Evening star., 1896-10-24
TO BREED BETTER HORSES.
PROBABLE Eject an the Horse Trade Of
the Trolley Invasion

INVASION.
From the Philadelphia Record
When the trolley lines displaced the
morse the market received sudden blow,
the results OF which are well known
Farmers who were breeding horses dis
posed OF their mares and gave up the busi-
ness. When colt is foaled il does not
reach the market for from three to five
years, hence il Is somewhat slower to ad-
just the demand and supply again COM
pared with other stock Cattle arc no,
SUBJECT to the same drawbacks as horses .
as they enter into the food supply and the
market can quickly recover, owing to the
ready means of disposing of the surplus
put norses can only be disposed of for
certain purposes their number being re-
duced by natural causes, and gradually
Every year the surplus will be less and as
Iewer horses are being raised the normal
reached. "
The horses Of the future will be of bet
yer qoality. Before the agitation of the
subject OF good roads heavy horses were
required in order to move loads Snesd IS
now more desirable and lighter horses
VIII be preferred. The OK team is better
adapted for rough roads than a team Of
horses, and there was a time when a yoke
OF oxen could be found on every farm hui
oxen are slow, hence farmers willingly
sacrihced them In order to use the speedier
morse, and as the roads gradually improved
the nurse supplanted the OK. That is
Just the position in which the Percheron
and Clydesdale horses stand today Ten
years ago they were in the lead but the
French coach, Cleveland bay and hackney
are taking their place. because the roads
are becoming better and more speed is re-
quired In moving loads. Farmers who
could not before move their produce to
the railroad stations during the winter
when the roads were bad, are now using
the wide-tfre wagons and quick horses
Inc cost OF transporting article TO mar
ket depends largely upon the length of
time required, and the profit must he made
by reducing beth the time and labor.
Good roads will increase the demand be-
cause more vehicles can be used where be-
fore they were impossible. The bicycle
may displace the horse to some extent. but
there are uses for the horse in which he
has no competition, and II may be added
that the large army of bicycle riders is
not recruited from those who used horses
entirely. The bicycle has been the cause
of better roads and thus increased the
uses for the horse, which will be apparent
in few years. as the driving horse will
appear on the scene with more speed.
Farmers who take a gloomy view OF the
outlook for horses should not overlook
the fact that the colts have not had time
to grow since the depression in prices, and
that horses will, for time. become
scarcer. There is profit for the farmer
who will raise colts of superior quality.
1t is not necessary to attempt to breed fast
trotters, but IL is essential that only mer-
itorious sires be used. The demand will
be largely in favor OF family driving horses
and for horses of medium size. which are
adapted to general work on the farm, with
quick action on the road, rather than for
heavy horses. with slow movement. and
horses can be raised cheaper in the east
than they can be transported from the far
west.