Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-09-19
PROFIT IN HORSES AGAIN.
Western Breeders Once More Get Good
Money,

far to maintain her position as the
greatest horse market in the world,
says a Kansas City correspondent of
the New York Sun, 1t will not be
very long before the supremacy
passes from her to either Chicago
or Kansas City. with the chances
favoring the latter. The greatest
source of supply in this country for
horses Is the west, and the tendency
is for the market to edge up to the
fount Of supply.
Every spring and summer crowds
Of buyers from the seven great mar
kets. Philadelphia, Chicago. New
York. Louisville, Eoston, Kansas
City and st. Louis, 9cour the farms
Of the trans-Mississippi and trans
Missouri states. buying up all the
surplus animals. Just now horse
raising Is one Of the most profitable
businesses in the United States.
Fifteen years ago the bottom very
suddenly dropped out of the busi-
ness. The street car systems in the
cities changed with slight warning
from horse power to cable and elec-
tricity, and not only threw upon the
market thousands Of horses that had
been in use upon street car lines,
but deprived Of value many thous-
ands of other three, four and five
year olds that were upon the breed
ing farms in readiness for the sue
ceeding years demand.
Most of these animals were sacri-
feed. In Philadelphia, New York
and Chicago they were sold at about
$40 or $12, their actual value for
rendering purposes. Following this
came the panic, and in addition to
the disappearance of the market for
horses for general purposes there
was no longer any demand for car
riage or saddle horses, which are al
ways the first to be cut off in the
days Of adversely.
Hundreds Of breeders went out Of
business. but the pluckier ones sent
agents to Europe to see II a market
could not be secured. They found
the European tram-ways still using
horses, and in short time American
horses were supplanting the scrawny
stock in use abroad. Later many
horses were disposed of to European
armies, and when still later came a
few wars the business was again up
on its feet.
Thousands Of animals were sent to
Cuba soon after the American occu-
patton. There Is still good demand
there for the lighter animals. which
are used for gardening. truck raising
and small farming. The south also
was induced by the low price of
horses and the high price of mules
some years ago to buy many Of the
lightweights for use in the cotton
| field
The Boer war created a demand
for nearly a hundred thousand ami
mails. Eighty thousand were shipped
in one year by the English. and the
western bronco became a familiar
sight as an English cavalry horse.
Business men no longer buy the
streeters for their own use. A
streeter Is a horse that once was
popular for light wagons. cars and
general use. These have been sup
planted in most of the cities by the
sleek. heavy draft horses. products
of the breeding Of imported stations
and native mares. -.
Not the least interesting feature Of
the horse business Is the annual visit
Of buyers to France and Belgium,
where pure bred stations. raised by
experts under government supervis-
ion, are yearly purchased by thous-
ands. These are later resold to
western farmers and breeders, who
think nothing Of paying from $1,000
to $4,000 for a sire for their stud.
From seven to eight thousand coach
and draft horses are yearly i'm
ported from Europe. These animals
are brought over In punches Of from
twenty-five to one hundred and fifty.
and they are all being absorbed by
the breeders. The value Of the native
breed by the infusion Of pedigreed
blood Is enhanced double and treble,
creating q grade that Is In demand
here and also in the very countries
from which the stations were origi-
nally imported.
Scattered all through the middle
west are farmers Of means who buy
these imported stations and dispose
of their get at good round figures.
Thousands of these crossed animals
are sold in America. Many Of them
are on the city streets. drawing heavy
loads.
They are big and strong and capa-
BILE of moving tremendous wagons.
They are regarded as the only horse
that it pays to buy for trucking pur-
poses, even though the first cost,
from $50 to $3.50. is great.
AS many as 1900 horses a day
are disposed Of at the larger market
ing points in this country. These
sales are almost as interesting as a
circus. There Is something doing
every minute and there Is plenty Of
excitement mixed with the proceed
ings
Many of the auctioneers sell a
horse a minute and keep 1t up for
a long time. They are gifted with
perfect knowledge Of all the pedi-
grees and they reel off words in an
unceasing tumble. the only intelligent
ones to the chance visitor being the
announcement of the sale to some
one who seems to have bid at some
time or another. What other bids
were received are unknown to the
stranger.
Sometimes, II the bidding Is slow.
a horse is put through his PAGES in
front of the crowd. AS each animal
is led out to be sold a placard is
posted advising bidders of the quail
ties of the animal. If a horse Is de-
fective in any particular this Is also
noted If the horse is misrepre-
sented the money Is paid back.
Attached to most OF the market
places are grounds where a horse
may be hitched up and tried for
speed. gait or action. At the con-
clusion he Is driven about the en-
closure at top speed, and as soon as