Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1897-12-03
euYER or OLD CAR HORSES.
When They Are Not Really Used Up
They Turn Out Well.

They Turn Out Well.
There is often a query in the minds
of the officials of such street railways
as are still operated by horse power
as to what becomes of the horses which
are worn out annually by the hard
usage they endure and sold for a nom
inal figure. The number of such horses,
though constantly decreasing as cleo
tricity becomes more universally sub
stituted for motive power, is still in
the thousands. Many are sold for
their hides and others to tallow and
soap men, or to meet even less noble
snds. But it remained for Manhat-
tan Islander to discover along this line
that the ability to convert one dollar
into two is not confined to the in
habitants of his own borough.
An official of one of the local street
railways was cycling with a party OF
friends through the interior of the
state, purposely avoiding the lines OF
the railroads with view of seeing
what there was new TO be seen. They
had halted during the heat of the day
at farmhouse six miles from the near
est railroad, in n locality where such
papers as are read come but once a
week. While enjoying that delight OF
every urban cyclist--a cold draught
from n country well-they fell into con
versation with the head of the house
and the owner of the farm. The av.
erage New York farmer no longer looks
upon a cyclist MS a stranger from a
far country, for the column in his
weekly paper devoted to the wheel has
made him more or less familiar with
those vital issues of the day--the ques-
tons of "makes" and 'gears"-and he
will often end a conversation by pro-
posing to show his ability to ride, a
proposition which it is not always ex-
pedient for the owner of wheel to
entertain.
While they were conversing the at
teNion of the official was attracted
to team of horses standing harnessed
| in the dooryard. There was something
about their rugged and homely ply.
siques which seemed strangely famil-
iar. They were elephantine as COM
pared with the other horses he had
observed in the neighborhood. Step
ping up to them for closer inspec.
ton he stopped down and there, brand
ed on their foreheads, were the familiar
initials of his own company
The farmer had observed his look
of surprise and was prepared when
he exclaimed: "IIow in the name OF
goodness did these horses ever come
out here?"
Recognize them, do you?" replied
the owner.
81 should say ] did," exclaimed thu
official, ''and we have 500 more will
that brand on them down in the city
WELL" replied the farmer. "thos,
old horses of yours are about the onl,
thing ! have been able to make cen
out of in the last few years. have
a nephew down in the city who know
the difference between a horse tina
is played out for good and one tina
only needs rest. He buys me about tw
dozen of your horses every spring, AM
you know he don't have to pay nue.
for them, about ten to twenty dollars
He buys them that are all sound, ey
cept their feet-perhaps it's corns o
cracked hoofs caused by too man
months travelling on the stone street
without let up Your folks can
afford to feed them until they get wei
so you sell them for what you can get
"lIe sends them to me and / turi
them out to pasture, where they hav
a chance to lie down in the shade an
get some fat on their bones. Treat
ing on the soft ground, their feet &c
well again, and they are as sound as
dollar. You wouldn't know them fo
the same animals. Then l sell thef
at good margin.
There is always a good demand 70
them. They make the best kind {
horses for hauling from the cheese fat
tories to the railroads or from the ST;
ton to the villages. No horses aroun
here can touch them on the straigf
draw. The stage mem like them, fc
they can travel all day without ge
ting tired. They aren't so good abol
farm work, as they are apt to be
little slow. But in blowing, if yo
, run on snag either the snag or tt
harness or the pillow has to give in; ii
; horse never does"
And five New Workers, as they roc
out of the yard after bidding him goo'
by, decided that not all the brains {
!. the state are lodged in the metropoli
N. Y. Tribune.