The Sun and the New York herald., 1920-07-25
ACUTE SHORTAGE
OF BIG HORSES
Heavy Draft Teams Bringing
Highest Prices Ever Known
in New York Market.

Increased production of good horses
seems 10 be the great need of the trade
at present Fiss, Doerr G. Carroll, tho
largest dealers in horses in the East,
state that they sold more draft horses
for city use in the first six months Of
1920 thap in any other similar period
for many years and could have disposed
Of many more had the supply been
available. A. NJ. Ernst, general manager
Of the company. said yesterday of the
situation in the East:
we have enjoyed an unusually good
trale this year, City users Of trans
po.tation are swinging back to big draft
horses as the cheapest, most reliable and
most efficient motive power for all
heavy transportation within the work
ing radius of a horse. despite the In
creased c5st of feed. which has been
formidable during the last year.
City users are also coming to realize
that for all hauls, no matter what dis
tame. where FIRE luent stops are involved.
as in delivering groceries, ice, milk or
other supplies furnished to customers on
regular routes, horses are the economical
hauling power. The trade is gaining.
"Our great problem to-day Is to sup
ply that trade. Good horses are becoming
increasingly scarce and prices have been
higher this season than we have ever
known. Heavy draft teams have been
bringing $500 to $1,000 a pair, but II
they go much higher the balance of
favor will be liable to swing over to
motor trucks.
There Is good profit to farmers in
raising draft geldings to bring 1926 to
$500 on the farm, yet we cannot get
enough horses OF that type.
THE market is here and will continue
as long as the supply is anywhere near
adequate, but our buyers in the Missis-
sippi Valley report that farmers haven't
bred their mares during the last four
years, and but few are in a position to
sell any heavy draft animals.
I'm the past good farmers had young
stock coming on. and could and did sell
their mature mares and geldlngs hard
ened and suitable for city use. To-day,
on account of the fact that no young
horses are coming on to take the place
Of these older ones, they cannot spare
the horses seven and eight years old.
1t is a great handicap to our trade.
The practical thing to do to meet the
immediate situation Is to follow the sug-
gestion of Wayne Dinsmore, secretary
Of the Horse Association of America,
who advises all Central West farmers to
buy good grade Western horses three
or four years old this fall and sell the
older farm stock. These Western horses,
raised In Colorado. Wyoming. Montana
and other Western States. carry three
or four crosses of draft blood and
weigh between fourteen and fifteen
hundred pounds However, IL shipped
to corn belt farms and worked there
during their fourth and fifth years. with
liberal feed, they mature at sixteen to
seventeen hundred pounds. The corn
belt farms will benefit doubly because
they will be able to sell their old horses
before any material depreciation sets in
and they will also gain In the increase
| in value Of the young Western horses
purchased at three or four years old and
grown out to increased size and Useful
ness"