Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-02-04
FALL AND WINTER COLTS.
Better to Change the Usual Order an
Breed For Them.

Better to Change the Usual Order and
Breed For Them.
The demand Of the times is not so
much for fewer horses, but for better
ones. The efforts Of the ranchnien to
cheaper horseflesh and to monopolize
the horse trade, as they did the cattle
business, flooded the states with mon
grels-half broncho and half beef-un-
til the law Of supply and demsAd turned
them into the fertilizer factories and
rendering tanks, to the benefit Of the
dealers in hides and tankage and to the
relief Of the public. When the hide
was worth twice as much as the living
beast, the numbers were reduced with a
speed that will be equaled soon by the
smash up of bicycle factories-of which
191 of a total of 372 have failed in the
last six months. The decadenee of plugs
has been as marvellous as it has been
beneficial to the skillful breeder. The
demand for superior horses is inoreas-
ing. The country has been delivered
from thousands Of stations whose get
disgraced the sire and owner and brought
both to ruin. The radiance of such
brutes has cleared the field, so there is
now chance for breeders Of enterprise
to go up and possess the land with
horses that will meet the coming de-
mand for higher style Of animals.
The low prices have invited foreign
buyers, who are taking only the best and
such as the farmers of the states must
breed for to meet the coming demand.
The farmers who have taste in breeding
and handling horses can produce higher
class of coach, carriage, saddle, cavalry
and truck horses than it is possible for
the plains to produce in droves. The
plains and territories may control the
cattle and sheep trade in the future, but
from the nature of the animals the use
full horse, trained for service, must come
from the farmers and breeders of the
states. The salable and valuable horse
must have the handling that educates
and fits for safe and pleasant use by the
city buyer. Training and quality are
essential for the good selling horse. The
coming scarcity Of such horses will force
prices to higher level. They are al
ready advancing, and as the numbers
decline the prices must advance.
The farmer with sound, we'll bred
mares of good size, action and appear
ance cannot afford to sell them nor to
neglect breeding. Nor need he wait un-
til next spring to make his cross In
fact there are many reasons why farm
ers can raise fall colts to an advantage.
The mares stinted in the fall will be
able to do the farm work i'll the season
when their service is of most value. Aft
er the crops are tended and the harvest
is ended the farm work is light all fall
and winter. With box stalls or good
shelter the mare and foal can have COM
fort and plenty, and the steady growth
Of the colt is more probable than when
spring and summer colts are left to the
uncertainty Of fall pastures and the an
noyance Of flies and irregular supply of
feed for dam and foal The handling of
the mare and fall colt helps to gentle
and train the youngsters, as it is i'm
possible to do where they are never
handled until taken up to break. Early
training is made easy, and the quality
of gentleness adds value that is hard to
estimate If the mare and colt can have
a comfortable box stall during nights
and stormy weather, they should do
better and the foal make more growth
than during the extreme heat or drought
of fall and the annoyance Of flies. The
mare we'll fed, to secure the healthful,
generous flow of milk, will come out in
March strong and able to labor and the
colt ready for the entire season of sue
culent and abundant pasture. The
cheapest, gentlest and largest colts can
be grown on the farm by changing from
the common practice of having colts
come in the busiest season and when the
dam is most needed and her work is
the heaviest and milk the poorest. IL.
N. Bonham in Breeders Gazette.