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Show The Best Horse to Raise? Heber Parker, an Experienced Horseman of Wellsville, writes Article in Response to Inquiry on the Part of Many. I say unhesitatingly that the draft horso Is the best and most prolitablc horse tho farmer can raise. I say so, Just becauso ray experience and observation obser-vation has proven that a larger per cent of draft hoiscs raised aio more marketable than other breeds. My estimation is that by breeding to a good draft sire the farmer will raise 00 per cent marketable horses, while breeding to harness sires he docs well If he produces 25 per cent of them marketable. I say to the farmer, leave the so-called specialist to breed and raiso tho harness horse. No farmer can or will do his farm justice by taking tak-ing tho tlmo that is necessary and putting his mind on educating, shoeing shoe-ing and fitting the harness horse for the market. While I admit that In breeding the harness horse, a chance Hotter or high "knee actor" is secured secur-ed the average farmer docs not realize it, nor docs ho reap the benefit. The hoisc is sold to the "middle man" or to the specialist who fits him and makes him valuable. There is not one farmer in a hundred who could train and lit him, and If lie could and did so, ho would tear his time and mind from his farm vvoik. 1 have in mind a farmer who did train andvflt a trotter lor the market for which ho received 8.1,000 but In doing It he lost a $10,000 faim, so I repeat again to tho farmer leave, this to tho specialist and keep right on breeding the goodjiual-ity goodjiual-ity draft hoisc. I have sold many draft colts 3 or 4 ycais old to prominent promin-ent bujers for both tho eastern and western markets that have never looked througji a collar, sold them for "green workers" arid never had one rejected on account of not working. 1 have been engaged In tho horse business busi-ness since 1870. I have visited tho principal Eastern and European markets mar-kets and today 1 am firmly convinced that the draft horse is the best all-round all-round horse for the farmer. While in the east lately I came In contact with many foielgn buyers who havo had long experience and heard somo of them say: "Cant use that horse ho Is too Frcnchy". We farmers may say he is loo "clamish" but with all that wc must not let our own prejudices run away with our pocket books. Raise tho kind that can be sold to the foreign buyer as well, for the highest prices. It is a well known fact that nearly every draft horse sold in Chicago for $300 and over In the past three jcars, Shhe or Cljde blood predominated pre-dominated in his veins. Of course we farmers' can't all raise $300 horses but we can try, aud arc warranted In the effort so long as the foreign demands de-mands last and I believe it has come to stay. Out of 21 buycis I metNn the east Kl of them wcic buying for the English market; certainly theie Is a great futuie for tho reeding of ilrst class draft horses. 1 am often asked which is the safest and best draft breed to mate with your mares. I answer, an-swer, each of tho recognicd draft breeds havo "their respective meilts. While 1 am a great admlrorof the Percheron horse to raise In this great agricultural state in lieu of foreign demands that has grown up in tho past few years for the heavy draft hosre, 1 am forced to believe that the shlro hoisc Is tho best and safest sire. Three fourths of tho demand for draft horses go to our pilnclpal cities such as San Francisco, CJiIcago, etc., and they must havo big bone and "feather" "feath-er" as they call it. Two weeks ago I sco by tho Drover's Journal of Chicago that a full car of fat draft horses sold for the wonderful averago of $302.60 the best average over made in Chicago of draft horses and jou can depend on ono thing, that Is, draft horses will bo no cheaper till we raiso the marcs to breed tho good draft horses. Of course In selecting your mares to breed, bo careful you do not get them too fine or light boned DUt rather on the contrary select them more open and coarser or loose, and mato with heavy boned, good quality and stylish sires and you will reap the best results. It is fact that as long as a shire horse feeds and gains pounds he gains dollars; It is not so with many of tho other breeds. Many of the draft horses do not havo tha bone and feather to go into our best feeding stables to be finished out. Now my advice Is stick to the text and breed good draft horses only. |
