Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-04-23
THE HORSE ERA.
Reasons why the Business of Breeding
Equines Has Assumed Such Proper


Reasons why the Business of Breeding
Equines Has Assumed Such Proper
tions.
With occasional Interruptions. aris-
ing from disturbed financial conditions,
there has been a 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
panv 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
oId-time stage coach before it to the
frontier, the demand for horses would
gradually decrease before these inf1u-
ences, especially with the addition OF
the expected steam pillow upon
the farm; but in place OF this
there is now ''horse era" stand
ing out as bold, prominent and prom
Using, as did the cattle era at any peri
cd of it's highest successes. For every
added railroad to the list, and for 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 sort. 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 being OF
great magnitude can satisfy himself by
looking over the statements made for
railroad lines for given period at any
railroad center, leaving out of the esti-
mate the loading of cars with grain di-
rectly from elevators.
1t is not over-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. If
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 will do this de-
scription of hauling over paved streets,
during term of four years, and the
other half during term of six years,
or on an average of five years for both
classes. There will be not few of
these horses, we admit, that will be tit
to return to the farm, and for while
do farm work, but this in no degree les
sens the number of recruits required to
fill their places on the heavy trucks.
Follow up the idea, and give it an APP
plication to all our shipping and re-
ceiving points, and the imagination
need not be drawn upon to make the
illustration truthful and complete, that
we are, for fact, in the midst of a
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. It is not that the importa-
tons made give rise to the work re-
ferred to, but rather there is as impera-
tive demand for horses suitable to do
the work all the time springing up, as
there is for heavy freight engines to
haul freight trains. Economy pre-
cluueS the use VI tOO 1lS III cIlS iAcS III
hauling heavy freight train, and for
like reasons of economy all men of ex-
perience in moving heavy truck loads
see the uselessness of using four me-
drum sized horses for doing the work |
that can be better done by two of
ample weight and power.
Nor is the present altogether an era
for heavy horses. The era of the trot-
ting horse is quite as pronounced; and
the trotting horse has taken a deeper
hold on the general public than was
ever accorded to the thoroughbred race
horse. 1t is but few years since one
or two breeding establishments of draft
and trot.ing horses would have been
able to meet all the demands for either |
class, and while in our day many such |
are located in the differ
ent States, yet no well-bred, merit
orious stock remains unstable in the
hands of the breeder. This state of
things is not ephemeral, but as all the
reasons for its existence will continue
with steadily added force, no well
planned and we'll managed investment
need be considered in jeopardy.-Nd-
tio,aaI Lice Stock Journal.