The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1907-06-08
FARMING IN
THE SOUTH
DRAFT HORSES IN THE SOUTH
Increase of Population in Cities Has
Opened Up Market.

The breeding of draft horses has
not made as much progress in the
south as it should haze done. This
is particularly true in sections where
limestone predominates and blue grass
thrives 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 for the work. The
light horse has been such favorite,
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
f! quite inadequate to the demand, anc
| 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, md
i there is certainly an opportunity Tor
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 Tor
draft horses for dray purposes which
was comparatively restricted a 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
oyerstocked 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-
| I~AI tn
varied conformation, many of which
were also unsound in one or more
|, particulars, it was not surprising thai
the offspring was neither draft OIL
, intermediate type and quite unsuited
to the market demands of that day
, Past experience has therefore taught
the farr,er to be rather shy of breed
ing draft animals, and has led in many
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 II
the souSh In the far south and II
, but throughout the Appalachian re
gicn it 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
| great markets Of both the east AM
| west, ami buyers occasionally passini
: | through this section IoEing for AM
mails of the draft type even at tn
!, present time; and, of course, it woul
!, be easier to stimulate an interest il
!, this class were the industry NOR
: widely and favorabIy considered
There are a few draft anfrn ais in va
. | rious sections of the region mentioned
but they are so few and far betwee
that it can hardly be classed as
special industry up to the presen
/, time. In certain places, like Harrison
= burg, Va, the breeding of draft horse
has become quite wei establishes
and monthly horse sales are held,
D which buyers from a distance com
because of the good qualities of man
: of the animals offered for sale. Thi
shows how quickly merit in this elias
of horses is appreciated and no
Il easy it is to establish a market fC
- any animal of merit raised on tn
farm.