1052 New York State Beeedees' Association 



have given the horse undue prominence on the program. The 

 situation of the horse-breeding industry in the State of New York 

 is such as to indulge the hope that you will deem it wise on our 

 part that we have given this subject so much prominence ; for what- 

 ever encourages the breeding of horses, whatever will tend to stimu- 

 late that industry, will also tend to stimulate and encourage the 

 breeding of every other domestic animal upon the farm. As near 

 as the facts can be ascertained (and it is well within the truth) 

 the farmers, truckmen and draymen of the State of New York 

 purchase annually more than 80,000 horses. To come well within 

 the figures, if those horses cost $200 each (which is a low esti- 

 mate) it means that we are paying $16,000,000 a year for the 

 horses that we are using on our farms. It is a tremendous drain 

 upon us, and we are so situated, I believe, that we can profitably 

 raise horses much cheaper than we can buy them. If 

 we are to pursue agriculture on the same general plan that wo 

 are now following, we are of necessity going to be obliged to 

 raise more of the horses necessary for our farming operations. 

 The supply from the West is going to decrease. The time is 

 rapidly coming, and is practically here, when the western states 

 from which the great supply of horse-flesh has come are produc- 

 ing no more animals than are necessary for their o\\ti farming 

 operations, and the very high price which we are required to pay 

 for our farm horses "at this time is proof of the fact that their 

 scarcity ha^ brought the price up to an abnormal figure. 



Now what I state in regard to the dairy cow, and in regard 

 to the horse, applies with equal force to the sheep and the pig. 

 The farmers of the State of New York are not producing enough 

 pork to supply our people for a single month. There is no 

 reason, it seems to me, why we should not produce a much 

 greater proportian of the pork and the pork products that our 

 own people consume. This state will never be a great pork- 

 producing state"; we are given to other lines of agriculture. But 

 I believe that the pig has a place on every well-regulated farm, 

 and that they should be produced, and can be profitably produced 

 as a side line in greatly increased numbers on practically every 

 farm of the state. Take the figures in regard to our sheep 



