to the farm, and for a while
do farm work, but this in no degree les
sens the number of recruits required to
eli their places on the heavy trucks.
Follow up the idea, and give it an ap-
plication to all our shipping and re-
ceiyine points, and the imagination
need not be drawn upon to make the
| illustration truthful and complete, that
we are. for a fact, in the midst OF q
horse era. The demand we refer to ex-
| plains why the importation of heavy
| horses, and their breeding in this coun.
/ try. has assumed such enormous pro
portions. 1t is not that the importa.
/ lions made give rise to the work re,
/ ferred to. but rather there is as impera.
tive a demand for horses suitable to dc
the work all the time springing up, as
there is for heavy freight engines te
haul freight trains Economy pre-
cludes the use of too light engines fol
hauling heavy freight train, and fol
like reasons Of economy all men OF ex
perience in moving heavy truck loads
see the uselessness of using four me
dunn sized horses for doing the Wori
that can be better done by two O
ample weight and power.
4 Nor is the present altogether an err
for heavy horses. The era of the trot
ting horse is quite as pronounced; ane
the trotting horse has taken a deepe1
hold on the general public than wa
ever accorded to the thoroughbred rae
horse. 1t is but a few years since on,
or two breeding establishments Of draf
and trotUing horses would have beel
able to meet all the demands for eithe
class. and while in our day many sue
establishments are located in the differ
ent States, yet no Well-bred, merit
orious stock remains unstable in tn
hands of the breeder. This state G
things is not ephemeral, but as all tn
reasons for its existence will continu
with steadily added force, no we
planned and well managed investmen
need be considered in jeopardy. No
kosaGl Liue Stock Journal.