EXPORTS OF HORSES FROM CHICAGO. 87 



ishes, in good flesh, as smooth as possible, and from 5 to 7 years old, 

 in order to command the best prices. 



Drivers and coach horses must be broken to both single and double 

 harness, cabbers to single harness. The bus and draft horses sell 

 satisfactorily if broken to double harness. Four-year old horses sell 

 from 15 to 20 per cent lower than 5-year olds. 



These horses are shipped from here to New York or other Atlantic 

 ports in private palace horse cars, holding usually 20 horses, each 

 animal having a separate stall, one attendant being allowed to each 

 car. They are delivered in New York City proper, and driven through 

 the streets to the steamer. The time on the road is from sixty to 

 seventy hours, and the expense is $120 per car for the railroad charges, 

 and $10 extra for the palace car. This rate does not include feed. 



On the steamer the time required for transportation between New 

 York and London is from ten to eleven and one-half days, depending 

 on the time of year and stress of weather. The rate is $17. 50 per 

 head. To Continental ports the rate is $20 per head. This is for 

 bare transportation. The shipper must furnish his own attendants, 

 food, etc. One attendant is carried free to every twenty horses, and 

 a return-trip ticket furnished him in the steerage. The loss on the 

 steamer from all causes is under 2^ per cent. The rate of insurance 

 is from 4 to 5 per cent, according to rating of steamer, destination, 

 and time of year. 



At the above rate the horses are insured under the full mortality 

 risk, and if the horse dies from any cause whatever, whether by stress 

 of sea or from natural causes, the shipper is reimbursed. The valua- 

 tion is generally from $100 to $150. 



The Alantic Transport Line, which carries horses to London and by 

 transshipment at London to Antwerp, Havre, Ghent, Bordeaux, 

 Ostend, and other continental ports, have made a special rate of 

 $27.50 to London and $35 to continental ports. At this rate they 

 furnish all food and attendants and full mortality insurance. 



The export trade is unanimously credited with being the life of 

 this market, and the gratifying increase in value of all grades of 

 horses, except what are known as plugs and common horses, is to be 

 accredited to it. 



There were sold in this market in 1896 86,506 horses, 80 per cent 

 of which I find by reference to the daily sale sheets were plugs and 

 common horses, leaving in round numbers about 18,000 desirable 

 horses, 60 per cent of these being purchased by foreign buyers. 

 During the first six months of the present year 52,436 have been 

 sold and less than 25 per cent are of the classes I have previ- 

 ously mentioned as being available for exportation, and practically all 

 of them have been purchased for that purpose. 



Germany, the last country to recognize the importance and magni- 

 tude of our interests, shows an increase of business fully as great as 

 that made by England and France, and promises even more. 



