Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1921-07-07

l1dmlsr toss op Despite Growth
az lfcfof Industry.

of 1Gc3of Indnstry-
At the beginning Of 1920 there
Were on American farms or used
for hauling service in the cities
q milli6a horses and 5 million
mules, valued at more than 2 bill
lion dollars. In spite of the rapid
development of the automotive
industry in the United States, the
production of work animals has
increased in recent years and to-
day there is said to be good
market for the best stock. Well
raised draft horses have demon
strated their value and they are
in constant demand. &
In the Southern States mules
arelargely used in place of horses
for farm work and good mules
bring good prices. notwithstand-
ing the business depression. At
Fast st. Louis, ILL.,. famous mule
market, carload altar carload has
been shipped out obtaining
mules that bring from $500 to
5000 pair. Many of these are
destined for the sugar and tobac-
co plantations of Cuba, Porto
Rico and other countries, where
mules can stand the heat much
better than horses.
The horse has been man s beast
of burden for many centuries
and his scope of usefulness is
wide. More than 80 per cent
of all farming operations in the
United States is carried on, with
animal power, and although the
motor truck and automobile have
usurped the place of the horse in
the larger cities and towns, there
are still many lines of work in
which the horse excels the motor.
For short hauls and where fire.
quent stops must be made in de-
livering goods, the horse drawn
vehicle is more economical, and
this accounts for the milk. bakery
and similar Industries retaining
their animal drawn vehicles for
delivery work, even though the
longer hauls and the bigger loads
are handled by motor truck.
In some large cities the trend
seems to be moving back again
to the horse for hauling work;
because larger transportation
companies engaged in handling
both motor and horse drawn traf-
fic have found from experience
that animals do better for certain
Glasses of delivery work. than mo-
/ tors. For large, heavy loads and
long hauls the motor trucks are
superior, but all of the traffic in
the cities is not of this nature,
and where trucks have been re-
lied on exclusively to handle all
classes of transportation the cost
of operation and upkeep has been
found to be excessive, under GER
tain circumstances. ...s.
In the city Of Chicago, where
many of the most-traveled streets
are crossed by canals or water
ways, requiring bridges, horse
drawn vehicles were found to be
best for delivery work, for when
frequent stops were necessary,
the fuel consumption of the mo-
tor vehicles was greatly increas-
ed while the service performed
was diminished by reason of the
delays and loss of time.
The great majority of horses
of course are used on the farms
and here there are many reasons
why some farmers prefer animal
power to tractor power. To be-
gin with, many farmers raise
their own work stock and in such
cases no depreciation need be fig
ured on the work stock, for they
perpetuate themselves, whereas
power farming machinery wears
out after a few years use and de-
probation must be figured into
the cost. .''
All an animal gets for its la
bor is its feed and care, and most
farmers grow their own feed, so
the cost is not usually figured,
even though it would bring in
considerable> sum each year il
sold. Another contribution made
by animals, in addition to their
power, is the value Of the fertili-
ger which they produce. 1t is es-
tlmatad that tho farfiliyar con-
stituents contained in the annual