The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1898-06-25
Anne ',rican Horses q Belgium.

During the last few years American
horses t have been imported into Bel
GUM In considerable numbers. Last
Year more than 5000 horses were sold
IN Antwerp alone. These were resold
probably to other cities, but to what
extent they left Antwerp is not known.
It shows, however, the great possibili-
ties OF the trade in that country. But
the the danger is that the very success Of
our horse business there will work
against It., for it Is arousing the hos
t1lity Of the horse breeders of Belgium,
and already several Of them have
brought powerful influences to bear to
check the importation of American
stock. These associations of horse
breeders have determined to wage a.
vigorous warfare against the breeders
OF America, who are, they declare, TAX
ing their best trade. In the publ
cation of one of these societies appears
the following sentences, which may be
taken as "a fair example Of how the
Belgians look at it, and as indicating
their future action: 1.-THE danger sig
nal was, until now, particularly direct
ed against fine horses carriage and
saddle horses), but we now see post
horses, cart and draft horses, for which
the demand was usually addressed to
our Ardennes dealers. More than this,
and a fact that should attract the at
tention of our horse breeders, each
cargo of horses includes certain num-
Der of draft horses, which bring the
highest prices, detail particularly re-
marked upon by those attending the
regular sales. Moved by this
condition of affairs, affecting the only
prosperous branch of agriculture, all
the Belgian societies, having at heart
the question of horse breed ing, have
united to combat the danger, and by
the most authorized means have agreed
to make their conclusions unanimously
predominant"
1t is the old question of those in
possession of a market attempting to
hold it to the exclusion of others, even
If they have to do it by smothering
competition. It must be confessed that
the danger of having the market i'm
paired is not small, considering the
determined front taken by these socie-
ties.
Previous to this time there has been
little Roadway made in the Belgian
market by importers from the New
World. Some South Americans once
tried to ship horses to Belgium, but
they sent only the common horses of
the South American pampas, and these
proved a great disappointment to the
buyers. But with the American ship
pers it is different. They have been
importing breeding horses for a great
many years, and have now been able
to send back to Europe as good horses
as are to be found there. These, as
the Belgians say, bring top prices. The
trade is getting on so firm a footing
that it certainly looks as if the Bel
gian horses would be forced into the
background, Notwithstanding that they
have been produced in conditions
made by a lower scale of general
prices. The success Of the breeders st
this country in getting such foothold
in Belgium, when the South Americans
could not, indicates the direction our
breeding should take, namely, in the
line of breeding only frst-class ami
mails, and from parents that are
known to possess desirable qualities.