Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-26
AFTER HORSE MARKET
Iowa Congressman Seeks to Help Out
Home Folks.
ARE SHORT OF STOCK
Sort Of Horsss wanted ny Army Not
Raised in Great Number
in Hhwkeye
state.
frrom a staff Correspondent

" - 49, ~
oial)-Representative Hull Of Iowa,
chairman Of the military affairs commit
tee OF the house. and an enthusiastic
friend Of the army, has become Interested
in the creation OF markets for the pur-
chase Of horses suitable for the army.
And az a resident Of Des Moines, Ia, he
has hoped to see the capital Of the Hawk
eye state made one az the chief horse
markets OF the country. Captain Hull Is
not slow In arking anything for his dis
trict, particularly insofar as anything to
the advantage of Des hoines goes and
has taken I'd with the quarteriasteT
general Of the army the subject Of a
careful investigation OF horses being
raised for market with a view. n possi-
bic, OF securing . better class Of horses
both for mounts and fer general army
PURPOSES.
General AlpshIre. duartermaRter gem
eral of the army. who is a most enthu-
siRStie horsenlan and as good a Judge
OF horse fleSh as any In the country took
up with the adjutant general, Department
Of the Missouri, the necessity of having
expert investigation made Of horses
throughout the west with a view of Sc
curing better strains and harder animals.
As a result Of these suggestions an Off
Ger was detailed to make a report upon
the subject of horses through interviews
with local horsemen, veterinarians. i'm
porters of horses, l%iverymen and hotel
men, as 10 how best to bring about a
larger horse market than now exists in
the commercial cities of the west and
northwest. This report, which has just
been submitted to the .quartermaster gem
eral by one OF the younger officers OF
the aorUt1a h.N vul,Z -. la
to make such a report by reason Of his
Intimate knowledge of the horse from
childhood. is interesting.
Farmer IL Horse Raiser.
II found the business of raising horses
to be confined almost wholly to the
farmer" says Lieutenant Reaney of the
Second cavalry to the adjutant general
of the Department of the Missouri. Il
saw a great many horses Of all kinds,
the draft horse predominating. In fact
few OF the farmers raise any other kind.
Too often, however, they endeavor to
raise good colts from plug mares with
but Indifferent results; some are good,
many are fair and a large proportion are
only fit TO pillow corn. While there are
many handsome stations of pure strain
there are few native pure strain mares
This report is based on a visit to thirty
~counties in the state Of Iowa, during July
and August, of this year.
Lieutenant Reaney continues his report
as follows: I'm the counties visited l
oun on record in the auditors office
1854 ,yearlings,. .4o.29r 5-year-olds and
24,703 a,year-olds and over. There were
2,526 stations and 1898 mules, and
asses. Horses suitable for our cavalry
and artillery are scarce and high. / saw
a few, but the tesIets say that soldiers
are scarce and that there is. nothing IN
them. Mt the average contract They be
sin at 5000 And'I do not believe that an
order for five or six carloads could be
filled in the territory I covered"
In view, Of this discouraging report
It is pretty hard to see how any Of the
big cities Of the west can hope TO be-
come a market for horses unless breed
ers follow different lines than at pres.
emit. The dugrtsrmRster's department pur.
chasss In the neighborhood OF 1000 tC
$500 cavalry and artillery horses a year
and the average price during the fiscal
year 1909 was about tI53 for cavalry and
tis2 for artillery horses. 1t was hoped
by the army people hereabouts tina
either Des Moines or Omaha could b'
developed as a purchasing center, bu
from the report of Lieutenant Reaney. SO
Tar as Des Moines is concerned, II woulC
seem to he iInDIecticable.
Chance to Make Money.
The horse raisers Of Nebraska, Missouri
and on the western ranges have in thu
past made good money from the sales Of
horses. and there seems to be no reason
why farmers and breeders in other sec
lions Of the country should not get bus,
and rake in a part of this army expendl
ture. TIL army owns about. so, 0OO ami
mals-horses and mulss-and as at pres
ent organized must keep the number III
to about that figure. TO feed these ami
mails forage to the value of approxi
mately $4,000. 900 is purchased each year
The appropriation for horses for tn,
cavalry service for the fiscal year 100!
was $500 900 and about $500, 900 was uset
from army Evaporation for the pur,
chase OF draft and pack animals. Thi.
makes a rather neat sum that goes TO tn,
farmers Of the country from the. arm,
In connection with the animals needed fol
It's service and should be an incentiv,
10 the farmers to raise a better class Of
animals for the cavalry and artillery
than the army IS now getting.
PeaFy LOseA Caste.
There is half q score Of scientific socie
J A.. q, nT..hg.-.., ,-1,tzh - .-n4-