No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 587 



states, including especially Iowa, Ohio, Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas 

 and the Dakotas. 



From this presentment, it might appear obvious that the farmers 

 of the North Atlantic states, including those of Pennsylvania, should 

 engage more generally in the breeding of horses and especially of 

 draft horses. I believe this is true; but I wish the demonstration 

 was more complete. Certainly farmers of these states should raise 

 as good draft horses as their western neighbors, or unless they can 

 make more money doing something else. 



We began actively to breed draft horses in the United States 

 about 50 years ago. These operations began in Central Ohio and 

 have moved westward until the whole of the Central w'est has be- 

 come permeated w'ith horses of draft breeding. During the half 

 century that has elapsed, the draft horse has appeared unable to 

 make its way eastward to any considerable extent except to be con- 

 sumed. Has this been due to habit or to the lack of suggestion? 

 Has the accident of introducing the draft horse into a pioneer coun- 

 try been the cause of its western development? Have the Eastern 

 farmers been making so much money during the half century that 

 they could afford to allow the Western farmer to supply the needs 

 cf our Eastern cities with draft horses, not to mention other classes 

 of horses? Or is the reason more fundamental? 



One thing is certain, that the phenomenal development of the 

 Central West has been in larger measure related to the application 

 of efficient motive power to the production and marketing of farm 

 crops. The draft horse has been a factor in this development. The 

 efficiency of the horse as a motive power has been raised to such an 

 extent as to reduce the number of horses required to do a given 

 amount of work. It may be questioned whether the increase in 

 efficiency of the horses of the United States has not been a greater 

 factor in influencing the number of horses required than all the 

 railroads, trollev lines, automobiles and bicvcles. It is interestinsr 

 in this connection to quote an item which appeared recently: 



^'The New York subway, which is carrying three hundred and fifty 

 thousand passengers a day, has not decreased the travel on the ele- 

 vated railroads, and has affected only slightly that on the surface 

 cars. The new East River bridge which was opened to car traffic a 

 few weeks ago carries crow^ded cars, and yet the traffic on the old 

 bridge remains practically unaffected. Here are two cases in a 

 single city which prove what observers have long known — that every 

 improvement in transit facilities increases the number of people 

 who w'ill use them, or rather, the same people will ride more when 

 they can ride easily than when the accommodations are inadequate.'' 



Whatsoever may be the condition in the past we must face the 

 facts as we find them. I believe that the Eastern farmer would do 

 his farm work more efficiently and more economically if he had lar- 

 ger horses. I believe it would pay some of these farmers to sup- 

 ply the Eastern market with high class draft horses. It should not 

 be forgotten, however, that the problem is one of considerable diffi 

 culty. If a farmer desires to raise beef cattle or dairy cattle or 

 mutton sheep or fine wooled sheep, he has only to buy the necessary 

 females and a sire and proceed to realize his ideal. As every one 

 knows, in the breeding of horses the farmer cannot cope with the 



