The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-10-16
HORSE RREepINe BUSINESS
What Is the Outlook Ahead?--As One Mar


What Is the Outlook Ahead?-As One Man
Sees 1t.
The old Scotchman who declared that
nobody could expect TO be eloquent or
entertaining SO long as he drank only
lemonade might also have added that TO
interest people in horses would require
on the part of the reader at any rate a
financial stimulant which, in these de-
generate latter days, is only conspicuous
by its absence. Never in the memory of
1.-THE oldest inhabitant" has there been
such depression, such glut, such a
universal apathetic sentiment in regard
to the breeding of all kinds of horses.
and yet within few years-possibly
before the end of next year-people will
wonder why they could have been 50
foolish and shortsighted as to follow
blindfold the common herd and leave
off breeding simply because prices had
fallen below the cost of production.
The two principal causes of the present
great depression are, in my opinion, the
vast overproduction Of common or in
ferior horses and the sympathetic effect
caused by the universal industrial de-
preston from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Another cause might be added-the
substitution of electricity for horsepower
and the belief that this may be very
greatly extended in the immediate fu-
ture.
Now, are those three causes temporary
or permanent? Electricity will doubt
less take the place from year to year of
an increasing number of the class of
horses suitable for street car work.
This in inevitable. But will the team
ing work of the cities, the heavy haul
ing in the pineries, the work at present
done by express companies, the ordinary
road work in city or country or on the
farm-will the horses at present used for
such work be largely or even to any APP
probable extent substituted by electric
ity or any other motive power? 1t seems
incredible Then, with regard to horses
used principally for pleasure-ladies'
and gentlemen's riding and driving
horses and all the various styles of car
riage horses, trotting horses and run
ming horses-no substitution is possible
It is the inherent love of horses or sport
or style that will always preserve what
may be called pleasure horses from thu
inroads of any other mechanical force.
The general depression in business is
not permanent No sane man believes
it to be permanent, but with the first
genuine symptoms of revival the horse
business win rally in sympathy with
other branches of business We have
been going too fast. A halt and slow
er pace have been ordered by the laws of
nature The other cause of depression
-overproduction-h already affected
its own cure. The breeding of thou
sands and tens of thousands of worthless
horses, from the broncho up to the trot-
ter that cannot trot or even the inferior
draft horse, was only continued so long
as there seemed to be a profit in the
business. Since the tide turned this is
mostly stopped and will SO remain I'M
til the next boom is sounded few years
hence. In the meantime all intelligent
horse breeders, whether of draft or
coach or trotting or running horses, will
do well to ''stick to the ship If they
possibly can. The outlook ahead is ey-
cry whit as bright as the experience of
the last year or two has been gloomy
and disastrous. -Waverley in Breeder
Gazette.