The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-20
Profitable BreedinR of aorses

that common, undersized, poorly bred
horses are selling in Australia at IS to Sc
each. Australia is overrun with unstable
horses. They are sold to factories for boil
ing down into glue and other products.
The question is raised, will it pay Aus.
erallans to ship their horses TO the United
States?
1t must not be inferred, however, that
1rst-class horses are of no value even in
that country. Ii is only the common stock
that is nuisance. That article may set
some American breeders to thinking. There
is nothing In it, however, that need alarm
those who are raising sound, well-shaped,
good-slzed, handsome. stylish roadsters and
carriage horses, or trotters that can 90 out
and win money, or even please some city
gentleman who likes to drive fast trotting
roadster. There will always be a market
at good prices for the best Of such animals
as these
Whether there is immediate danger of an
overproduction il this country of the com
mon class of horses suitable only for horse
cars and general farm work is a question
that breeders should weigh carefully 1t
certainly looks now as though the country
would be so overstocked with this class in
less than ten years that they will not sell at
maturity for nearly as much as the actual
cost Of raising them here in New England.
Many think and argue differently, how
ever. They base their conclusions upon the
fact that when the old stage coach was sup
planted by the railroad car it was predicted
that horses could hardly be given away in a
few years. On the contrary. they were in
better demand, and prices have constantly
advanced.
The conditions have changed materially,
however, since that time. Then the coun-
try was comparatively new. AS rich grain
producing sections traversed by railroads
we're opened up for cultivation and the re-
sources of the country were developed,
horses were needed to transport the products
OF the interior to the various railroad sta
tions.
Cities multiplied rapidly all over the
land, and horse cars were brought into use.
These gave employment to a vast army of a
common grade of horses 30 that the supply
was not In excess OF the demand. A four
years war also helped materially to prevent
a surplus
There is little probability that so large a
tract of grain aud corn raising country W ill
he opened up during the next half century
as has been in the past fifty years. Narrow
gauge railroads are being pushed into the
heart OF the lumber regions, so that the num-
Der OF horses required to carry on this indus
try will not be SO great relatively In the
future as it has been in the past
Electricity is fast taking the place Of
horsesf for propelling street cars in ali the
large cities and many Of the small ones.
Nearly all manufacturing industries are
being located right on the lines Of railroads
and most of them have side tracks EXTEND
ing to their very doors. So that while the
population of the country is increasing
rapidly; yet the conditions have changed so
that the demand for the common grades of
horses for transportation purposes will not
be SO great relatively in proportion to popu-
lation in the future as it has In the past.
There has never been a time when so large
a proportion of the farmers from Maine to
California were engaged in raising horse
stock as at present. The low prices of cat
tie and sheep, and the high prices of horses
during the past few years, have caused
many northern farmers to give up the rais-
ing Of beef and mutton, and 10 to breeding
horses. There has been a great change in
this direction during the past two or three
years, the effect of which will not be felt,
however, for three or four years to come,
as it takes about six years from the time
the mare is mated before the produce is
sufficiently matured to be put to constant
labor.
Present. indications are that few years
hence the price Of hor3es suitable only for
street cars and ordinary light work are LA
BILE to be considerably lower than now. The
outlook for small sized, unsound, inferior
stock is still more gloomy, though we ear
nestly hope that such state of affairs as ex-
lists in Australia may never be seen here.
Those who have been and are now breed
ing either frst-class carriage horses or road
sters have little cause for alarm. Those
who are 80 fortunate as to raise irst-class
trotters that can go out and win races will
always find demand for the best Of that
class at good paying prices.