El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-02-22
ARMY FACES 4
FAMINE IN
HORSES
War Department Finds Sup
ply Of Suitable Animals Is
Very Short.
AUTOMOBILES ARE
HELD RESPONSIBLE

EEEuEAAC - LAaAAAA
Washington, D. c., Feb. 22.-There
is a great deal of uneasiness in army
/ circles. over the problem of an ade-
/ quaue supply Of army horses in the
] United States The officials Of the
] war department declare that cavalry
I nary draft horses would be next to
/ useless, yet they cannot see where a
4 sufficient supply Of lighter horses may
/ be secured In case of war. Two prtn-
/ cipal causes have contributed to the
! big and growing shortage Of horses
/ suitable for army purposes the first
/ Of these is the remarkable success
I that has attended the efforts OF the
/ department of agriculture TO get the
farmers Of the country to raise draIt
/ horses: the other is the automobile
At the end Of the civil war there
were almost no heavy draft horses IN
the United States. Then followed an
era Of education for the farmer, IN
which il was pointed out that he would
find IL to his interest to raise draIt
stock rather than lighter animals The
process Of education was slow buI II
has been so sure that now the farmers
of the country are breeding draft
horses almost exclusively. They Ilho
such animals better suited Tor farm
work, and in the past they have found
a much more attractive market for
surplus horses of this kind than for
those Of lighter weight
Automobile Causes shortage
growing shortage in the number OF
lighter horses is the automobile Peo-
pie who used carriage horses decade
ago use the automobile now Men VINO
always had saddle horses decade ago
are satisfied with a touring car now.
The result is that the city demand for
lighter horses for carriage and saddle
purposes has fallen off, while the de-
mand for draft horses, in spite OF the
growing use Of the automobile truck,
has continued to increase. The expan-
sion OF American industry has been
going forward even more rapidly than
the breeding Of draft horses and the
building Of auto trucks
Racing Horses Scarce.
There is another element in the horse
situation that occasions alarm to the
Quate supply OF military horses to
meet the demands Of a big war. That
Is the expectation OF nearly all OF the
cOuntry's racing stock The prohiol-
mitted by most people 10 be right and
proper, but il has resulted in dozens
OF the best sires in the country being
shipped 10 England and elsewhere. Civ
ing those countries just that much ad-
vantage over US in the question Of
future supply Of army horses.
The department Of agriculture and
the war department have Joined hands
in trying to get the horse breeders Of
the country to breed enough light
horses TO meet the prospective, as well
as the immediate, demands Of the
United States army. It is pointed out
that the outbreak Of histilities in this
country would require $4,000 light
horses at once. 1t Is likewise pointed
out that the number of horses needed
annually in the case OF war would be
very large. During a single year OF
the civil war the federal government
bought nearly 100000 horses, and the
capture Of more than 10000 was re-
ported. This required daily supply
Of some 500 horses During eight
months the cavalry Of the army Of the
Potomac was twice remOunted, nearly
10000 horses being required. Under
General Phil Sheridan the cavalry OF
the army Of the Shenandoah had to
be remOunted every four months It
Is estimated that II we had to fight a
war of such consequence as to require
$4,000 horses for officers. cavalry and
field artillery at one time, II would I
take 10000 a year to keep the supply /
up to that standard.
Is Serious Problem.
The army officials admit that they /
do not know where such a supply l
would come from They point TO the I
fact that Great Britain bought more /
than 100000 horses in the United States /
for service in the BOer war, and that l
even this demand went long way to-
ward causing the shortage OF horses /
of the army type which now exists in I
the United States Prior to the Boer !
war. England was content to rely on 1
the colonies and the United States for /
its army horses, but the lessons OF that I
war were such that the British have !