Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-07-21
Facts About the Horse.

racts About the Horse.
Wnen the author of Gil Bias" re-
marked some time ago that facts are
stubborn things" he delivered himself
OF Dit OF wisdom which is Just as
true to-day as 1t was then, IL not
more SO. Facts have malicious habit
of upsetting the theories of the wisest
and best informed.
For instance, some of the overzeal.
GUS followers of Nautilus feared that
mankind soon would be stacked up six
deep all over the wide world and
starving to death at that. This MIGHT
have come about. perhaps. had NOT
people and things interfered some.
what.
Take also the case Of the man who
affirmed In 1897 that the horse must
go-nay. that he was even then far
on his way. This man based his
prophecy on the fact that the average
price for the animal In that year had
dropped to 1877 in the United states
although 1t had been as high as s61
In 1888. Although by 1900 the aver.
age price Of the horse had risen to
$44. the automobile then>>was seen
coming down the boulevard at full
speed and the trolley car was gaining
by leaps and bounds. So the prophet
insisted that he was right. The horse
was doomed.
However, he seems to have been mis-
taken. According to the last annual
report Of the Department Of Aericul.
ture there were 19,9s2.0oo horses In
the United States in 1908. They were
worth $1.S67,0oo.O00. In 1900 the
horses numbered only 1887, 900 and
their aggregate value was $500 600, 900
Against the average value Of s44 for
each horse In 1900. the average value
in 1908 was $93.
The horse seems to be very much
with. US yet but even the hardest
prophet scarcely ventures to say that
Dobbin and Dolly will be driving the
automobile from the turnpike-Cht.
cago News.
Fewer Acres and More Labor.
The tendency Is to a less acreage
and better cultivation. This idea has
commenced to take root in the West.
on the prairie farm, where only a
few years ago the disposition was to
own all the land in sight Farming
has grown more laborious, farm hands
are harder to get and prices greatly
1t is much harder to handle a sec.
ton of cultivated land. meadow for
grain crop. than when 1t was native
grass pastures AS the farm improves
the labor Of taking care of 1t in.
creases. Again, high priced land can
not be left in native sod for a pas.
ture. because 1t will not pay. 1nten.
sive farming is forcing itself upon the
land owner in the agricultural west.
More crop and less land is the demand
of the times.
The forty-acre farm is now the sub
.ject for discussion in the farm journal.
What can be produced on five acres,
This and many more of the possibili.
ties Of small land ownership are dis.
cussed. The fruit garden, the, truck
patch and the poultry yard are all
grouped together and coupled to the
small land holdings Of the suburban
resident.
It is reasonably certain that the
acre property idea will be greatly en-.
larged upon from this time forward,
especially about the towns. villages
and suburban districts of cities. The
possibility of the acre lot, when prop
erly improved, solves to great de-
gree the living expenses Of the family.
1t makes the city mechanic and bust.
ness man in measure independent
of the demand and supply of the city
market. A family living provided on
the acre farm Is a dependence that
gives contentment and happiness where
otherwise the luxuries of garden and
orchard would possibly not be enjoyed,
or but very sparingly. Within the
next quarter of century the acre
property OF the town and village will
be the prevailing idea instead Of the
town lot.-Twentieth Century Farmer