Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-05-05
THE TRIUMPH OF THE HORSE.

The horse had been put out of business
several times in the last few years by the
prophecies OF those who were either con-
WINGED or pretended to believe that
mans best friend had passed the highest
point of his usefulness and was on the
decline to comparative desuetude.
At first we were told that the bicycle
would soon make the horse a mere luxury
and an inferior one at that.
For some years It seemed that this pre-
diction might be verified. But the popu-
larity of the bicycle has suffered terrible
falling off in the last two or three years
while the demand for horses and mules
has been steadily increasing.
After the modern bicycle came the auto
mobile in various forms and according to
the discounters of the essential value Of
the horse this invention brought the fin
ish Of that noble animal clearly into view.
The automobile, however, has proved far
less popular than 1t was expected to be,
while faith in the horse and reliance upon
him have increased very much of late.
Only a few years ago horses were so
cheap in some Of the new western states
that they were almost given away. This
condition was speedily succeeded, how
ever, by a sudden and steadily growing
boom in horse values which has not yet
receded and bids fair to hold it's own for
an indefinite period.
The war in South Africa had much to
do with this increased appreciation of the
horse but does not, by any means, account
for It,
Less than half of the exports of horses
from the United States were made to sup
ply the demands of the British army.
A marked movement in this direction
began before the Boer war.
More than s1sOOO,OOO worth of horses and
mules have been shipped from the Port
Chalmette, Louisiana British Commissary
camp. but this alone could not have caus-
ed the great rise in the prices of these
animals and established them so firmly in
their present place in the market.
Last year S7,465 horses were shipped to
South Africa. but the total exports were
81. 900. Up to 1894 the United States i'm
ported many more horses than it sold
abroad. In 1884. the proportion of imports
to exports was $3.50 to 2,721. The year
1895 was almost evenly balanced, with
Ia, SS4 exports to 13,09S imports.
Since that time the drift has been in our
favor and now we export vastly more
horses than we import. Last year we
sent out 1855 and imported only S,7s5.
Mules are not classified in the statistics
of imports and exports, being included in
the generic term horses.
Breeders Of horses and mules count con-
fidently Upon a large increase of exports
of these animals in spite Of the fact that
the Boer war is practically over. They
believe that a great and permanent de-
mand for American production of this
character has been established which is
quite independent Of such accidental con-
slderations. The fact that Canada's sup
ply has fallen off remarkably of late has
served to strengthen greatly the horse
market Of the United States.
As recently as 1896 Canada exported 1900
horses but last year she sold only 1909 to
foreign purchasers.
The number of horses raised in the
United States is increasing at an unprece-
dented rate but still not as fast as the
demand.
The price will remain high and our
country will continue to be the main
dependence of the outside world for its
supplies Of horses from outside markets
A great deal OF sympathy has been vast
ed on the horse. He is in no danger Of
being made superfluous by any invention
of man. He was here before any sort of
contraption that had the audacity to try
to drive him out, and he will be here long
after they have all been thrown into the
junk pile and been forgotten.