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HORSES FOR ARMY PURPOSES. The task "which would confront the government to provide horses for the army in case of war with Mexico is hardly appreciated by those who have only given the matter superficial thought. The war in South Africa, in which Great Britain became embroiled a few years ago. necessitated the purchase of 47O.D0O horses and 140,000 mules, making upwards of COO.OOO animals by the British government to adequately equip its arni3- on a war footing. Of the total number purchased, 109,839 horses and SI. 524 mules were bought in the United States, making, in round numbers, 200,000 that went from this i-ouutry to the war in the period extending from October, 1899, to June. 1902. In comparison with he forces the United States would have to tight, should Mexico unite against this country, the Boers were a handful, less than 100,000 having been engaged in the war with England. The average life of a cavalry or artillery horse when war is being waged is about six weeks. When one tlgures the number of horses that would be required to equip the army and then add to that number at least seventy-live per cent, of the original number that would have to be used every six weeks to replace those killed or Incapacitated, one will begin to really appreciate how ditlicult it would be to keep the army equipped with horses for a war that would last two or three years. And the class of horses iiest adapted to army use has been bred in constantly decreasing numbers during the last decade. The big draft horses which have been bred so plenti fully are not adapted to use In any branch of the" military service. The horses required in this held where activity and stamina are the prncipal requisites, are those ranging from llfteen to fifteen and ono-half hands high and that will weigh from nine hundred to eleven hundred pounds. Interesting, indeed, are the methods bv which the German government stimulates the breeding of horses and incidentally conserves the countrys welfare in time of war. The story is told by a German mechanic who has done service In the fatherland and runs like this: The government owns a large number of studs. They are of high class, of course, and are distributed sufficiently near each other, as not to make traveling over long dlstauces necessary. Within each district a register of farmers is kept and the stud managers know precisely the kind of horses each farmer has. To keep up the class and number of horses, the government supplies stud service to the mares owned by farmers, free of all cost. If the want of cavalry mounts is greatest, a mating fitted to produce their kind is made, and if it is the lighter stock that is most needed a different mating is made. When thus served, the colt produced by the mare, while owned by the farmer, can be claimed by the government in case of war, so that it is not necessary for the army department to go to the open market looking for horses for remount or cavalry service, because a complete register of government served mares, together with their progeny, is kept on band for ready use if needed. Perhaps other European countries have the same method as Germany in keeping up the supply of army horses, but whether or not the plan is methodical In its conserving of tlie countrys interests in case of trouble is a question. The Horse Shoers Journal.
