The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-20
MIDWAY HORSE MARKET
ONE OF ST. PAUL'S MOST PROS
Porous INSTITUTIONS
Steadily Advanced and Business
Is Now Done an Extensive
Scale-Ten Acres Of Ground Oc-
cupied by the Various Barns
Horse Dealers Talk.

There is considerable activity just
now at the Midway horse market. The
months of March. April and May Or
dinarily constitute a busy season N
this line: and the present year the
trading is exceptionally lively, giving
promise of returning demand and
better prices than have been expert
erced during the past four or five
years of depression.
1t is creditable to the Midway mar
ket that, having opened SO recently as
1894, since which date the horse has
been particularly neglected branch
of live stock, the institution has stead
lily increased in Importance until it has.
even within these years of extreme
dullness, taken it's place as the lead
ing horse market of the Northwest.
1t had an humble beginning, with
single barn, relying upon the auction
block as a place for bargaining, and
offering any kind of stock that CHANGED
to come along. Now the auction fea-
ture is practically abandoned, though
one sale a week is maintained by one
firm of dealers, as an accommodation
to a certain element of the trade.
There are now four commission firms
located at the Midway branch, d. w.
Ringer & Co., Brown & Dickey, Bar
rett & Zimmerman and H. A. Winslow
6, Co.
The combined stables have accom-
mediation for about 500 head, and this
is about the number that daily occupy
the stables and are on the market all
the time. There were between 1900 and
$4,000 horses sold there last year.
The grounds occupied by the five
barns zone of which Is used for stor-
| rage) constitute approximately ten
acres, and within this area are the
spaces devoted to the showing and trial
of animals. In this connection try
are used, according to the class of the
horses sought by purchasers.
For the 'all purpose" horse an or
binary farm wagon is employed, While
for the carriage and driving classes
there are vehicles Of lighter draught.
The several firms operate together mar
moniously on the basis of certain rules
for the governing of the business, as
for instance, the fee of So per head for
every animal sold and a forage and
care-taking charge Of 80 cents per day
to the shippers during the time the
animal remains in the stable unsold.
| The charge in Chicago is from 60 cents
to rs cents day.
1t is only proper to say In passlng'
however, that Brown & Dickey are di-
rect buyers and sellers of their own
stock rather than a strictly commits
sion firm. There are three members
of this firm and one Of these remains
altogether in the field, buying stock
outright and shipping it to Midway TO
be sold as the company's property on
the profit and loss basis OF regular
mercantile trading.
The food provided consists of the
regular diet of the farm, namely, nay,
cats and bran. The hay is bought by
the carload and is shipped in bales,
the supply coming largely from Wis
consin. The present cost is about 81
per ten. The oats are also purchased
by the carload. The utmost attention
is paid to the cleanliness of the estab-
lishments and to the maintenance of
the best appearance Of the animal.
The bedding consists Of pine shav1ngs
from adjacent mills. These are cheaper
than straw and 1t Is said, provide
greater cleanliness.
The commission men not only sell
for shippers, but have their own buyers
in different localities. The shipper of
horses operates much after the manner
| Of the shipper of cattle, sheep and
hogs. He goes through the country,
and, accommodating a carload, consigns
| them to his broker or commission firm.
| There are from fifteen to twenty head
| in car.
The horses coming to this market are
| chiefly from Minnesota, Iowa and ILL.,
nois, and are sold in Wisconsin, Mani
| toba and the two Dakotas. In the pro-
| cess of developing this market, its i'm
portance has become such as to invite
many buyers from Chicago and other
| points A number Of horses were re-
Gently sold for delivery in Buffalo and
| three carloads were shipped by one firm
| the other day to Boston.
There is an excellent demand from
Manitoba as a result Of the settling up
| of that country. Indeed, Winnipeg Is
| a large and constant buyer in the Mid
| way market. Just now the demand is
| for horses weighing from 1,400 or $500
pounds, for farm uses.
North Dakota is purchasing a large
number of horses this spring, indicating
Improvement in that state. Northern
Minnesota is also buying a goodly
number In the fall Of the year there
| is usually a good demand for heavy
draught horses, weighing from 900 to
| 1900 pounds for use in the logging
| camps in northern Wisconsin, and for
shipment to West Superior and Duluth
for supplying the lumber regions there
abouts. These are about the heaviest
| that can be secured.
Brown & Dickey sold in one month
last fall, 100 of this heavy. class known
! to the trade as 'loggers." Buyers come
from different points in search Of what
they want. If they are looking for a
| large lot they can rarely find the full
complement in one stable; hence they
make tour of the four barns and Sc
| lect according to their fancy.
! The Midway Is regarded by buyers
as a good market. The horses are all
Of excellent quality. Shippers who for
merly consigned to Chicago now for
ward their stock here, saying they can
get as good prices at this place for the
same quality Of horses as they can
realize in Chicago.
! Ringer & Co. make a speciality of
carriage horses. The barn occupied by
this firm was the first located on
! the premises and is one of the most
| commodious. Just at this time the
Midway is being sought out by gentle
men in both st. Paul and Minneapolis
who are looking for carriage horses.
Some high priced teams have quite re-
Gently been sold by that firm to parties
in both cities. None of the dealers here
as a rule, trade in fast stock, though
this firm has now on consignment a
PAGER with a record of 2:32 and about
three weeks ago they sold, to go to
| Brandon, Manitoba, the PAGER Ben
Allie, six years old, with a record of
2:141a
Charles Brown, of Brown & Dckey,
is well known to the older residents of
st. Paul. He opened the first sales
barn here twenty-three years ago. He
maintains barn on East Third street
exclusively for the sale of roadsters
and coach horses, where he now has
seventeen head of superior stock, apart
| from that in the stables at Midway
which consist chiefly Of draught horses
None of the firms handle stations
as class, but Mr.. Ringer said yes