Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-17

By this time somebody in the two or
three hundred people present is ready to
a half comes from the outskirts of the as
semblage. The auctioneer is very careful
of this bid, and keeps his eye on that man
He would not lose him or his bid for a
good deal He keeps singing out the two
dollars and half and asking for three,
and finally sees in another part of the
crowd an imaginary bid Of three dollars,
With this he turns to the real bidder and
tries to excite him to rise. If he sue
ceeds he may knock down the horse even
at that low bid If not they start over
again. This time failure to get bid sends
the animal back to the stall and another
is brought out
An average days sales number from a
hundred to hundred and fifty horses No
time is lost. 1t takes but moment to send
an animal around the track. There are al
ways veterinary surgeons present to make
an examination of the animal and give an
approximate idea of his worth. The own
ers are present to make quick decisions
and reject or refuse any offer made.
Some Money in 1t.
OF course there must be some money in
selling horses in this way or it would not
continue. The way in which it Is done is
systematic and reasonably safe to the
drovers and the auctioneer. The former
are, as rule, thorough-going horsemen,
sometimes jockeys or trainers out of a lob
or rustlng and active farmers who prefer
to knock about over the country and buy
stock at low figures. Hundreds of horses
are bought for one and two dollars apiece
Some of them, of course, are utterly worth
less. A heavy or a balky horse in these
times of low prices is practically worthless.
"A farmer who has such animal can
easily afford to give him away rather than
feed him. Many a droyer has paid no
more than half dollar for such horse
taking him off the farmers hands and get
inc him TO- .lyo H.
ing something for himself for his expense
and trouble. The stable expenses and
auctioneer's commission are uniform items
and the. drover can usually tell precisely
where he Is coming out in every deal. 1t
is not often that he loses If he does make
mistake now and then he is pretty sure
to make 1t up in the average Of his sales.
Plug Lottery.
Thus it may be seen that in the cheap
horse sales, where most of the stock is of
the plug order. the buyer is simply tax.
ing a share in lottery. Now and then
some fine horses are picked Up by the
droVers and sell at very low prices. Not
iLfrequently it happens that good horses
are sent to quick sale by people who are
giving up their establishments in Washing.
ton and have no further use for their
stables.
At the same time that horses, as rule,
are selling low, 1t was never harder tc
MAKE up mdtcn teams ana nnd hrSt-claSs
carriage and saddle animals than it is now
Prices for such animals are as high, If
not higher, than they have been any time
during the past ten years. Trott1ng stock
that is. the distinctively speedy horse
with the eve neck, understood, perhaps
vicious, and inherently prone to some con.
stitutional weakness-selis low. Animals
with the best blood still sell at ridcu-
lously low prices. Nevertheless, the trot.
ting-bred animal which presents a full,
handsome conformation, with strong, we'll
made legs, intelligent head and fine action
brings a good price, and in matched pairs
even better money.
Hackneys. which have been so fashion.
able of late, still bring large figures, but
as rule the long prices so lavishiy paid
three years ago are now unheard Of. The
extensive importation of fine sires the in.
crease OF the number of home-bred colts.
together with natural competition ard SYM
pathy with the hard times, have combined
to produce very conservative estimates OF
value.