St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-05-25
FARMING IN
THE SOUTH
DRAFT HORSES IN THE SOUTH.
Increase of Population in Cities Has
Opened Up a Market.


The breeding of draft horses has
not made as much progress in the
south as it should have done. This
is particularly true in sections where
limestone predominates and blue grass
thriyes naturally. The excellence of
the light horses produced in this sec
ton is positive proof that draft ami
mails of superior merit could also be
raised if the right type Of sire and
dam were available fsr the work. The
light horse has been such a fayorite,
however, as to almost exclude the
| consideration of any other type of ami
| NAL until within the last few years.
| This was really not surprising, for the
| old-time farmer of the south depend
ed almost entirely on the mule as
beast of burden, while the horse was
used chiefly for saddle purposes or for
driving; and the light horse was of
course better suited to this purpose
than any other type of animal. Even
today the light horse is in great de-
mand, and animals of excellence and
merit bring profitable prices and find
ready sale; the one misfortune in this
particular being that the supply is
| quite inadequate to the demand, and
! there is not enough system and care
exercised in the breeding of light
horses to overstock the market with
animals of superior merit as long as
| the demand for good horses of this
type is as great as at the present time.
| The great demand for draft horses
during recent years has caused this
industry to look UP materially, and
there is certainly an opportunity for
its development in the entire region
mentioned with success. The rapid
increase of population in our cities
and the growth of various industrial
concerns has opened up a market for
| draft horses for dray purposes which
was comparatively restricted few
years ago, and this demand is likely
to increase for a number of years to
come, for only high-class animals are
purchased for this work, and after all
there are comparatively few of these
bred at the present time, and the
market does not seem likely to be
overstocked in the immediate future.
, The experience Of those who at
tempted the breeding of draft animals
was so unfortunate in many instances
. that it is little wonder that farmers
lost interest in breeding this type OF
! horses. The early sires introduced
were, as a rule, defective in many re
: spects. and when, bred to mares o.
varied conformation, many of Whlcf
were also unsound in one or more
particulars, it was not surprising thai
the offspring was neither draft OF
intermediate type and quite unsuitec
to the market demands of that day
Past experience has therefore laugh
the farmer to be rather shy of breed
ing draft animals, and has led in man!
instances to false conclusions con
corning The possibilities Of this fea
ture of the horse breeding industry
Some have concluded that the draf
| animal is quite unadapted for use il
, the south In the far south and II
the cotton fields this is probably true
but throughout the Appalachian re
gion tt Is certainly not the case; TO
while the draft animal may not b.
needed by the average farmer, still
he may be successfully grown in thi
section and sold at good profit becaus
the region is SO contiguous to tn
y great markets OF both the east an
west, and buyers occasionally passin
through this section Joking for an
mails of the draft type even at tn
present time; and, of course, it woul
be easier to stimulate an interest i
this class were the industry NOR
widely and faVorably considered
There are few draft animals in w
rious sections of the region mentioned
but they are SO few and far betwee
that It can hardly be classed as
y special industry up to the presen
!. time. In certain places, like Harrison
burg, Va, the breeding of draft horse
has become quite wei established
!. and monthly horse sales are held, t
which buyers from a distance com
because Of the good qualities of man
of the animals offered for sale. Thi
p shows how quickly merit in this elias
of horses is appreciated and ho'
easy it is to establish market fc
= any animal of merit raised on tn
farm.