Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-01-28
Why Farmers Raise Few Horses.

Why Farmers Raise Few Horses.
In reply to inquiry of E. P, Mayo in
The Homestead, why we farmers of
Aroostook county do not raise our own
not afford to, because it takes four years
of patient toll and ceaseless care to
raise horse, and then he is only three
years old. Our winters are extremely
severe, with deep snow and much in
clement weather. Suppose a farmer
breeds his mares, we say he has two of
them. He has few hundred or 1000
barrels of potatoes to haul to market a
few miles away. About the middle of
January he must quit using those mares
on the road because they are so heavy,
the snow is deep (plowed out of the road
several times). There are numerous
turnouts, TO be sure, but in spite of the
best of care he will some time or other
be obliged to force his team belly deep
into the hard snow, and there is chance
they may come out all right, and they
may not. They may cast their foals. L
know of several cases last spring where
it happened.
Admitting that he gets his mares safe
ly through the winter and gets his spuds
to market all right, we have him again
handicapped worse still in the spring
work. If we take the average farmer
planting some ten or 10 acres to potatoes
he will need to push that team an actual
working day of II hours, besides feeding
times. With pair of mares having
sucking colts he could not do that and
expect to raise good horses. All sum-
mer long the work crowds him and he
must use his team TO the limit of their
capacity to get the work done. Now
there are few who raise so few acres of
Spuds; most of them have from two to
four times as large fields and work them
with only one team.
But admitting even these obstacles
are overcome, when the first autumn
comes he will have to stable feed his
colts from the last of September till
early in June, a full eight months, and
in that time there will be weeks it has
been so this winter), when the weather
is so fierce he will not send his dog out
doors, much less young colt. have
weapling this winter and have found it
hard many times to let him out often
enough for needed exercise. So there
he is with his colts the first winter.
The next spring one or both of them
must be castrated. He is busy again.
The colt must be cared for every day or
else he is liable to get sick and die.
Then our farmers | know many of
them) have not the pasturage suitable
for the colts. Most are fenced in with
barb wire or else the pasture is low,
boggy, half cleared piece of waste land.
But let us get them through till three
years of age. Now they must be trained,
while his cellar is full of spuds. Some
get ruptured. Admitting he gets the
colts trained and in good working order,
he now has pair of $500 horses after
four long years of ceaseless care and
worry.
Now will tell you why we can better
afford to buy $500 class of horses. /
will first mention case from life that
have seen where | am well acquainted
with the man. Five years ago he rented
farm with stock, horses and seed
stock. He planted fifteen acres in pota-
toes, sowed lot of oats and other grain.
Just as spring work was done he was
offered a 50-a farm, with nine acres in
potatoes already breaking ground, for
5000. He took it right off. That fall,
before snow was off the ground, he had
sold 5000 worth of spuds. The "a acres
returned him, besides seed for next year,
nearly $4,000. He bought pair of we'll
matched, even-mated horses for $500,
bought lumber for buildings, and some
machinery. Now that young man sits
independent on his little farm, with a
fine set of buildings, nice little wife
and couple of rousing big youngsters.
". T. Lundvall, Aroostook County,
Me-, in New England Homestead.