Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-05-01
THE DECLINE IN HORSE BREED
ING
JOSEGh BA L L bhbS
Middleburv, Vt.
From the Breeders Gazette.l

larly the reports of breeders and ship
pers of horses. and it occurred to me
that my experience might be of interest
to your many readers. During the past
eighteen months | have been through
Arkansas. Texas, Oklahoma Territory,
Kansas, Minnesota. Dakota, Illinois and
New York, and have met many buyers
and shippers frem other States, and with
out exception they all confirm my own
observations that there are few good
young horses growing up and no mares
to speak of being bred. In fact | find
very few good mares anywhere. -Four
years or more ago met one of the best
farmers from Northeastern Kansas and
about gone from their county; the buy
ers wanted mares and farmers sold what
brought the best prices, regardless of the
future.
Recently was in Donphan Co., Kan,
and found they were shipping in and
selling car after car of mules they were
snapped up almost as soon as they left
the chute. In New York have been in
terested in looking over the auction bills,
and it Is a rare thing to find even three
year old colt advertised; fours and tives
are scarce and twos and under are almost
unknown. Most of the horses listed are
past their prime. Hundreds have been
killed the past three years and to-day
there is no surplus of horses in New
York. | firmly believe one-quarter of
the farmers have too few horses to do
their spring work properly, and if times
were even ordinary there would be an
od-time boom in prices.
At Mount Morris | met party who
had been to Wyoming for carload.
He said he could not find them suitable
for the Eastern market anywhere in the
State, and only few years ago the
Geuesee valley was famous for its fine
horses.
These conditions apply to every Sec
ton of the country where | have been.
Farmers all say there is a scarcity of
good horses; no young stock growing ;
that prices are bound to advance, etc. :;
but now comes the astounding part of it
all: they are not going to breed as much
this year as in 1895! They say it does
not pay; still every man will tell you it
takes a good bunch of money to go out
and buy tip-top farm team. When
will they wake up to the fact that it
takes six years to put horse on the
market? VIII the Gazette give us its
opinion of the present number of stall
lions of all ages and breeds in the
United States compared with 1890? |
find hardly 10 per cent as many in New
York as were here eight years ago, when
| was all over the western part of The
State. and the few that are left are old
and worn out. This, | believe, is the
golden age for the man who breeds
good, choice horses of any class-not
the wild, helter-skelter mating of trOt-
tiers and Shires or some other equally
absurd cross, but the systematic follow
ing out of one line. whether it he driver ,
coach or draft horse.
ARBUTUs.
RcmarkS.-Our correspondent. who
chooses to write anonymously, has had
opportunities 70" observation such as
few men have had. His Information has
not been gathered from car-wlndOw OBJ
servatiOn, but from actual contact with
stallioners and horse breeders in the
sections he names and few men in this
country today possess so thorough a
knOwled ge of the actual conditions over
the wide territory specified. He brings
US no new tidings; he simply confirms
from wide observation the many re-
ports which have come to us locally.
The situation is simply astounding.
The Gazette cannot help but believe that
In nearly every community there will be
found men shrewd enough to take adj
vantage OF the opportunity afforded by
tins wholly anomalous condition. If
the work of this world continues to be
done by horses, just that sure will re-
muneratiye market be found for horses
that are bred this year. This is. not
prophecy. 1t is reasoning from known
cause to inevitable effect.
We have no means of obtaining exact
information as to the number of stations
in service now as compared with the
number standing in 1890 and it would be
pure guess-work to attempt to estimate
the decrease. We have already quoted
prominent New York city dealers to the
effect that for months past more stall
lions have been coming into that market
than ever known in all its history. We
well remember one occasion years ago
when we were fired with sufficient
youthful political enthusiasm to stay up