Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-12-13
FAM ELS COMING.
HORSES WILL SOON BE SCARCE.

known fact that of late 1t has Deen the
fashion to say that the motorcycles and
electric cars and other improvements
had sounded the death kncll of the horse.
Despite the fashion, the fact remains
that there is large field for horses, and
the way they have been treated the
the past few years suggests that they
> are likely to be decidedly scarce within
a year or two.
The Register has been fortunate
enough to secure an article from MIR.
Kellogg on this subject as follows;
As the whole world has been bear
on the horse markt t for the past five
wears, 1t is no more than fair that one
Individual should be heard in protest of
this determination, this defamation and
destruction.
The government statistics of 1890
showed that there were fifteen million
horses in the United States. Assuming
this as a basis we will allow that ten
million were in the harness and five mil
lion were in the shape of young stock,
maturing in the pastures as a reserve.
Now to do the bear side of the argu-
ment full and ample Justice we will as
sumo that they were short of the actual
number and allow twenty-five per cent
more to be counted in addition (3,15O,-
900), aggregating eighteen million horses
at the utmost in the United States in
1895.
But the bears say that the bicycle and
electricity have so largely destroyed or
displaced the horses utility that there is
no further use for him-renderng this
verdict universally ard overwhelmingly.
The actual number of bicycles sold
last year was 100000, thirty-three per
cent of them sold to girls according TO
bicycle authority. If thirty-three per
cent went to girls, how many went to
boys and how many to men; certainly
not thirty-three per cent and AS of course
every man must have sold his horse to
buy wheel, also every girl and boy, or
their argument does not hold,
But we will allow that electricity and
the bicycle destroyed his usefulness or
displaced him to the extent of five per
cent, although the actual statistics show
such displacement to be but three per
cent.
As the panic of % has cut Il large
figure in the business estimates of the
country we will shoulder his proper
share on the bear side also and assume
that the panic destroyed five per cent of
the demand. which is 80 coo horses
knocked out by the panic.
Pancs are no new thing IN this coun-
try and while the shrinkage of values
are always disastrous and heavy, the
volume of business in every Instance
shows an increase during the period of
ITS duration. So this concession of five
per cent is very liberal donation to the
bear argument.
With the fifteen million estimate of the
government and with the 3,50O,0OO al
lowed as underestimate we have $1,000
600 horses. With the 10000 displaced
by electricity and bicycles. aad with the
10000 knocked out by the panic we
have 10000. 900 sellers against how many
purchasers:
We will now take the other side of the
argument.
1t IS an assumption beyond dispute
that when stock, property or values are
below the cost of production, there is an
Increased waste or destruction every.
where and always going ON. So am en-
titled to the very moderate rate of waste
of one per cent, which is 100000 horses
destroyed by neglect.
The fact also stands unchallenged thai
the low price of American horses ha.
greatly increased, in fact created large
export demand with English, German
French and other European buyers con
stantly in the market. So we are not eX
trayagant when we estimate one per cen
have been shipped to Europe, approXi
mating to 100000.
The bear also has much to say abou
canning and hiding the horse On thr
Pacific coast, as well as at dilleren
points, are establishments canning ant
securing hides. Within radius of 81,
miles of this point last winter, by ont
enterprising "horse killer, one hundred
and twenty-five horses were killed an,
pelted.
So we are fully justified in assumin,
two per cent, 300, 900, have been worke,
up by the Gamer and pelter.
Some of the Chicago turf papers sen
out parties some two years ago to ascer
tain the true status of horse breeding a
that time, and the report was that tn
breeding interests had fallen of eight,
per cent. This immediate region abou
Chicago has been one of the heavies
breeding sections In the United States.
To say that the entire industry ha