Evening star., 1914-11-08
VIE wars demand on the Amer
lean horse market Is already
being heavily felt" said q

= being heavily felt, salo
Washington horse dealer, land 1t Is
bound to become heavier as the war
progresses The horse supply of the
whole world is being drawn on. and
while the supply is diminishing the de-
mand is increasing. Long after the
war has closed the United States, Can
ada and South America will be called
on to restore the European supply OF
horses needed for general business ana
agriculture. because of the depletion
of that supply occasioned by losses In
the war sThe demand for American
horses caused by the war. according to
a note issued by the Department OF
Agriculture, may continue a decade or
longer, as, when peace is restored, more
horses will be needed for agriculture.
Horse losses are inevitably great in
war because Of injuries, irregular
feeding, irregular periods OF rest and
exposure, but the losses In the present
conflict must be extraordinarily heavy.
because of the long-continued fighting
and changes of positions There seems
to be no period of rest for man or
beast, but a man can Withstand such
unusual demands upon his vitality bet
ter than a horse can. The horse de-
pends upon a regular mode of living.
hours. and his ancestors likewise for
many generations before him. He Is
more a creature of habit In matters OF
eating and sleeping than man Is, and
he lacks the adaptability Of man In
breaking away from old habits and ac-
curing new ones. That is why a very
high percentage of the horses that
went into active service at the moment
of mobilization must now be dead or
disabled.
f,o hna
somewhat relieved, perhaps very great
ly relieved. in the present war by the
extensive use of the gasoline engine
and by the network OF railroads, but
still, it has not been possible to sup
plant the horse for cavalry. field artil-
lery or even for the transport OF sup
plies and men.
TT is conservatively estimated that
100000 horses are now engaged in
the war. Because of the numbers of
men engaged according to the most re-
liable accounts, the extent of the
theate of operations and the unusual
prominence of artillery and cavalry it
would seem that that estimate must be
under the facts, but with a million
horses engaged the resupply is sufii-
cient to put drain upon the horse
markets of those countries not parties
to the war.
Il have it from men actively en-
gagged in the horse trade that England
is in the American market for 10000
horses suitable for cavalry and artil-
lery, and that more than 5000 have
been bought in Pennsylvania, Mary
land and Virginia. Canada has al
ready been drawn on for horses, and
gentina. There have been large pur-
chases of horses in the big horse mar
kets at East St. Louis and Kansas
City for French and British account
as we'll The horses for France are
being shipped from New Orleans and
New York. the transports being con-
vowed by naval cruisers. The horses
for England are being shipped by rail
to Montreal and there put on board
and taken over the sea
under armed convoy.
There was a shortage of horses in
Europe when the war was begun.
Nearly all the continental nations of
Europe, with the exception of Russia,
tilities only two-thirds of the number
of horses necessary in proportion to
the number of men enrolled at the
of mobilization. The number
placed at 100000, as against a mobili-
zation that called for $4,000. France
is reported to have been 10000 short
of her full complement of mounts.
England'S horse shortage was more
pronounced than that of Germany or
France The shortage of horses and
the difficulty and expense of obtain
ing an adequate supply, and of main
tanning it, is one reason why so much
reliance has been placed upon the
motor.
During the Boer war England, in
addition to her large purchases Of
mules, very nearly cleaned up the
American supply of horses suitable
nv a
derful development of the automobile
there has been little breeding of the
saddle type of the weight carrying
horse with enough of the thorough
bred in his veins to make a cavalry
mount.