Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-02-03
MORE HORSES THAN EVER
United States Not Drained by
Wars Demands.
only !OO.OOO shipped AbrOad-Ccnsus
shows 24.OOO. 900 Left ard 4,5OO.OOO
MmIcs--Govcrnmcnt Enhancing
Quality of Production.

pV of the United States for use of the
warning armies of Europe, there are more
! horscs IN tho Urited states to-day than
over Lcforc, according to the Bureau of
Animal Industry Furthermore the
horses which have been exported to
Europe have not been selected from
among the best of tho country: FOR
although they have been sound and well
adapted to the purposes for which they
have been purchased. they have been for
the most part nothing more than an ordi-
nary breed with a few isolated eXcep-
tions. The supply Of mules also is stu
plentiful, according to the bureau, since
only a fractional part of them have
been exported to Europe for war pur-
poses In round numbers the bureau
has estimated that there are 2i,oO,O0
horses and d5n,0OO mules in the United
States at the present time, and that
since the beginning of the war not more
than 10000 horses and 1900 mules have
been sent to the European nations. The
average cost of the horses delivered to
the purchasing government at the sea
port To which thew we're consigned has
been estimated at sl75.
Although the United States controls
nearly one-fnurth of tine worlds supply
of horses, aud is second only to Rus
STA in that respect the class of animals
which have been bred in late years has
not been of the highest and is not pro-
ducinr the results which the government
I'officials have wished The reasons for
this decline are said to ne the lack of
good stations, caused bv the decreasing
demand for good horses in the cities,
and the closing Of the race tracks in the
eastern States by State Legislatures.
thus putting an end to the demand for
Thoroughbred animals. and causing the
cessation of horse breeding activities
among the important horse breeds The
rapid increase in tho use of the auto
mobile, too. has been another important
factor in the decline Of the horse breeding
industry.
GOVERNMENT TAKES A HAND
with view. therefore, to stopping this
alarming condition the government in
1873 through the department of aericul-
ture, adopted the plan of sending a num-
her of good stations to localities where
there were plenty of good mares but few
good stations. For this purpose the
government now owns about thirty seven
stations which. during the past fiscal
year were bred to 215s mares in Nir-
cinia, West Virginia. Kentucky and New
England States. The government has
three headquarters where horses are
stationed, and during the breeding period.
beginning about the first of April they
are sent out to the surrounding towns.
to which the farmers bring their mares.
From Middlcbury, VT, station. the only
government headquarters of the Morgan
breed, stations are sent to Maine New
hampshire and Vermont towns. where
they are bred to the farmers ma res.
One If the largest stations is that at
Front Royal, Va, where the thorough
bred, standard bred and saddle stations
are chartered. These horses are sent into
West Virginia and neighboling places in
fact; to any nearby town where there is
sufficient demand from the farmer The
third station is at Lexington, Ky, where
only the standard bred and saddle stall
lions are uuartered
While this work has not been conducted
long enough to warrant definite CON
illusions as to how valuable it may prove
To the country at large, III" bureau feels
that the interest is becoming greater as
the work progresses. Tn" purposes of the
work are tWofold: encouragement of the
production of a high class Of horse. and
the production of horses suitable for
militia" purposes The benefits of the
work are also twofold, for not only will
the government be able to obtain a bet
ter class If horse for military purposes,
but the farmer, IL he wishes to keep the
colt, may do so upon the payment of n
nominal fee of 81 He IL thus assured
Of a better colt than he might otherwise
get If his mare was bred to a lower class
stallion.
The contract for this service provides
that if the government desires to buy
the colt when he is three yeas old it
may do so upon the payment of $50.
although the farmer need not give up the
colt if he does not wish to. In that event
h" simply forfeits the service fec which
in all cases is so, This may seem a
hardship upon the government in some
cases, hut in any event the type OF
animal being raised is much better than
1t would have been otherwise. The chief
aim Of the government Is to produce
good horses and this cannot he done
unless the srcs are of high class
Strangely enough there Is very little
selection in the choice Of mare unless
she is way off type or is unsound. These
ar" the only two restrictions, for eX-
prricnce has shown that a high-class
stallion will nave moro to do with the
class to get than the breed of the dam.
The appropriation for this work was
cut from $4,000 to $4,000 during the past
year 50 that six of the stations had to
be disposed Of. However with these
b stations IA more mares were served
last year than in 1914. In the previous
year only $50 mares We're served by the
a. stations. This is explained by the fact
that the farmers thought there might he
some snare in the contract and were shy
whom the scheme was first put into
operation three years ago. Since they
have seen it's benefits, however they
have looked upon the scheme with much
more interest and have awaited them
selves quite generally Of this government
privilege.
The government will begin to exercise
it's first option in the spring of 1917 when
the first batch of colts numbering about
fOD. will reach the age of three years.
From all accounts "A fine lot OF horses
viii he available and from then on in
increasing numbers, when a sufficient
number of horses finally become avail
able for army purposes, it is the intention
of the war department to mount four
companies, each ON a different breed
turned out by the government, and try