The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-21


ably true of the kinds they were, while bust
ness was so depressed and paralyzed, but
things have changed. the wave OF prosperity
has swept over our land and brought with it
Il demand for all products in the agricultural
Inc: prices have greatly advanced, horses are
selling better and are in great demand DO h
for foreign and domestic markets, and for the
last few years the supply has been about equal
to the demand, until last July and August;
during these months there was great in
crease in the demand, and horses advanced
very much in price which stimulated great
encouragement all over the country, and own
ers of horses commenced taking up their
horses and feeding and fattening them for
the market, which has kept up fair supply
and nearly equaled the demand thus far, and
prices have been getting stronger all the
lime but at the same time we could sell more
f we could get them good enough for the de-
mand. The supply has already begun to get
short, and the best grades of light harness
and coach horses are now in strongest de-
mand, selling nearly as high they ever
did; also the very best quality Of heavy draft.
weighing from / 700 to !, 800 pounds and more,
are about as high as they ever were the best
selling as high as $500 per head, but all classes
have to be of good quality and plenty of size.
The most important thing now is to produce
horses that strictly hrst-class; the old
way of breeding will not do; we must have
size, shape and quality; small and plain horses
are OF no account in our markets, and are
very cheap, and will remain so for long
lime unless the scarcity of horses should bring
them into use again.
A great scarcity of good horses is sure to
come, and will be right upon in very
few years, and the most profitable horses must
have size, shape and quality; the best is the
cheapest to produce, and VIII give larger re-
turns and better profits than any other.
While the best horses have advanced very
much, the medium classes have advanced
about 20 per cent, and as you come down the
line to the lowest grades, they remain about
as cheap as ever, so it can be easily seen that
the best is the kind to raise.
few words now on the supply and the de-
mand. Within the last twenty-five years we
have had twenty-four states that produced
horses for the market; now this breeding ter
ritory is reduced to about eight states that
produce more market horses than they want
for their own use. thus lelving he eight es
to produce all the American horses required
for the American demand and export trade.
In 1894 We had supply of American horses
of little over 10000, 900; today this supply
is reduced TO about 13.500,000. This includes
all the range horses or horses in the noun
tain states known as range horses, which at
this time number S,5OOoO0, and since the horse
business has been revolutioniZed, the grade
raised and better and a higher class Of
animal required, you might well strike off
the range horses from the list, far as
horses for the market CO. and it is doubtful
II they ever will be market horses again; they
are OF very little value. Striking these from
the list, II leaves about 10, DOC, 900 of horses.
This includes all horses that are in use in
the United States and taking the horses that
are in use from the list, it will probably re-
duce the supply of American horses to very
small number probably 8, 000, 000 and it might
be considerably less. We believe that fully
one-half of this number are small, inferior,
unsound and very urasalable. If this is tbs
case, 1t only leaves $500 600 marketable horses,
including colts and all ages on hand. AS
Illinois and Iowa have one-ffth of all the
horses in the United States, we commenced
w IN tot H.
condition of the horse industry Throughout,
Illinois. We selected 1000 farmers and breed
ers from our list of addresses of those who
produced horses in the state of Illinois,
These 5000 farmers and breeders Throughout,
the state included the medium farmers alsu
the largest and best breders divided in about
equal numbers in every town throughout the
state We addressed letter by mail, and we
only took those who had correspondent with
us within two years about horses they had on
hand to sell, the object being to ascertain
from each farmer how many market horses
he had outside of his regular farm horses
used in the farm service; also the amount OF
colts coming on, and the present colts under
three years old in his section, and from the
best information we could gather from this
most thorough system of canvassing the state
we are compelled to say that. outside of the
regular farm horses, used to carry on the
work Of the farm, there not % per cent OF
the horses in the state, including colts and
all, that there were three years ago, ana
taking Illinois as a sample of our horse rails
ing sections, we believe that our supply Is
greatly reduced in numbers, and not only
in numbers but Is far below grade in quality.
Only a small per cent of the supply on hand
are good enough. for the great demand that
Is right upon us. and the supply can nowhere
fill the future demand
/ will enumerate the demand that will have
to be filled with this short supply. Our Amer
lean demand comes first, which must be sup
piled; then comes very strong foreign de-
mand from such large markets England,
Ireland Scotland Germany, France, Italy,
Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Africa, Mexico
md
started in the year 1896, doubled in 1891, and
has had steady growth until the year 1927,
The export demand is continually increasing,
and we believe that there will be 1900
American horses that will be sold for export
this coming year and as indicated by our
correspondence with the foreign nations, and
the reports get from the foreigners that
are buying here breeding in their different
countries has decreased.
Our horses have given great satisfaction
In foreign countries; they buy American
horses much cheaper than they can raise them
on their thickly populated and high priced
land, and everything goes to show that the
export demand will increase year after year.
Nothing can ever stop it, unless it should be
the great scarcity of horses and the extreme
high prices. l will give you a descrip-
ton Of the five different classes that fill the
export demand, and the very same classes
that are required for the export demand are
the kinds that are in best demand for all
American markets; the only difference is that
the export demand takes a little higher quail
fly. Any horse that does not answer the re-
quirements of one of these classes is con-
demned by the export buyer as horse of no
class:
No. drivers and coachers, which must
be of good color, well bred CWilkes pre-
ferred), from 16 to 16h hands, Weighing
from 1000 to 1890 pounds, with fine heads
and necks, plenty of bone and substance.
good knee action, smooth hips, round
barrel: must be good i, trayelsr, good style.
class has advanced very much in price,
Animals are worth very nearly double the
price they sold at two years ago. and
range from 500 to $500. Some very rare
specimens of this class have sod of late
as high as $3.50. In case of a lack of
Hambletonian stations, with size and
quality to produce this class, the French
coach horse has been crossed with the
trotting bred mares with extremely favor
able results. Every light harness horse
should be well bred in order to stand the
wear and tear and hard work OF pave
ments. and the long drives of city service,
and the more he partakes Of the blood Of
the trotter the better.
Glass No. "A cab horse, rather blocky.
weighing LOO pounds and standing 15M
to i51a hands, smoothly male with bona
and substance, fair traveller, price
about SIS. This class is very salable
kind Of a horse for many purposes but
and too plenty to be profitable horses to
raise. At the same time, in breeding
horses breeder will always get some
that will answer for this class. You will
find fair demand foN all of this class,
although the price Will never be high
This is the smallest class that should be
bred. there is no demand for anything
smaller except at ruinous prces.
Class No. "a bus horse which is
biocky, smooth animal, must shape him.
hands high. plenty Of quality, with bone
and substance fair traveller and fair