2 
THE PERCHERON RE\^IEW 
Some light horses are still being bred, and will 
always be used, especially when roads are bad, or 
where much snow must be encountered in winter. 
There will also continue to be a limited demand for 
show horses from wealthy people, but when all these 
factors are considered the demand falls so far short 
of the existing supply that there can be no possible 
encouragement to the production of these horses on 
any general scale, and no probability of any increase 
in price. In fact, as soon as the war demand and its 
aftermath are disposed of, prices on light weight stuff" 
are certain to suffer a considerable drop. 
This leaves only saddle and draft horses. The 
demand for high class saddle horses will undoubtedly 
continue, and profitable prices prevail; but the pro- 
duction of such horses is not a practicable proposi- 
tion for the average farmer, and the breeding of these 
horses will probably be local in character, and limited 
in extent. 
This brings us to the draft horse, the most widely 
distributed and most generally produced of all, 
and the one best adapted to production on the aver- 
age farm. 
Is the draft horse, like the light horse, to be dis- 
placed by motor driven vehicles — in this case motor 
trucks and tractors — or are the conditions so dif- 
ferent that the draft horse may be expected to hold 
his own? 
Considering first the motor truck, we find that 
Chicago is the only large city with definite data on 
team and truck use. Every vehicle pays a license, 
and as this constitutes an important source of rev- 
enue to a city that is usually in need of funds, few 
escape. Data for the past five years follows: 
and definite knowledge of conditions, were of the 
opinion that there had been no decrease in number of 
real draft teams in use. The developments in the 
past two years, however, have resulted in the dis- 
placement of many heavy draft teams, in brewing, 
packing house, and department store service. To 
what extent this will continue, no one can say, but it 
is probable that the trucks will in time displace a 
large proportion of teams in city service. It is not 
likely, however, that the substitution will be so rapid 
in the next five years as in the past five. No truck 
has been evolved that will compete in low costs 
with horses, on short hauls, construction work, and 
in places where the footing is soft. Aside from this, 
hundreds of trucks have been sold on a trial basis, 
and the owners are but just awakening to the heavy 
cost of repairs, and to the rapid depreciation which 
makes all motor driven vehicles more costly than 
is commonly supposed. No motor truck user knows 
what his service is actually costing until the vehicle 
is worn out, usually at the end of three or four years. 
Discovery of the fact that he can realize not more 
than one-tenth of original cost for the vehicle he must 
replace, has the effect of demonstrating that his 
previous figures on tonnage transportation costs 
were all wrong, and subject to drastic revision up- 
ward. Such costly experience, combined with ad- 
vancing cost of gasoline and oil, may be counted on 
to retard the change from horses to trucks: but it 
will continue as long as the substitution can be made 
with a reduction in operating costs. 
The change will be a gradual one, however, and the 
existing city cost on draft horses, ranging from 
S275 to $325 per head, for horses of first class type 
For the City of Chicago 
Character of Vehicle License Issued 
One-horse vehicles 
Two-horse vehicles 
Three-horse vehicles 
Four-horse vehicles 
Auto delivery wagons (1 ton or less) . 
Auto trucks (more than 1 ton) 
* Decrease; f Increase. 
Number of Licenses 
Number of Licenses Issued for the Year Ending 
Issued for the Eleven 
Decrease 
or Increase 
April 30 
April 30 
AprU 30 
April 30 
Months Ending 
Between April 30 
1911 
1913 
1914 
1915 
March 30, 1916 
1911, and March 30, 1916 
40,109 
38,429 
38,305 
36,764 
35,555 
* 4,554 
11.3% 
17,640 
16,728 
15,851 
14,930 
13,772 
* 3,868 
21.9% 
331 
325 
256 
231 
207 
* 124 
37.4% 
34 
20 
17 
17 
11 
* 23 
67.6% 
436 
1,680 
2,448 
3,067 
4,836 
t 4,400 
1009. % 
363 
1,155 
1,759 
1,977 
2,509 
t 2,146 
591. % 
It will be observed that there has been a decided 
decrease in teams, particularly within the past two 
years, and a tremendous increase in motor trucks: 
and it would be folly for horsemen to deceive them- 
selves by underestimating the increase in use of 
trucks. A decrease of eleven per cent in one-horse 
vehicles, and an increase of more than one thou- 
sand per cent in light trucks, within five years, is 
evidence that the light delivery field has been 
seriously invaded. The decrease of twenty-one 
per cent in two-horse vehicles, with an increase of 
almost six hundred per cent in trucks over one ton, 
is still more significant to draft horse breeders. In 
1914, keen observers, with license data before them. 
and soundness, weighing over 1700 pounds, is ev- 
idence that hard headed business men, who figure 
transportation costs to the fraction of a cent, are 
unable to eliminate drafters from transportation 
problems. The curtailment of our city markets 
serves to emphasize the necessity of producing the 
most efficient horses possible for draft work; for 
whenever the supply overruns the demand, buyers 
will choose only those that are best in type, weight 
and soundness. Less than 20 per cent of the horses 
in the United States are owned in towns, villages 
and cities, however, so that even if this trade be cut 
in half, less than 10 per cent of the total number of 
horses will be displaced by motor trucks. 
