The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-08-26
HORSE FAMINE COMING.
Predicted by United States Breeder.
Is Result of War,

A horse famine in the United
States is predicted by western breed
ers II the European war continues
another year. In western Nebraska
and in South Dakota, Wyoming, Mon
tana and Colorado are hundreds of
ranches where horses have been rais-
ed for years. These range animals
form the lower stratum of the horse
world. Although they are hardy and
OF fairly average height and weight
they lack the breeding of the general
purpose farm animals and the draft
horses. A year ago they brought less
Oh the average than 500.
! 1t was this source of supply that
the horse buyers for the European
belll gerents, the allies mostly, first
reached. The demand speedily sent
the price up to 1925 for cavalry and
$15O for horses suitable to haul
guns, or "gunners" in the vernacu-
lar. Today they are bringing $165
to 1900 each, and there isn't
enough to supply the demand.
| At first rigid inspection was en-
forced, and any animal that did not
weight 1900 pounds and which was
| not absolutely perfect was rejected.
Today any animal that gives reason
to hope that it will stand the gait
is accepted and more money paid.
The Italians were partly responsible
for this. When their buyers entered
the field they were content with
smaller and lighter animals than the
English and French, and as they
were willing to pay just as good
prices they were able to get all they
wanted.
The reason was that the first buy
ers in the field insisted on dealing
with men who could contract to de-
liver by certain time q large num-
Der of horses, and by rejecting al
large percentage and requiring de-
livery on board ship at Atlantic ports
those contractors found they were1
losing money. The Italians sent buy
ers direct to the western stockyards,|
and asked only that they be sent
there for inspection.
With no capital invested many
buyers have been raking in profits
running from $500 to $4,000 a week.
Five dollars commission for each
horse accepted and the inspection
bars almost to the ground have made
this possible.
Scattered all through the middle
west are horse buyers who have an
accurate knowledge Of just where
purchasable animals are to be found.
1t is their business to keep posted,
and it is this knowledge they arel
nov cashtng lin at amazing profit. !,
Another year of this great DRAIN"
says Mark w. Woods, head of one OIL
the largest breeding and horse job
70 ri IN III In
and the future of the business in !
this country will be seriously menae-
ed. As long as the demand was lin
tied to the range animals 1t was de- !
cidedly beneficial to the Industry, for
the reason that this meant q clean !
up Of the inferior grades, which
would certainly be supplanted by |
purchases of better animals from the
breeders.
But the farm supply 10 now being
tapped, and there the breeding indus
try has its stronghold. For the last !
twenty, years farmers have had the
benefit Of much preaching through
the stock auctioneers and farm pa
pers OF the advantages of better l.
breeding. This means the crossing of
the common stock with pedigreed
oAAA0I0s Win 6CI Cu0I ID OSttVIt
boned, better set up and more valu-
able. The result has been that ev-
cry progressive farmer In the great
middle west has conducted a breed
ing farm on small scale-in some
instances on a-large scale. Each
year several coltsN1re added to- 1.-The
herd, and from this stock still bet
ter animals are bred. .;.s>,
In the last two months the price
Of these colts has just about doubled,
and II the, war keeps draining. the
from this source ID bound
to demoralize the industry by taking
the breeding stock. This means 'that
it will take us years to get back to
the old standards. Besides that it
will make 1t q didicult task to supply
mounts for our own army II we
should happen to be drawn into the
war. The SITUATE 10 not very serious
now, but<i contains possibilities Of
a menace.-New York Sun.