Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1901-11-07

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car by the more modern electric troll
ley has closed the market of the small
horse or inferior quality: but the light
horse of symmetrical conformation
and stylish action, when properly
broken and hammered, was never in
more demand or of greater value than
now. In fact quality is the great de-
cideratum in large or small horses, as
in any other commodity of commerce.
"In making comparison in the
matter of cost of feed and care of the
two kinds of stock-hOrses and cattle
it is found that horse ca;: be kept
until a 5-year-old at somewhat less
cost than steer at three years old.
To be sure the dam of the horse has
cost much more 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 industry suffered from extensive
depression in values, small interest
has been taken in the selection of sires,
particularly with respect to draft
breeds, and mares have gone to the
service of inferior sires. During the
past four years this has not been due
to any lack of awakening Of interest
in the business, but because the prices
Of good sires have been thought to be
too high by owners of brood mares,
and would 60 lower. No greater mis-
take could possibly have been made.
When the great depression in values
ensued which followed the panic of '92,
not only were many highly bred and
promising colts that would have grown
into sires of great value under other
circumstances sacrificed to the sur.
geon's knife, but there was cessation
in breeding of this class of horses as
well as all others. And now that the
interest in breeding is awakening the
supply is nowhere near adequate to
the demand.
''As instancing something Of the
value set upon good horses in country
where, owing to the high cost Of food
stuffs it only pays to produce the best,
quotation is made from the Breeders
Gazette: Shire horses are high in
price in England. A month ago Mr..
Fred Grip disposed Of his entire stud
at public auction, with the result that
the total Offering Of forty-tive head
made an average of s876. This in.
cluded stations, mares, fillies, colts and
foals, nine of the last named young
sters making an average price of s450.
The highest price paid for mare was
81, ,375 for the champion mare South
gate Charm. r.. Girton
Charm, Southgate Charm S foal at foot
brought o., 800, The three-year
old stallion, Hendre Champion, by
some considered the best horse of his
age and breed in Britain, brought the
very handsome sum of s7,750." While
this is an experience related of but
one of the draft breeds it has been
many times repeated with them all,
and still bear no sensational character
when compared to many sales of light
harness horses that have been made
in this country.
'sAnd while this country must still
seek the material with which to i'm
prove the blood of its breeding ami
mails in foreign lands, the foreigner
has learned to come here to get horses
for commoner uses. Excerpts are
made from report by the agricultur-
al department at Washington which
show that the value of the horses ex-
ported from the United States in 1896
was So, 500, 900, which has gradually in
creased until sum little more than
double that was reached in 1900. The
number exported has likewise in
creased from %, l26 in 1896 to ga 722 in
1900. The totals for the five seasons
is nearly a quarter of a million horses,
and the aggregate price received
around g., 100000. 1t is further pre-
dicted that when the figures of 1901
shall have been completed the total
amount of money received will reach
S35, ,OOO, 900, and the horses exported to
over 300, 600 head-all in six years. 1t
should be borne in mind that foreign
ers will take only the best, and as
their purchases will. for reasons that
are obvious, have great influence in
fixing the standard of values as we'll
as quality, great care should be exer-
cised to produce none but the best.
And this can only be done by the selec-
tion of we'll bred sires Of good quality,
and the exercise of care and judg-