Horse Breeding to Increase the Farm Income 



1513 



The development of such large horse-markets has attracted buyers 

 from all over the world and has created a demand that is difficult to supply, 

 which, in connection with our own heavy consumption from both country 

 and city, affords the very best horse-market that can be found. This 

 is particularly true of heavier types of horses so much in demand for city 

 traffic. 



COST OF RAISING A HORSE 



While the cost of producing a horse will depend entirely on conditions 

 and will vary greatly in different parts of the country, yet, in order to gain 

 an idea of the approxi- 

 mate cost of raising a 

 horse, we have been 

 keeping account of the 

 food, both hay and 

 grain, consumed by 

 growing horses. With 

 food at the market 

 price (1910-1911- 

 191 2), it cost approxi- 

 mately $145 to raise 

 a light horse up to 

 three years of age, 

 $160 to raise a 

 medium-weight horse, 

 and $175 to raise a 

 draft horse up to the 

 same age. This cost 

 includes a very liberal 

 grain ration, practi- 

 cally all the hay the 

 animals would eat, 

 the service fee, and the Hkc; no doubt it can be reduced on the 

 average farm, where there is often much food with little market value. 

 It is interesting to note the small increase in cost between the light, 

 medium, and heavy horse, the draft horse costing only $30 more than the 

 light horse. 



Profit from raising a horse 



Occasionally the remark is made that it is cheaper to buy a horse than 



to raise one. With a view of obtaining some light on this question, we 



compared the average selling price with the above cost price for the 



same period of time. The average selling price for the three years 



55 



Fig. 224. — Prize-whining pure-bred Belgian stallion 



