The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1912-10-11

There are number of considera-
tions for the farmers to keep In mind
In breeding horses for the draft horse
trade. Among these are that size,
weight, condition and character each
bear an important influence in de-
termining the prices paid on the mar
kets and therefore that this influence
Is reflected upon the prices which
they receive from the country ship
pers and buyers, says the Wisconsin
Agriculturist. Nothing that influences
the large central markets for the prod
ucts Of the farm fails to affect the
sale of a single article directly on the
farm.
Probably the one thing which the
general run of horses that reach the
markets lack more often than any
other is size and incidentally there
fore weight. 1t Is stated from good
authority that there are more good
horses marketed In the Union Stock
Yards at Chicago than any other
place in the United States, and yet
Of the 100000 horses marketed there
not more than $4,000 would weigh
over 1850 pounds and not more than
5000 were what would be termed AL
horses. First class draft horses for
the city trade should not weigh less
than 1900 pounds when In working
condition. and If they weigh 1,750
pounds they will satisfy all the better.
To carry such weights horses should
stand about 16 hands high or over
and should have conformations In
proportion.
The condition of a horse is all i'm
portant, both as to soundness and
thrift. Horses that have poor feet,
bad hooks, weak wind, or poor shoul-
ders are sticklers on the market. They
sell very slowly and at very low
prices. SO also do horses that are in
q poor condition Of thrift. Fat always
helps to sell horses quickly and at
good prices, for it makes them look
good and the horses, moreover, do not
need to be conditioned before they
can be put to work, A horse which
looks thin when 1t leaves the farm Is
liable to look considerably thinner
after 1t has been shipped and arrives
at the sales stables. Fat horses ship
far better than thin, thriftless ones.
Then, too, the suspicion Of being
poor doer on the best of care is liable
to attach itself to the thin horse in
the mind Of the buyer, whereas when
ne looks upon well conditioned
horse no such suspicion occurs to him.
Character is valuable asset to
my horse that is placed ON the mar
ret, and like size and weight is gen.
srally lacking In the usual stock Of
iorses to be selected from In the
country. A horse that shows intelli-
renee, good breeding and those quail
ties that come through careful
and good training will out
'ell the common, plain looking horses
~ considerable margin; size,
weight and condition being otherwise
like.
The man on the farm engaging in
lorse production from the viewpoint
Il dollars and cents and anxious to
make his acres earn the highest net
eturns should breed his mares to the
'est sires that are available combin-
ng size. weight, soundness and char
Icter, and should breed to them con-
istently. They should endeavor also
IS soon as possible, either by pur-
,hase or by breeding up, to possess
themselves of big drafty mares COM
lining those qualities. The only re-
,rettable thing about the sale of the
lapple gray mares on the January
], 1912 Chicago horse market for
1000, Is that the mares were not
purchased by some good farmer to be
lsed for breeding and farm work pur-
'oses instead Of by a Chicago teaming
lrm to draw big wagon. 1t is re-
,Tettable that they should ever have
'otten away from the farm, for II |
hey were worth $1,000 for drawing a
'ig wagon and heavy loads, certainly
hey were worth that on the farm
where they could do work to earn