Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1901-11-21
News Of In.
Il terest. e
RAISING OF HORSES.
Great Chance for Farmers In Nortl
Dakota.

exclusively, is causing farmers to put
mortgages. end even second mortgages,
on their land. The raising of stock in
| the central and, western parts of the
state and the growing Of mixed crops
of grain of all kinds, such as corn and
feed stuffs, is clearing the way for the
farmers to get free from debt and to
become independent of the loss of q
| wheat crop or two.
The native grasses of North Dakota
| are the states EioSt profitable re-
source, when transformed into meat
and into horseflesE. In past years the
average horse mas been so low in price
that it has not been deemed profitable
/ to raise them, and many breeders have
gone out of the business. Eut While
| there has been and is money in raising
cattle and sleep from our cheap ana
nutritious grasses. it is now and has
| been known that at present prices and
| under the changed conditions, there is
| even more money in saising the right
kind of horses. The horse is now and
will likely remain for a long time, one
of the most profitable products of the
farm, and the less care required to
T, raise colts to mature animals, will, in
some respects, give them preference
over cattle and sheep.
| A few weeks ago a Stutsman county
| rancher made a sale of ranch property
and stock near Crystal Springs to the
amount of $1,000, and of this sum.
Which was cash, there We're over 5000
paid for horses. Three years ago the
man had only a small ranch property,
such as nearly anyone can take under
the United States land laws, and about
5000. which he invested in a good draft
stallion and a number Of cheap West
ern mares. The profits have been so
apparent that Iowa parties have paid a
good price for the ranch and stock, and
the rancher has more money than he
ever had in his life. The horses have
practically raised themselves, as the
actual cost has been, over the invest.
nent, little more than the herding.
| The Western horse will take care of
himself in all kinds of weather, where
the sheep and cattle need shelter in
rougher weather and more feed to keep
them in good condition. The Western
horse will paw away the snow and will
run for exercise, while TIE cattle will
! stand humped-up and suffer from the
winds and cold, if exposed, and sheep
are even more tender. The horse will
grow thick coat of hair as a natural
protection against the elements.
In the raising of stock there is no ex-
ense for machinery that soon wears
cut, there are no Irvine bills and no
hard labor in plow1ng and harvesting,
and no hauling loads of grain to mar
ket late at night in the cold, to get a
| mere pit+ance for the same, when the
cost of the grain is fairly figured.
| There are no Ihreshing bills to come
out and no big grocery bills to pay for
provisions. What a man gets from his
| stock is the natural profit that he ought
to have from his advantages of cheap
grass and climate specially adapted
to stock growing. There is no heavy
investment in high-priced land and
,, none of the chances of loss from fires,
weather, hot winds and frost, and from
unthreshed crops after all have been
| harvested.
| Cattle and sheep growing have been
rapidly increasing in the state, owing
| to the high prices of the last six years;
| but while the number of both have in
creased on the farms and ranches
| about so per cent in the last ten years,
there is room for many more, and no
fear that the winter feed will be ex-
hausted, as the possibilities of the feed
crops that can be raised are known.
But, in case such a contingency did
arise, the horse will be found to have
| the advantage in raising over the steer
and the sheep. Horses require less
range, for the reason that they crop the
grass much closer and eat with relish
many kinds of grasses that cattle will
not touch, and will thrive and grow fat
on the grasses that have been cured
after attaining maturity, and are thus
much more nutritious than grass cut
| while green and cured for hay.
| In discussing the raising of horses by
| the small farmers and ranchers in the
| central and western parts of North Da-
kota, a writer in the Bismarck Tribune
says:
"Of course, the succession of the
| horse car by the more modern electric
trolley has closed the market of the
small horse of inferior quality; but the
| light. horse, of symmetrical conforma-
ton and stylish action, when properly
broken and we'll hammered, was never
in more demand or of greater value
than now In fact, quality is the de-
sideratum in large or small horses, as
n any other commodity of commerce.
I'm making comparison in the mat
| ter of cost of feed and care of the two
kinds of stock-horses and cattle-it is
found that a horse can be kept until
five years old at somewhat less cost
than steer at three years old. To be
sure, the dam of the horse has cost
much more money than that Of the
steer, and the sire, relatively, still
more; but the product of the former
/ will sell for nearly or quite double that
Of the latter"
A very close observer in matters per.
tanning to the production of horses in
the Northwest is authority for the
statement that during the past decade,
during the major portion Of which the
horse suffered from extensive depres-
sion III values, small interest has been
taken in the selection of sires, particu-
larry with respect to draft breeds, and
mares have come 20 the service of in
ferior sires. During the past four
years this has not been due to any lack
Of awakening of interest in the bust
ness, but because the prices of good
sires have been thought to be too high