540 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



mixed lot of horses on hand and the country became flooded with stock 

 that was not marketable. It was not the kind of horses that the city 

 patrons wanted. 



This indiscriminate breeding continued until in the 90's. In '93 the 

 panic came and the bottom fell out of the horse business. Since then 

 farmers have hesitated about raising horses fearing that it will be over- 

 done again. They are afraid that by the time they have a crop ready for 

 the market, prices will again decline. That is a mistake. We predict 

 continued high prices for horses. There may at times be some decline 

 in prices, but there will also be advances even over present prices and 

 the man who sticks to heavy drafters will be sticking to a business 

 that, taking everything into consideration, will bring him more money 

 than any other live stock on the farm. We do not mean to discourage 

 those who prefer to raise roadsters, coachers and saddle horses in prefer- 

 ence to drafters. There is a demand for these at good prices, but it 

 cannot be denied that there is more risk in raising horses of this type 

 than there is in raising drafters. 



This is an age of specialists. We are all agreed that the man who has 

 a specialty and devotes his entire attention to that specialty is more apt to 

 make a success than the man who dabbles in a little of everything. At 

 any rate, the specialist is in demand. What is true of man is true of live 

 stock. The special-purpose horse, the special-purpose cow and the special- 

 purpose hog are the animals that are and will continue to be the most 

 profitable ones to raise. The Ameriean people want the best of everything. 

 When they are looking for a roadster they want the best; when they are 

 looking for a horse to pull heavy loads they want the best, and they are 

 willing to pay a price that will enable the producer to raise the best. 

 Everyone is embued with the well known saying, "the best is the cheapest 

 in the end." No man can raise draft horses more economically and 

 develop them more fully than can the farmer. The mare doing moderate 

 work will produce a more vigorous colt than the mare of the professional 

 breeder that has to run in the pasture from one year's end to the other. 

 If we will raise horses from mares and stallions whose muscles are 

 toughened by labor, our chances of securing horses adapted for the severe 

 work demanded of them on the streets in our large cities will be much 

 better than if we raised them from mares that are never even broke to har- 

 ness. 



It is becoming more difficult from year to year to hire farm labor. For 

 this reason farm machinery has increased rapidly. New machines are 

 being invented, older machines are being enlarged. Instead of mowing 

 with a four-foot mover as we did a few years ago, we now use a six-foot 

 machine; a twelve-foot rake; a thirty-four-foot drag; larger plows and 

 larger wagons. Instead of cultivating one row of corn we now cultivate 

 two at a time. Man labor is constantly decreasing on the farm and horse 

 labor is taking its place. In view of these changes even from a standpoint 

 of economy in work, the heavy horse is actually becoming more service- 

 able as a working animal on the farm than the so-called general-purpose 

 horse, which is another argument in favor of paying more attention to 



