The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-11-24
Will the Horse Come Back?

Will the Horse Come Back?
Although one always is suspicious Of panaceas for
whatever may be the ills Of the movement, propasand-
lists for various movements sometimes bring forward
bits of truth which may be worthy of consideration.
Such is the case Of the Horse association Of America.
the primary purpose of which is to provide an ever
increasing market for draft horses. It Is the conten-
ton Of this organization that American farms have been
over-mechanized and that this condition IS blamable
for the low prices Of farm products. The moral which
this organization points out, Of course, is that = more
extensive use Of horses Is farm power WOULD result IN
improvement for agriculture.
Propagandists usually overstate their case and 1t Is i'm
probable that the Horse association Is an exception.
However, the ideas which it expresses represent one view
Of interest to the farmer. In brief, the contention Il that
the farmer is producing his salable goods at too high
a price and that the market for his products Is. at the
same time, decreasing. In addition, the statement Is
made that the situation win continue to grow worse In
stead of better and that the wise farmer will do some
thing about it as an individual and thus prepare him
self for the future.
The reasons for the smaller consumption, a. advanced
by this organization. are the reduced birth rate as shown
by statistics from this and other countries, and the
change in occupation Of most persons living In America.
In the old days, when men worked with their hands
and used up vast amounts of energy, they consumed
great quantities Of meat. potatoes and other staples.
The mechanical era in industry has changed all that.
Appetites are not as big as they used to be.
Higher standards Of living, so the claim goes. have
resulted in a lower birth rate since married persons no
longer feel able to provide for a large number Of chill
dren as was the case a generation or more ago.
The result, It is asserted. u that the potential total
sales volume for agricultural products Is not increasing
at the same pace a. the farmers ability to produce.
Of additional interest to the American farmer 70 the
Fact that foreign production Of farm products probably
will increase rather than decrease, SO the story goes.
Improved implements and the use Of power on the farms
Of Russia and other countries are bringing new and
hard competitors into the markets Of the world where
farm produce is sold.
The picture thus drawn is that Of . steadily increasing
volume Of farm products dumped upon a market where
the demand steadily is d~windling. Truly = dscourasing
outlook unless something Il done about Il.
Whether or not they offer q sound and correct answer
will depend on the situation and circumstances Of the
individual farmer but, right or wrong. the Horse associa-
ton says one solution is the use Of more horsepower on
the farm. It is estimated that the farmer who ap-
proaches the average Of efficiency will get about 1000
hours of work out Of each horse at a cost Of about %
cents a day. It estimated that eight horses win do the
work Of one tractor.
To accomplish this end. the use of big" bitches with
eight or more horses being driven by one man y i'd
vocated. The manner in which this Is done VA demon.
strated at the state corn show held here recently and
has long been one Of the interesting projects demon
strated BY state agricultural college expertA
The claim i made that horsepower represents . smaller
investment with Ieas depreciation and 8 smaller cost Of
upkeep. In addition. It = urged. the fertilizer provided
BY the horses win help maintain the fertility Of the farm
and the acreage used to provide horsefeed viii not be
devoted to the production Of grain o. other crops for
sale on an already slutted market.
It is doubtful II this OF any other single thing is .
complete answer to the farm problem q we know It. and
there certainly Il . sreat deal to be said for the speed
and efficiency OF tractors ana other modern farm
machinery.
problems In his own way and anything which Is claimed
TO offer q way out Of the present farm trouble Is worth
consideration.