Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-10-17
WELL.BRED HORSES
SHOULD Be RAISED
WORK SHOULD BE BRED TO
GOOD STATIONS.
WAR CAUSES A DEMAND
Countries at War Possess Nearly
ket for Every Animal.

ashington.-During the next dec
Rde there will probably be. an in
creased demand for American horses
in the countries now engaged in the
European war The demand may even
continue much longer. according to in
yestigatOTs of the United States de.
partment OF agriculture. as not only
will horses be needed for armies. but
when peace is restored. more will be
needed for agriculture. Already Eu-
ropean agents ar. said to be endeavor-
ing to purchase horses in this cOun-
try and Canada, and there is an in
creased interest in many sections in
horse breeding.
To meet this increased European
demand American farmers may well
endeavor to raise well-bred horses, al
though the department of agriculture
does not advise them to purchase
surplus of horses merely for breeding
purposes 1t merely advises that or
binary farm work should be done
whenever possible by good mares,
which should be bred to good stall
lions. 1t also desires to emphasize
the fact that only horses of high quail
ity may be profitably raised today.
Inferior horses are a drug on the mar
ket, and their production is to be dis
couraged as much as the production of
good horses should be encouraged.
The United States has previous
Hrax IN n thurman
countries at war. In the Boer war
over 100000 horses were bought here
by the British government.
1t is natural that European coun-
tries should look to the United States
for horses, as next to Russia it has
moro of these animals than any other
country in the world. The United
States and Russia possess So per cent
of the world supply.
The German army requires for a
complete mobilization 100000 horses
and the French army is said to re-
quire 250,00O. which figure. however
probably includes only those for the
cavalry. II is conservatively estimated
on good authority that 100000 horses
are now engaged in the European war
The rapacious consumption of
horses in war is illustrated by figures
from our own civil conflict. During
his Shenandoah Valley campaign,
Sheridan was supplied with fresh
horses at the rate of $50 per day. In
his report for the year 1865, the quar-
termaster general of the United States
army stated: The service of cav
airy horse under an enterprising COM
mander has averaged only four
months" During 1864 there were 500
horses consumed per day in the North
ern army, without considering those
captured and not reported. During
eight months of that year, the cavalry
of the army of The Potomac was re.
mounted twice. nearly 10000 horses
in all being required
Our own army furnishes a desirable
market for well.bred horses, there be-
ing under the remount system, at
least 5000 horses required annually to
supply both the army and the Ma
tional Guard. There are now about
10000 horses in our regular army on
a peace basis.
The bureau of animal industry o,
the United States department of agri.
culture, Washington, d. c.. stands
ready to aid any farmer desiring to
breed high-class horses. As the day
of the large horse ranch is practically
gone, any increased demand will have
to be met by the farmer.