The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-03-05
Breeding Draft Horses.

In discussing the breeding of draft
horses the Quincy Agriculturalist
says:
I'VE have great many inquiries
about breeding draft horses, whether
it is not being overdone, and what
amount of capital it requires, and
whether 1t requires any special eX-
psrience or preparation"
Gas to the draft horse business be-
ing overdOne, there is no stock inter
est in America in which the demand
| is so much greater than the supply,
and that demand has steadily increased
since the introduction of the first i'm
ported draft horses. Where one I'M
ported stallion has been introduced,
there are wanted more for the in a..
creasing demand for draft horse
breeding. Thus the demand for stall
lions increases every year.
"Whatever a grade stallion has been
used, an imported or full-blood is sure
to go. The demand for grade mares
for breeding is remarkable, and with
the city buyers =, compete with, we
must look some5ime TO pick up car
load at $500 to 300 each. Until re-
recently but few mares have been i'm
ported; now quite d number of i'm
porters are bringing more mares;
some have so, 70 and 80 imported
mares.
"The demand for the grades of city
markets is far crater than the supply
and as our supply increases, the de-
mand seems to grow faster. City
buyers traverse the country, wherever
grades drafts are bred, and with their
persuasive prices take from the farm
many valuable horses that were meant
to be kept on the farm. Two car
loads of grade draft horses were re-
Gently shipped from Bloomington, ILL.,,
by, shipper. They were q good lot
of grade Normans and Clydes, weigh
ing from 400 to 10000 pounds, for
which he paid $500 to $500 per pair;
single horses $40 to 1925.
This is practical example OF farm
ers' draft horse raising, as these colts
are from the farm mares bred to i'm
ported stations, and as compared with
beef steers, while the cost of raising
these colts to three years old is no
more than to raise the best grade of
steers to the same age, yet the price
paid in cash on the farm is more than
double. No matter how the times are
draft horses sell at good prices, and if
farmers west of the Mississippi want
to know whether draft horses pay lot
them start out to buy grade draft
mares, or even grade colts in this state,
where they have been breeding draft
horses so extensively for several years,
and they will he surprised to find so
few for sale, for they are bought up
by eastern buyers before they mature,
at prices that explain the profits of
breeding draft horses.
The capital required by farmers to
breed draft horses is the farm mares
already on hand that, when bred to an
imported stallion, give you half
blOods. Keep all the mare colts, and
the geldings at three or four years old
vii attract buyers at good prices.
You say you cant afford to pay
$4,000 for stallion. Many commun-
titles now have one or more imported
stations, to which farmers breed their
farm mares at given amount; but II
you are not so fortunately situated, a
number of neighbors can club to-
gether and buy horse, or if farmer
has thousand or two dollars, it can
not be more proftably invested than
in an imported horse. AS rule the
pioneer work is done, and good i'm
ported stallion finds appreeiative
patti ons in every community. All our
large importers began with one or two
horses.
"The experience and preparation
necessary for successful breeding of
draft horses is not unlike that of COM
mon horses, cattle or other stock.
With better stock we are apt to take
better care"