224 RURAL AEW YORK 



of horses remains to be seen. It seems likely that 

 there will be an increase in the proportion of the 

 heavier horse that is preeminently adapted to heavy 

 draft purposes. It is clear that the heavier horses 

 are increasing in favor. But in those parts of the 

 State composed of steep fields and roads, a fairly 

 light type of horse is likely to continue in favor. 

 On the other hand, the farm tractor of which there 

 were 3000 in 1917, and rapidly increasing, is likely 

 further to cut into the demand for heavy horses. 



New York is a horse-consuming rather than a 

 horse-producing state. In 1910 there were on farms 

 in the State 591,008 horses of which 562,310 were 

 mature animals. There were approximately 303,000 

 horses not on farms, that is, in use in towns and cities. 

 This makes a rough total of about 900,000 horses. 

 The number of horses on farms decreased in each of 

 the last two ten-year periods from a maximum num- 

 ber in 1890, when there were 713,384. It is esti- 

 mated that the average horse in the city is good for 

 five to six years, while the average horse in the coun- 

 try will give twelve to thirteen years of service. 

 These figures mean an annual consumption of about 

 60,000 horses in each group or a total of 120,000 that 

 are used up each year. 



The annual production of horses in New York in 

 1910 was only 25,083 animals, or less than half 

 enough to supply the rural needs. Dealers have esti- 

 mated that as high as 95,000 horses are imported an- 

 nually. The business of dealing in horses is, there- 

 fore, large and some very large concerns have been 



