The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-08
Census Shows More Than
Ever Before and Value
Is Much Greater
DIRE PREDICTIONS
NOT BEING REALIZED
Automobiles, Street Railways and
Gasoline Engines Fail to Displaee
Quadruped as One of Our
Leading Institutions
BY c. e. STEWART

BY G. Il. STEWART
Washington, August 7.-(Special)
horseless age that has been for so long
a time advertised is not yet In our midst
1t cannot even be seen upon the horizonr
In fact, those who declared a few years
ago that it was bound to come prac-
teaily admit that they made one bad
bet and that they have another guess COM
ing.
In spite of the tremendous growth of the
mechanically propelled vehicles, the horse
is still with us by large majority Today
there are more horses in the United States
than there have been since the mind of
the census man runneth not to the con-
trary.
And not only this but horses today have
far greater value than they had a dozen
or SO years ago, when the first workable
hofseless carriage" poked its crude and
squeaky nose into the offing and threat
ened to sweep all horses into the discard
Also as side issue those poor relations
OF the horse-the mules, the asses and the
burros-haye increased in value and i'm
number-there are dead loads OF them even
outside of our state legislatures.
Looms Larger Than Ever
In short all of our old fashioned four
looted hay burning means of traction can
KICK their heels for joy and neigh or bray,
each after his own fashion, and still rely
upon his popularity. Though horseless
carriages, horseless wagons. horseless
plows, horseless reapers, harvesters and
whatnots, are in our industrial midst in
surprising numbers, our old friends of
the barn yard, the horse, the mule and
the donkey, loom larger than ever before
in our national life.
In proof of all these statements let us
consider these facts taken from a recent
number of the. Crop Reporter. which is
issued by the department of agriculture:
On January !, 1918, the total number of
horses ON farms and ranges in the United
States was 20567000 valued a $110.77 a
head, with an aggregate value of s2,27s. .222.-
600. Compared with January 1. 1912, horses
had increased 5000, mules increased 1900,
milk cows decreased 100000, other cattle
decreased 1 10000, sheep decreased $50, coo,
swine decreased 4, ,232, 900.
Without pausing here TO discuss what
bearing this decrease during the year 1917.
in the number of cattle, sheep and swine.
which has been discussed before and is
being viewed with alarm by the agricul-
tural department.. has or may have upon
the future of these useful quadrupeds, we
will say that so far as indicated by those
impartial records-the United States CEN
sus reports-neither the horse the mule,
the ass nor the burro has suffered any
such setback.
Pessimistic Since 1914
Wiseacres have been predicting tie pass
Ing of the horse and shooting pessimistic
prophecies eathwart the national horse
market ever since the year 1914, when
George Stephenson constructed his first
locomotive. When they saw this iron
horse travel at the unprecedented rate OF
six miles an hour they undoubtedly told
their neighbors that 1t was good night
for old Dobbin. Undoubtedly their
prophecy received boost when is years
later Stephenson and Booth built the en-
gine Rocket, which travelled at the rate
of 35 miles an hour
Yet the census figures show that in
the year 1890 there were 4O61 miles of street
railways operated by horses. This shows
that in that year the horse was still the
dominant figure in the street traction
world, electricity was just getting a firm
foothold. M
But when we get down to 1902 we find
that electricity has rooted the horse out
of his place of vantage in the street rail-
way travel, and the horse drawn car was
operating on only 195 miles of road in the
United States. Then those who have been
knocking the horse as a means of get
ting anywhere were certain that they had
his goat.
Nnat the Figures SNOW
But take a slant at the figures. In the
year 1890 there were on the farms and
ranges of the United States Is, PA
horses. Ten years later the number OF
horses on farms and ranges had increased
to 16,952 ,191. In the meantime the bicycle
in this 10 year period took its whack at
the horse as a means of travel.
The "horseless carriage was known be-
fore 1900, but SO little did 1t figure in the
Al. sI.x.4
compiling the census for that year the
general statistics for the automobile in
dustry were included with those of car
riages and wagons. Only 1897 automobiles
were then reported.
But the leaps and bounds made by this
arch enemy of the horse in the next en-
suing 10 years was simply wonderful.
Surely even the friends of the horse must
have grown cold with alarm at the even
increasing popularity of the automobile.
In 1904 the total number of automobiles
was 90 $50, while in 1909 the number was
127, ,2S7, or nearly 33 times the number re-
ported in 1899. There is absolutely no tell
ing how many automobiles viii be man
ufactured in the United States in l9l3-and
no one will know till the statistics are
published. But this great multiplication
of the horseless carriage has not dismayed
the horse. Not at all.
For the year 1910 the census shows that
the total number of horses in the United
States has increased to 23,0lo9O2. having
a value of 2,505, 792, 5SS. Much as it may
surprise the reader who has seen our city
streets usurped by the automobile traf-
ic. the number of horses, not on farms.
has gone UP to B. 1S2,lS9, WITH total Value
of $422 2o4, 1893.
The average value of the horse in the
United States in the year 1910 was sos,
as against $40 10 years previous.
Evidently the horse is some hard to
down.