Show marked decrease of work animals ani mals acute shortage seems certain within five years yega says department prepared by the be united states state of 0 A marked decrease in the number of hot boises ses and mules of working fife age that hut way amount to an acute shortage se seeing cuts certain within live five years ollys eis tile united states department of agriculture unless more horse boree and alth colts are raised during earli of tile the next uvo five years senra than were raised in ila 1024 tho the number ot of horses forms the live years sears fri i now will be only W per cent of present numbers anil and of mules 74 per cent larger crops expected while present replacements of colts and of young oung horses and mules ore are entirely inadequate to cover decreases eusta in tile ilio present numbers of work alil mills ri reports ports coming to the depart went mait front sources indicate that increased breeding and larger colt crops ure tire to be expected reports from state stai llou registration boards especially this luu lui phoned confidence of bleeders breeders breed bre eders cis A rather marked advis inco it in herre bre and mule intile pi pikes ices during the lust last bevi fe indicates unit that it tin shortage way may of al ready lecul lie bo making self felt this it sky be ex i eced to ii clenso further I 1 he interest intel st lit in horse breeding ii ili order i ali r to get it 11 picture of the 1 2 lit bit nation the lie crop reporters of tile lio department ere id to report I 1 tie the ages of ull all horses ind allu les on oil their lull own mn fujii 4 nearly r i polls acro cru tabulated from these alicae tabulations lie percentages of animals of C different ago groups were computed lot foi the hit united states by states and regions the hie above Is tile lie situation if the lit condit conditions lons on oil the barnis of 1 aliese 11 eso rel miters tire ill of till all farms iho study that tile alio largest ngu ago group of horses la is now tuo the eight ond anil nine year old group this Inn making icing up dp nearly one fifth of tile lie total on tile lie other hall blind cults under one year laake tit ill only 9 3 per ier cent mid and colts 0 one year car old only 23 per cent it if horse production ere ru on oil it 11 anent bisbis colts colta under ono one year would do the largest group of till nil horbes only 11 4 por per cent ore under four years eidia 4 per pei cent tire lire from fuin four to nine enis mil and 41 4 per cent tire over nil ien years ears with tile the over ago go ng ge 9 08 98 8 hearts or of nil 1111 lea 10 0 per cent tiro under nikki four years per cent niu art from four to nine years und ind per cent III me over ton with tile average ii eige age of 84 years car rio five years front from now no for animals of the he most useful age 11 e four to nine acura there will lc be only liend heild of horses for every 4 ia head hnud now on n farms and only mules for every at present pure breda increase while tile reports or of the stal stallion llon registration boards show fewer stallions registered lit in 1024 than in ili 1 21 the percentage of pure niru bleds tup Is in ili the lie total alio d till 1111 increase it for lr 1925 nrc coming in ili kimn lit in recent years inars und and tl lube ie nrc by comments ants I 1 boit show filio that hint 01 owners ners nrc are ingli more liapi ful and that hut there Is increased inquiry for or good quality breeding mili mils while for soine henrs ilie th numbers of horses fill and amiles lime hue been licci inore than and prices last year mar were the loht in over ir 20 10 years anra such stich a reduction us its hore ix re indicated seems much too great een I 1 mn walli ith it of other fornis of power for work animals on barins the lie tle tire numbers are probably below fu ture tim nan in inputs in planning breeding operations the department say sais i formers should study tile lie present situation to determine regions where tho the shortage will probably lie be felt the soonest and where su bett utan of other forms forma of will bo be the alie least practicable types of animals suited to these areng areas probably will bo be lit in greatest det demand nand brood litotes should b be carefully selected and should bo be mated with good stallions mul and jacks of tho the types best beat suited to produce high quality colts coils of the kind hind desired |