Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-05-15
II HORSE ERA.
keasens Why the Business of Breeding
Equines Has Assumed Such Proper

keassns 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 +
since 1917. This vas confined until
within a 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 bo 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 a 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 10 the
frontier, the demand for horses would
gradually decrease before these influ-
ences, especially with the addition of
the expected steam plow upon
the farm; but in place of this
there is now a ''horse era" stand
ing out as bold, prominent and prom
Using, as did the cattle era at any peri
cd of its highest successes. For every
added railroad to the list, and for every
added pos1o of avforcf0r ON iro,saocol
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 a 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 n day
to load a 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 a term of four years, and the
other half during a term Of six years,
OF on an average Of five years for both
classes. There will be not a few of
these horses. we admit, that will be fit
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
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 a fact, in the midst Of 9
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'
tons 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, a.
there is for heavy freight engines tc
haul freight trains. Economy pre-.
cludes the use of too light engines fol
hauling a heavy freight train, and fol
like reasons Of economy all men of ex-
| pcrience in moving heavy truck loads
see the uselcssness of using four me
dunn 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 a 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
| establishments 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 wei
planned and we'll managed Investment
need be considered in ieopardy.-Na'
tionaI Lice Stock Journal.