Horse RAISING IN CoLontIAL New ENGLAND 899 
table of prices in ‘‘ New England ”’ for horses, cows, and hogs; so there 
ean be no doubt as to which of the English settlements Von Tienhoven 
had in mind. 
- It is thus apparent that by about the middle of the century or a 
little later, New England had come to have an abundance of horses 
more than sufficient for its own needs. Natural increase under free- 
range conditions would account for such large numbers only if it were 
assumed that the importations during the early years of settlement 
were far more numerous than have been recorded, or else that such 
importations continued throughout the whole period — which does not 
seem very probable. During the latter part of the years described, 
however, the exportation of horses, which was just beginning, had as a 
result the stimulation of horse breeding for this purpose in a more 
careful manner, and probably accelerated to some extent the rate of 
increase. 
With the development of this export trade begins the second phase 
of horse raising in New England, resulting in many changes throughout 
the area and in the establishment of horse breeding as an important 
and extensive industry in certain favorably located sections. 
THE BEGINNING OF THE EXPORT TRADE IN HORSES 
As has already been indicated, some horses were exported from New 
England to the other continental colonies at an early date. Sueh ship- 
ments, however, never came to be of any great importance, and are 
worthy of mention chiefly to show the relative abundance of horses in 
New England as compared with their numbers in the neighboring 
colonies. The main demand that resulted in the exportation of New 
England horses came from the sugar plantations in the West Indies, 
Do f=) 
where both horses and cattle were needed for draft purposes, to haul 
the cane from the fields, to transport sugar and supplies, and to turn 
the heavy cylinders in the cane-crushing mills.* Horses were used for 
2 Oldmixon (The British Empire in America, vol. 2, p. 147) gives the following descrip- 
tion of the operation of these cane-crushing mills: ‘* They erind the canes thus in the 
eattle mills; The Horses and Cattle being put to the tackle, go about, and turn by 
Sweeps the middle Roller; which being cogged to turn others at the upper end, turn 
them about. They all three turn upon the same centers which are of Brass and Steel, 
going so easily of themselves, that a Man, taking hold of one of the Sweeps with his 
Hand, may turn all the rollers about; but When the canes are put between the rollers 
it is a good Draught for five Oxen or Horses.”’ 
