Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1905-05-11
,EWELL, VA, THURSDAY. MAY IL, 1905
Country Horse Markets.

| VI ldL6 several 6XIeIlSlVS uedlSIS WIN
ship horses to the Chicago market have
expressed themselves as greatly in
favor of buying their supplies at local
country markets rather than to attempt
to scour the country in a wagon, pick
ing up horse here and another there.
One shipment of 12O head was recently
sold in Chicago at fair profit, the en-
tire lot having been purchased at two
monthly markets in Iowa. The shipper
in question was loud in his praises of
the farmers adopting this method of
disposing of surplus horses to dealers.
He stated that he could pay often as
much as $5 or $40 more for horse
brought to him, so to. speak, than he
could if forced to hunt him up some
where in stable ten miles from a rail-
way. Time counts for much in the
horse market, especially in such piping
times as these when the wire edge is in
evidence and the demand very brisk.
Any one of a dozen different factors
might operate to dull the edge of the
trade and dealer who has to spend two
weeks or more getting together a load
of horses must look out for every con-
tingency. If he can fill out his load to-
day and ship at once he can pay right
up to where he knows his margin lies
and he would rather do it than run hith-
er and thither at continual expense for
horse hire and otherwise.
Therefore it is certain that the far
mers of any well located district are
standing in their own light if they do
not organize a market day on which
their surplus horses may be offered for
sale. 1t is no trick at all to attract the
buyers, but the work of advertising the
market day should be well done. Mer-
chants invariably profit from the con-
gregation in their bailiwick of men with
money to spend, and if farmer sells
horse or two he has usually quite a
chunk of money" wherewith to pay
debt or add to his family stock of COM
estibles or dry goods, not to mention to
purchase farm machinery or other need
ed merchandise. Therefore the assis-
tanceof the merchants should be secured
first and foremost, the onlyother pre-re-
quisite being that the town in which the
offering is made should be located on
line of railway on which the buyer may
ship horses quickly to the point of sale.
Generally if the merchants of a town
are approached with a proposition in
which it can be shown that both money
and folk will be attracted to their doors
they will respond not alone with money
for advertising purposes but will lend
their personal influence as well in fur
therance of the scheme. Granted this,
and that the farmers have horses to
sell-the higher the class the better for
all concerned-the horse market day
will be a success from its Inauguration,
Let it once be known in Chicago, ST.
Louis, or Kansas City that on a stated
day at a stated place, conveniently sit
uated on the railroad, 100 or more
horses will be on sale at private treaty
or at public auction and the profession
al dealers will congregate there and
then like bees in early spring over a
plate of sugar-water These dealers
will pay top prices and after they get
their animals bought all they have to do
is to load them on the cars and ship
them to market without delay. That
makes the path of their business smooth
and their profits correspondingly greater
or at least more easily made.
Cooperation as we all knowTs always
remunerative when really worth the
name. Therefore we counsel that the
farmers engage the support of the mer-
chants and business men of their towns
in establishing horse market days. 1t
is an easy business as already explained.
The cost need not exceed few dollars
in advertising. The returns will be one
thousand-fold. Of course the better
the facilities afforded by the town the
greater the chances of success, by
which it is meant that the dealers will
prefer to do business in town where
there is at least one bank in which they
may deposit money and pay by check
rather than carry on their persons large
sums to be doled out piecemeal as each
horse is bought. Livery stable men
naturally reap a rich harvest on such
occasions and they will probably be
found in the vanguard of the merchants
lending aid to the establishment of any
such market day.