The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-09
HORSES WORTH 81 a HEAD.
Palouse Farmers killing Them to Feed
To Hogs.
SPOKANE SDokes-na n.

Spokane Spokesman.
Colfax, April W-Tnere are two o.
three men In various parts OF the couzl-
~ hunting for few ffrst-claSs work
horses FOR use N hauling ore IN the Tran
creek ard other mining districts As
horses are plentiful and there Is little or
no competition, they ara having DO frou-
bic in finding what they want, but are
taking some time n order 10 get them as
cheaqly as possible. Horses Weighing
from Lsoo 20 l. 45e seem 70 BE- the most de-
sirabis. They must be wei built uT-
bieEltShed. sound, well broken and good
puHers. Horses OF this description are
being picked up at prices ranging from
$50 20 So a few years ago such animals
brought from s1e5 20 $50 ana were ship
pei 10 Eastern markets from this county
by the hundred.
But for the last two years all outside
markets have been effectually closed
Probably not more than 80 or 200 horses
have been shipped from the county in
the last eighteen months. and some OF
them have been brought back on account
OF not being able TO ind a market Mean
while the stock on hand has been rapidly
increasing. until there are thousands OF
horses throughout the eastern part OF
the state that are not worth feeding.
For two seasons past the outside range
IN the lower palouse country has been
tolerably good. although tolsrabiy Well
stocked. and horses have done pretty well
without much care, but this season II
threatens 10 be different. The unusually
light fall OF rain so far has caused the
grass to grow less than usual, and sheep
by the tens OF thousands have overrun
nearly all OF the range and kept the grass
eaten down 10 the ground 1t VIII be a
month or six weeks Yet before the sheep
are sheared and driven away TO their
Sunfmmer ranges IN the mountains, and
the growth of grass in that time does not
warrant any more than enough TO feed
them until that time.
Horses that are not worth feeding and
taking care of, and few are worth that.
can be purchased now for almost any
price. Cayuses are 50 near worthless that
even the assessor does not ask how many
man has, not deeming them worthy of
assessment as property.
Horses weighing from 700 TO 1000 pounds
can be bought by the hundred at prices
ranging from 81 to s., and broke" sad
die horses are offered at from s. TO $40
and find no buyers.
A suggestion hat is receiving consid-
cradle attep ton here, as elsewhere, is
the feeding OF horsefiesh TO hogs. While
it would reasonably seem that for human
consumption horse meat would be much
cleaner and more desirable In every way
that hog meat, as long as the consumers
OF the former into the latter will be the
only means OF fitting II for table use.
A gentleman near Endicott who has
some go head of horses and about $50
hogs. finds the latter so much more
profitable than the former that he has al
ready killed half q dozen of the poorest
OF his band for hog feed by way of an
experiment. He figures that the horse
meat wifi at least make more pork pound
for pound than wheat or grain food, and
at this rate a LOCO pound cayuse would
easily be worth s. TO kill for hog feed.
The horse beef canning factory at
Portland also suggests another POSSIBLE
ity I'm the way OF market for horses and
will be watched with considerable inter
est. Last year few horses for that es-
Establishment were bought in this and adj
joining counties, but this year they seem
to be able to find all they need without
coming so far.