The Republican journal., 1899-09-07
Horses Scarce.
The Supply in Maine will not Nearly Equal
the Demand.

The Supply in Maine will not Nearly Equal
the Demand.
Clerk Plummer of the board of State
Assessors has furnished the Kennebec
Journal with some startling figures which
are secured from the returns received and
investigations of the board into the pres
ent valuation of the State 1t shows quite
a startling condition of the live stock in
| this State, and that the time is better than
for number of years for the farmers to
breed horses.
The reports of the number of horses n
five counties are summarized in full.
These counties are Piscataquis, Somerset,
Hancock, Waldo and Sagadahoc. They
show that there is decrease in the num-
Der of horses in the State. This decrease
is noticed for the first time in great many
years, if ever before. There has always
for great many years been a substantial
| increase. These figures show that the
prospect for raising horses is better than
ever before. There is bound to be a
scarcity soon, and the supply will not
In Sagadahoc county the returns of the
local assessors show the presence of $500
horses. To fill this number there are only
% three year Odds, 81 two-year- Odds, IS
one year olds, or total of SO colts.
In Somerset there are 9, 191 horses in
use. The supply of colts in this county
is but S57, distributed as follows: Three
hundred and eleven three year olds; BOG
two year year olds; 240 one year olds.
Piscataquis is reported to have 4, 40
horses in use, and but 256 colts to fill the
demand in the next three years. There
are 9S three year Odds, % two-year- olds,
and 6G one year Odds.
Waldo has, 1903 horses in the county,
and their supply of colts at the present
time is but 437. There are 161 three-year-
Odds, 155 two year ODDS, and 121 one year
olds.
Hancock county report is not quite com
plete, as the town Of Eden failed to put
in the number of horses there. Taking
the number last year as basis there are
| 5000 horses in the county, and but 21S
colts for the supply. There are 81 three
year olds, 70 two year Odds, and IS one
! year olds.
This condition of affairs is surprise to
many, and where the people of this State
are to secure the supply of horses is
wonder. There are not nearly as many
colts as horses now in use, and the cou-
dition of affairs in these five counties is
about the same all over the State. The en-
act figures are not now obtainable, but
! the result will probably be just as start
| ling.
The report comes from the West that
they have stopped breeding to certain
extent, in fact, almost as much as they
have in this State. Oxen have not been
bred for many years in any great number,
and it is not possible for them to take the
| place of horses.
| The great demand for horses will tend
to make the price very much higher and
the farmers who have good brood mares
and stations will be making money in a
few years should tLey commence at once
to breed.
The reports indicate an increase in the
| number of COWS of the State. 1t is prob
able that the increase will reach at least
) 900, which is the greatest increase of any
one year for a number of years. The in
| crease in the number of yearlings is the
greatest Of any year since the records
have been kept
The farmers all over the State are rails
| ing much more live stock than for a num-
Der of years. They have more confidence,
and are showing it in this way as IN many
others
The decrease in the number of oxen
raised in Maine has been checked, and
without any doubt the returns will show
substantial increase in the number of
oxen raised. There is also quite a sub
stantial increase in the number of sheep
owned by the Maine farmers.
In Androscoggin county in the matter
of cows, Turner excepted, from which no
return has been received, there has been
an increase for the assessors year Of 547.
The city of Auburn alore has 11G4 cows,
the largest number of any city OF town in
the State, and gain of IA over the pre-
vious year. Oxford county shows a gain
of 800 COWS and 1870 oxen. Franklin, Pts
cataquis and Penobscot counties make re-
turns similar to Androscoggin and Oxford.
Houlton, Caribou, Fort Fa rfield and Pres
que Isle, the four largest places IN Aroos-
took county return 100 more animals than
in 1890