Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-10-23
The High Price OF Horses.
a the Washington Star.

From the Washington Star.
"HOfses are high now. but make the
prophecy that IL the European war lasts
twelve months they will be 90 high that
the ownership Of one will be accepted as
a sign Of wealth. said Washington man
who is a hOrseman as well as horse
dealer
For several years horses have been high
and this has been partly due TO the auto
mobile. psradOxicsl as that may sound ;
partly due 70 the extension Of the custom
Of delivering small parcels at the homes
Of buyers and 10 a number OF other causes
With the development Of the antomo-
bile il was widely believed, o. at Least
widely alleged that the end Of the horse
age was at hand and some hOrsebfeeders
cut down their output OF retired from the
business altogether. The ban on horse
racing that is, running races-and the
decline Of harness races forced a good
many breeders out Of the business and
sent some Of the best studs abroad. This
cut down the supply Of horses. 1t cut
down not only the supply Of race horses.
but horses Of numerous types. All horses
bred for racing do not turn out 10 be race
horses and these horses. in most cases
splendid horses. but not fast enough to
win. went to work for men under the sad
die or in light harness or for breeding
purposes.
"A horse is not much good for any kind
Of work unless he has some thorough
bred blood in him. and when the thorough
bred. Or running horse. and the standard
bred, Or trotting horse. are blended in vary
ing proportions the most useful horses in
the world are produced. Then, too. many
race horses their days Of racing ended.
found their way into what might be termed
legitimate work. For these reasons the
ban on racing caused the supply Of horses
10 fall of.
Though the number Of automobiles in
creased at an amazing rate, the demand
for horses also increased. The light de-
livery business increased. Grocery stores.
flower stores. meat shops, laundries. tailor
shops. etc. now deliver the goods bought
and this delivery business is one Of the
causes Of the increased cost Of living. A
few years ago a man or woman would
make a purchase and take the bundle
home. That habit is nearly extinct in
cities. II woman buys soup bone. or a
bunch Of carrots, or pair Of gloves or a
box Of collars. the storekeeper delivers the
goods, and II he wants TO keep his trade or
develop his business he must make prompt
and frequent deliveries II man has a
shirt and a pair Of socks washed at
laundry-and the old-fashioned wash wo-
man has nearly passed away-he expects
his laundry to be delivered. All milk and
bread are delivered. This has made a
great demand for horses.
I'm the country the demand for horses
has increased because Of the cutting up of
I'd int ornon N
man working a small farm needs horses.
A few years ago big farmer might
use a one-horse plOw or yoke Of steers,
but even the small farmer today IL he
has any sense Of progress uses twO-horse
pillow.
There has been a marked increase In
the demand for horses Of saddle, hunter,
charger and polo types. and among pros
porous or ambitious people there has grown
up strong demand for high-class horses.
SO you see. in spite Of the fact that
trolley cars have superseded horse cars,
and the streets are full Of motors, the de-
mand for horses has increased. while the
the supply has diminished.
This war is going to make drain on
the American horse market. Horse NOR
tality in war is high. Army horses in
campaigns die from many other causes
than gunshot wounds. They die from
Overw0rk, lack Of water. lack Of feeding,
overwhelming. overlooking. lack Of rest,
lack OF care after overeating and various
diseases. Cavalry. field artillery, ammu-
milton and commissary trains require a
constant supply Of horses | have read
that nearly one-half Of all the horses in
in the German army had been destroyed or
worn out when the German advance reached
high-water mark, September 6. Perhaps
this is an overstatement, but the horse
losses OF the German and Austrian armies
and OF the allies have no doubt been stu
pendOus from overwork alone These losses
must be made up and Europe has already
been nearly depleted Of horses for military
purposes.
Germany has been rehOrsine her armies
by purchases in Norway, Sweden, Denmark
and Holland, and England, after making
heavy drafts on the horses of England and
Ireland. is drawing on Canada, which, in
turn, is drawing on the United States. The
news in certain papers devoted to the
horse business shows that British army
buyers have appeared in the great horse
markets at Kansas City, St. Louis and
Chicago. 1t has been said that the British
buyers are shipping all their horses to
Canada. and are really buying or paying
for them there, presumably to avoid com
plications. French army buyers are re-
ported as buying in the United States, as
well as in Mexico and South America.
AN idea Of the use of horses may be
gained from the fact that England in the
first call for horses took $4,000 for artil-
lery and wagon trains. and $4,000 for
cavalry. The war is going to make the
price Of horses in the United States very
much higher than 1t is now"