St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-26
MONEY IN HORSES.
The Experience of a Live Stock
Breeder in Missouri River
County in Dakota.

In an article in the Free Press of
Pierre, Oak, w. S. Wells, superintend-
ent of the South Dakota Live Stock as
ISOLATION, gives this encouraging ac-
count OF his experience in that section.
He says: We have been now five
years engaged in raising horses in
Hughes county, aud can we'll pro-
nounce the business a success. The
climate is all that can be desired, and
the quality and quantity of the grasses
are uneXcelled. The DakOta-raised
horse will be sounder, healthier and has
more endurance than those of any sec
ton East or South. The ShortnesS of
the feeding season reduces the cost of
production and the losses are very light,
being in almost all cases from accidents.
The rolling prairie free from marshy
land makes the feet perfect and Shoeing
is unnecessary.
We have 225 horses on hand, which
have ranged mostly in one pasture of
1000 acres. The cost OF keeping 100
head which ranged out last winter with
out shelter was less than 80 cents per
head. and the loss was none, all coming
out in good shape in the spring. Hay
has been so abundant that we have put
up about 500 tons at a cost of less than
$50 per ton, and shall have 100 tons for
sale.
We plowed in last spring 100 acres of
corn, running three plows and dropping
the corn in the third furrow and did
nothing more but harrow over; when
finished the outlay was 1925 for help
and seed; as we had the teams on hand
and wished TO break them, in blowing
we did not count the team labor any
thing. We have 1000 bushels of ears
of gond corn and are now finishing
husking, after which we will turn our
horses in on the stalks for change.
We find that there is n constant inn
provement in the animals on the grass,
and our colts are very fine. We have
many colts at two years old which weigh
1900 pounds, and last spring sold ten
head of Iour-year-oldS off the range at
$3.50 each, merely halter-breaking them;
they averaged 1870 weight in fair order,
some ofthem weighing over 500 pounds.
These, as well as all our stock, are grade
Percherons. We adopt the following
system: TO invariably let the brood
mares run; many of our mares are six
and seven years old, and only halter
broken. This insureS vigorous ana act
i've colts. The first winter about Nov.
ken, which is then easily done and is
never forgotten. They are tied up and
fed until March Is and then are turned
into the band. after that they are well
able to take care of themselves, and are
always gentle. We use thoroughbred
Percheron stations and the best Amer
lean mares we can get. 1t is our object
to increase our herd so we can turn off
100 head each year at four years old.
At low estimate they will bring sl60
each, or $4,000 for each years crop.
Our sales the past year ran from $50 to
$3.50 each at four years old for animals
of our own raising.
1t is the best business in the West.
This country and climate are perfectly
adapted to it. There is always de-
mand for good horses and probably al
ways will be. 1t is sure business, as
crop failures do not affect it. | am as
sure that this section will be as noted
for its horses in the future as the Blue
Grass region of Kentucky or the prov
ince of La Perche in France. The
grass is as good in January as in June,
and so far there seems to be absolutely
no drawbacks.
S,,DAY'S GLOBE alone always contains
euH over two pages Of Want ads.