The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1901-04-06
CHE State Day Day.
News 81 In
8 terest. A|
AZ TO FARM HORSES.


AZ TO FARM HORSES.
Steady Advance In Prices Predicted
By North Dakota Dealer.
The horse question is one Of the most
important on the list, not only to the
people Of this state, but to all the
stock-producing states, which have
shipped thousands Of horses to the
Northwest, and have always found q
ready market. For the past twenty
years North Dakota, as we'll as North
ern Minnesota, has furnished one Of
the best markets in the world for farm
horses. It is a fact that better prices
could be secured here for a medium
horse than in any other section Of the
country. Thousands Of animals that
were under grade and had seer their
best days, have been fattened up and
shipped to this state, where they could
be readily disposed of at a good figure.
and the business mass always been a
profitable one.
At the present time the situation
presents some peculiar phases, and in
this connection. George Salisbury, one
Of the heaviest horse dealers in the
Northwest, who has sales stables both
in Grand Forks and East Grand
Forks. Is well as several branch es-
Establishments throughout the northern
part of the state, was interviewed.
His ideas on the subject were sub
stantially%as follows:
I'm past years there has never been
any difficulty experienced by dealers in
securing, in either Iowa or Illinois, all
the horses necessary to supply the de-
mand in the Northwest, At prices per-
hitting a good margin: but this year.
for the first time in the history Of the
country, this cannot be done. Dealers
from all parts Of the state have
secured the markets, but have been
unable to secure horses at figures that
would permit Of a profit, after the cost
Of shipping had been figured in. On
in some of the older settlements in this
section for less money than they can
be secured for below. This is possible
for the reason that farmers here who
have a few horses to turn of do not
realize the value of them. But, al the
supply here is very limited, they will
soon awaken to the fact that they have
made a grave mistake"
Mr.. Salisbury Is Of the opinion that
there will be a steady. advance in the
price of horsefiesh for the next five
years, and that for at least wen years
horses will be firm. His opinion is
based on the fact that during the past
few years the h~orse-raisers Of Illinois
have sold themselves short. Formerly
they never sold an animal under five
years Of age, but during the past few
years, and especially the last two, they
have been dipping into their reserve,
and have sold four-year-olds, and, in
many cases, thr~ee-year-olds. They
have even gone further, and disposed
of some of their brood mares, as at
that time the price OF horses raj SO
low there was but little or no profit in
raising them. At the same time the
people Of this section went into horse
breeding, and for the past two years
there have been thousands of native
horses ready for the market. AS the
price vas lowered by these animals,
the farmers, in many cases, decided 1t
was cheaper to buy their stock than to
raise it, and for the past two or three
years comparatively few mares have
been bred.
Now that a scarcity of horses is evil
dent, the owners Of brood mares will
go Into the business again this year,
but it will be five years before there
will be any marked results. Mr.. Sails
bury says thousands Of brood mares
are being shipped from Iowa to ILL
nois. The horse-raisers on the big
ranches in the western part Of the
state are also picking up all the brood
mares in Iowa that they possibly can
and taking them to their ranches, to
be bred for the next few years.
MI. Salisbury says that a majority of
the horse dealers in this state have re-
turned from their trips below without
q single horse; and, in proof of this.
states that between Grand Forks and
Minot, where, as a rule, hundreds of
car loads Of horses are shipped in ev-
cry year, but one a has been shipped
from Iowa or Illinois this season. and
but one car has been shipped to Grand
Forks. All the stock shipped to that
territory this season was bought OF
farmers in the valley counties. Tho
demand for horses here is very light.
but in the western part Of the state,
where thousands of new settlers are
arriving, the demand is good, and any
kind Of an animal can be disposed OF