The New York Herald Newspaper, April 25, 1853, Page 2

THE HORSE TRADE OF NEW YORK. acai cacnantnadeede WHRE DO ALL THE HORSES COME FROM? caeceunai uaa WHERE DO THEY ALL GO TO? ‘MIGHLY INTERESTING SKETCHES or THE Omaibus, Hack, Civeus, Grocers’, Bakers’, wkmen’s, Butchers’, Railroad, Scaven- ger’ Soda Water, Cart, Truck, Ash and Dirt Cart, Pedlars’, Ice Cart, Express and Race Horses. PEGASUS IN THE METROPOLIS. The Great Horse Market at Bull’s Head. Becount of Barren Island, the Last Resting Place of the Herees, &e., &e., ke. There are very few persons doing business in New York who are not, to some extent, dependent upon the labor of the horse, and for whom the following account of the horse trade of our city will not pos- wees some interest. The facts therein set forth in elation to the number of horses, their value, the amount of capital invested in the various occupations im which they are employed, and such other infor- mation as we deemed of sufficient importance to pre- sent, will doubtless astonish those who have never given the subject mach consideration. There is no description of property which is of more intrin- sic value. Thousands of men throughout the city depend upon the labor of their horses for a su’- sistence. It is, in fact, impossible to estimate their value by asimple calculation of the am runt of money realized by their labor. If by some unforeseen calamity all the horses in New York were destroyed, every kind of business would be materiaHy injured, if not completely suspended. 18 would be impossible to supply the void thus creat- ed, for there is no animal capable of filling his plage. Wt is on this account we say his value cannot be esti- mated by dollars. We have endeavored, however, in | ‘the following account, to give some idea of his worth, by showing the number of persons directly dependent | upon his services for a subsistence; and, to render it imteresting to all classes, we have made it as general as our information would permit. What we could not rely upon as correct we have excluded, although, in doing 80, we have been obliged to leave out of our ealculation a large number of horses owned by mer- ebante, coal dealers, lumber men, manufacturers, &c. These, with the horses used in private carriages, are computed at five thousand; but, as we said, our soformation in relation to them is ‘not of a reliable | character, and we have not included them in our general estimate. OMNIBUS HORSES. Among the immense number:of horses in New York, there is no class that is subject to more labo- wious work than those belonging to omnibus pro- prietors. They form at least one-seventh of the whole equine force of our city, and their value is estimated at about seven hundred thousand dollars. Eachanimal travels, on an average, twenty-four miles a day, oftentimes with a full load—which in the driver's vocabulary means seven on aside, three or four in fhe well, and as many as can be induced to run the risk of breaking their necks by taking a seat on the top. Many horses are unable to stand the hard work, and break down after two or three months service, when they are sold for the ordinary purposes of carting, or sent back to the country again. The average length of the life of a horse after he is put in an omnibus, is four years ; but some have been known to last twelve, and even fifteen years. Messra. Kipp & Brown, who keep about four hundred and fifty horses, have two, named Boston and Quaker, which have been employed in stages for more than twelve years, and which are still as good as the best among their new comers. They had one which worked for a still longer period with them, but which, more from old age than from hard iabor, they ‘were compelled to withdraw from the road.- Where an animal has proved of great value to his owner, as im this instance, he generally supports him ever ater. The owner, ifhe is a right thinking and homane man, considers himself bound to maintain his borse during the remainder of his life. He givee him his freedom—that means, he sends him out to the country, and pays for his grazing. There are some who do not consider themselves indebted to their horses, no matter how valuable they may have proved, but who shoot them when they are no longer serviceable. Mesers. Kipp & Brown have a special agent, whose particular business it is to travel through the different | Btates, and purchase horses for them. These ani- Tals are never bought on trial, the purchaser always baving to run the risk. The majority of these horses are obtained from the Eastern States, and this State, which furnishes the largest proportion. Vermont yaises morein proportion to her size than any other State in the Union, and they have the reputation of being a hardy and strong, though not a large, race of horses. The price per head is from ninety to one hundred and forty dollars, some com- manding as high as four hundred. Occasionally the | agent may purchase, among a lot of twenty, two or Whree, each of which would be worth that amount; but such good luck is very rare. The loss caused by the breaking down of horses is very considerable, amounting sometimes to five and six thouzand dol- lars yearly. They are unable to endure the jolting on the rough and uneven pavements of our city, and the straining of the heavy loads which they are often compelled to draw. It must be a remarkably strong and enduring animal that can withstand the bard labor to which our city horses are sub- jected during the winter time, when all the thorough- fares are cut up by miniature mountains of snow. During-the two or three weeks which followed the severe snowstorm of December or January last, a | large number of horses were completely used up by the dilapidated condition to which Broadway was reduced. Formerly, the omnibus proprietors received one dollar each for every dead horse; but that was | while the bone boiling establishments were tolerated mthe city. Since their removal, however, the state of things in respect to horse flesh has undergone a great change. In 1827, when Messrs. Kipp & Brown commenced running the first line of stages through Hudson street, they had not more than thirty horses; but the rapid growth of the omnibus business hay caused, of course, a corresponding increase of horses. The establishment of the railroads, it is said, will have the effect of decreasing the numbers, be- eanse it is argued the cars hold, or, we should say. are made to hold, three times the number of passen- gers that can be crowded into astage. Thas, one ear being capable of containing so many, the force ef horses required must be reduced in proportion. The railroads have not been a sufficient length of time in operation, however, to allow a correct judgment t? ‘be formed upon this matter; besides, if our courts of law do not interfere with the establishment of others, we don’t know what effect their extension through the sity may bave upon the iacrease of horses. The Sixth avenue railroad has not been more than seven months in operation, and yet, so extensive hae its business be- come, that two hundred and sixty-three horses are now employed in drawing the cars. In two or three weeks they will nearly double this number, to meet the anti- eipated increase of travel during the Iadustrial Exhi- bition. A new stable is in course of erection for their accommodation, and an agent is at present em- ployed in Vermont and New Hampshire in making ‘Me necessary purcha Since this road was open ed, the company have lost only two horses, and com. paratively few have beed so much injured as to com- pell the company to part with them. Out of every ten | brought from the country, there is not more than one, oD an average, escapes sickness. They have to andergo a sort of probation before they are ihorough jy qualified to draw a rail oar or ompibae. This Sickness does pot last. more thac p week a together well as those that have been a year in harness. Some are injured by too much straining, and are render ed uselees for three or four weeks, at the end of which time they are sufficiently recovered to resume their places on the road. Injuries of this kind are, we have been informed, not #0 frequent among horses employed on our city railroads as those on omnibus routes. They are not subject to jarring, and the travel is smoother and easier. Two horses attached to a car can draw six which ts about the weight of one when full of passengers. ‘This is an Sxienewinaey load when compared with creme gpesaens welgst drawn by a strong draft horse, which very m exceeds aton anda half It proves the great efficiency of railroads as @ means of travel, in the ease with which an immense load can be drawn with a trifling expendi- ture of horse power. The cost of keeping a horse in the stables of the Sixth avenue railroad, is about three dollars and a balf a week, or one hundred and eighty-two dollars a year. This is for stabling and feeding, exclusively, besides which, there are many incidental expenses. ch animal requires a set of shoes about once every three weeks, which is about twenty-five dollars yearly. In the summer time they are exceedingly jive them, and often wear out a set in a week. This is cansed by the flies, which tease and torture the horse to auch an extentthat he is rendered furious, ee his SneanTRD i drive off his pigmy persecutor stamping, lestroys his shoes upon the pools "The fotal cost of keep- ing a horse, therefore, in one of these stables,where the expense is less than inthe generality of stables throughout the city, may be est at two hun- dred and sixteen dollars. The value of each animal ie about one hundred and fifteen dollars, but there are some of a superior quality, which could not be murchased for three hundred. Four-fifths of all the Nexnea employed on this road, are from Vermont and New Hampshire, and of these nearly all are of the celebrated Morgan breed. ‘These horses have leng and justly been celebrated for their admirable quali- ties as roadsters. They are particularly remarkable for their great strength in proportion to their size, and for their powers of endurance, bearing up under bard labor that would break down the strongest draft horse. The Vermont horses are said to be in part descendants of the famous Norman horses, which are considered superior to any in Europe for the ordinary purposes of stage coach travelling. A writer in Youatt, on the horse, says, “‘ they are en- during and neg mh beyond description; with their necks cut to the bone they fliach not; they put forth all their efforts at the voice of the brutal driver, or at the dreaded sound of his never-ceasing whip; they keep their condition when other horges would die of neglect and hard treatment.” It is believed that the cross of the Vermont horses with the breed of these yalnable animals, has produced the best roadsters in the United States. The Morgan horses, which, as we have said, form a large proportion of those brought | from Vermont, are the descendants of the celebrated “old Justin Morgan horse,” which was brought at two years old, in 1795, from Springfield, Mass., to Randolph, Vermont, by Justin Morgan, of the latter lace. He was descended from the Godolphin Ara- ian, the sire of a breed of famous racers, but was | not himself a thorough breed. The Morgan horse, | though a small animal, is noted for his great bottom | and hardiness, as well as for compactness and round- | nese of form. He is a very sprightly animal, and is said to be more sagacious than the generality of horses. : The number of hours a railroad horse is susploved | does not exceed six out of the twenty-four, so that | the remaining eighteen he consumes in coung. or sleeping. Each animal is peqniied to make three trips, fh the course of which he travels a dis- tance of about twenty-four miles. In this respect | there is a great difference between them and the | hack horses, which are kept under the weather dur- ing the best part of the day, and are consequently liable to more sickness. “ The total number of horses employed on the city railroads, including the Hudson River road, and on the various omnibus routes, is computed at seven thousand. The average value of each horse being one hundred dollars, the entire amount invested in | horses alone is seven hundred thousand dollars. The aggregate cost of the cars on the city railroads, not including those running onthe Hudson River road, between Chambers street and the depot at Thirty- first street, is sixty thousand dollars, while the value | of all the omnibuses is three hundred and fift, thousand. The value of the harness on both railroa: and omnibus horses is one hundred and twenty thonsand dollars, and the total yearly expense of shoeing, one hundred and forty-seven thousand.— The following table comprehends the leading statis- tics of both the omnibus and the city railroad busi- ness :— Aggregate value of seven thousand horses. .$700,000 Aggregate value of omnibuses and cars. .. $410,000 Annual cost of shoeing. + $140,000 | Value of harnesses...................+,..$120,000 | Number of drivers, conductors and stable men........ mar aMoevanichanhs nxeses +400 | Total weekly amount of their salaries...... $14,000 No. of pounds of iron consumed yearly in Weekly cepense of einbiin “S q24's00 eekly e: o in ae oa, Aggreraie weekly value of their labor. 7 No. of miles travelled daily, HACK HORSES. Under this head are included all those horses em- ployed in hacks, hotel carriages, coaches, barouches, and all kinds of vehicles hired out by the owners of livery stables, besides a considerable proportion which are ased particularly as riding horses. The total number is estimated by Mr. De Voe, the In- spector of Hacks, at three thousand five hundred. They are an excellent class of animals, gencrally larger than those used in the omnibus business, and of a hardy temperament. Ohio and Pennsylvania furnish the largest proportion, and Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire have a fair representation among them. About one-third are exposed to all kinds of weather on the stands throughout the city, during twelve or thirteen hours out of the twenty- four. Although in harness all this time, they are not employed more than three or four hours a day, about fifteen miles being the average distance tra- yelled daily by each animal. Multiplying this by twelve hundred, we find the total distance travelled in one day, by one-third of the hacks in New York, to ‘amount to eighteen thousand miles. The hack horses of all kinds are worth about one hundred and fifty dollars each, and five hundred and twenty-thousand dollars in the aggregate. The cost of keeping these amounts to seven hundred and twenty-eight thousand dollars a year,so that their support costs more than is pee for them. Another important item must be added to this, namely :—the expense of shoeing, which amounts to seventy-seven thousand dollars. But while the ri ay of keeping a horse is 80 fre , it must not be forgotten that his labor in this rtment will realize in a year, about three times his original cost. Of the three thousand five hundred hack horses, a large number is employed during the night in at- tending on balls, parties, &c. Their work is not so laborious as it is unhealthy and injurious, and, asa eneral thing, they are not therefore so valuable as those employed in the daytime exclasively. There are many sorry looking animals among them, which it would be bad policy to expose to the daylight or to bring in competition with others on the stands. | Besides these there are four hundred riding school and saddle horses, and about sixteen hundred which belong to hotel carriages, coaches, or are used in barouches and light wagons. each saddle horse is about two hundred dollars, and for a particularly handsome and excellent animai five and six hundred dollars is not considered an ex- travagant Re If we take two doilara as the | average daily sum realized by each horse, not in- cluding Sunday, (and this is rather under than over the actual receipts,) we will find that the total amount paid for hacking and riding in this city during one year, is $2,191,000 The number of coaches, hotel carriages, barouches, rockaways, and other vehicles employed in the x business, ia fifteen hundred, the total value of wi This is exclusive of the cost of the harness, one set of which will last about a year. The total cast of harnesses alone for the 3,500, including those used exclusively for riding, amounts to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. That we may not be lightly accused of exaggeration in the presentation of these statistics, we deem it but just to those em- ployed in hacking, to state that we have estimated everything at the lowest possible amount. Some of the ‘carriages cost nine and ten hundred dollars, baa there ave others that are not worth two han- There are many interesting facta connected with the hack business that may be etated here, although they hawe no direct bearing upon the subject usdee consideration. The number of men employed in the different capacities of drivers and stable or livery men, is about two thousand, and their yearly salary amounts in the aggregate to $352,000; the iron consumed _ in making shoes for the horses, to half a million of pounds, or two hundred and fifty tons! The average length of the life of a hack horse is about ten years, some living twenty-five. One or two cases of extraordinary longevity are recorded, in witich they have lived to the age of thirty years, bat such animais.ore regarded as prodigies. The following table exhibits, at a glance, the lead. ing and most valuable statistics of the hack business in this city :-— Agaregate value of 3,500 horses £525,000 Aggregate value of carriages and other vehicles... aed #750,00 Annnal! cost of shoeing $77,600 Value of harness ie #110'000 Aguregate yearly salaries of drivers aud #ablemen. 7 poe $592,000 Yearly amount paid for hacking....-.. $2,191,000 Agurezate yearly value of labor of hack WFHOB. 1 +, sriradeivees GIACGO when they become inured to the climate, and work as | A The average price of | is estimated at three quarters of a million of dollars. | cn 18,000 business 2,000 ¥e expense of stabling and feeding $728,000 io pao aaa orcer ir yeer'y 357,000 CIRCUS HORSES, Z fs no stronger proof of the uncommon ga- og a horse than the remarkable degree of of which he is capable, He is made to | do almost anything except talk. How many thon- sands amuse themselvss night after night, in this city, in witnessing the wonderful performances of circus horses! They are taught to discharge pistols, to dance, and perform an endless variety of pleasing and, astonishing tricks. In these exhibitions they always obtain a large share of the applause of the delighted tors, and deserved, e of the tone acer" tue pt abecann ts BO Pogn Aiea ot are eat an an W blood Arabiaa. are also : Some excellent animals procured from Virginia, which is said to produce the finest running horses in the United States. GROCERS’ HORSES. The total namber of grocers’ horses in the eity is estimated at two thousand five hundred. When a gro- cer is too poor to keep a horse, he generally enters into a joint stock arrangement with one or two others, for the purchase of one, each being entitled to an equal share in his services. This practice is quite common among the Germans, who appear to understand the benefits of association in this, as well as in other res- pects, Each owner pays an equal share towards SCAVENGER'S HORSES. ‘There are one hundred and twenty horses owned by scavengers, one hundred carts and six pneumatic Galales. machines Tha horas a2 rela ob baste , and the machines and carts at the same amount. There are three then to each cart, each of whom receives about six dollara a thirty-seven thousand dollars a year, and the expense of their stabling and feed at thirty thousand. Aggregate value of 120 horses. sie “of vehicles. Annnal cost of shoeing. ee ge eg ee a” re} ari ies of drivers an Other aes $112.3 Aggregate number of miles travelled nightly. 7 — of men employed in driving and Numi poate of iron consumed yearly in making shoes. .... 20... .c0ecs ee eere nese Weekly expense of feeding and stabling... .. Aggregate weekly value of the laber of horses A SODA WATER CART HORSES. The manufacture of soda water, pop, ginger beer, and other temperance beverages, has recently become an important business. There are about twenty-five establishments in the city, all of which are doing so well that there is every prospect of a strong accession to their numbers. Within the last ten years the consumption of these temperance drinks has increased to so great an extent that the receipts have more than doubled. If this fact may be re- garded as an indication of the spread of temperance, the advocat®s of the Maine Lignor law and cold water have cause for rejoicing. To whatever 8,640 $480 $720 erof defraying the expense of keeping the horse, and if- one of them belongs to a military company, he is enabled to make as great a display as the man who owns a whole horse. Their horses are generally a good class of ani- mals, though, occasionally, a miserable looking hack may be found among them. This, however, is only the case where a grocer would rather possess the whole of a bad horse than the half or third of a good one. The average value of each wagon is seventy-five dollars, the harness fifteen, and the horse one hundred. ‘Che distance travelled daily, allowing eight miles for each horse, is 20,000 miles. A set of shoes lasts two months, so that this item in the bill of expense is trifling, in comparison with the cost of shoeing horses employed in other occupations, The aggregate yearly expenditure for shoeing amounts to n thousand dollars. A gro- cers’ horse is worth about six dollars a week—that is, his services are valued atthat sum—while his stabling does not cost, on an average, more than three dollars and a half for the same time. Aggregate value of 2,500 horses, $250,000 Aggregate value of wagons. $150,000 Annual cost of shoeing. 15,000 Value of harnesses. . . 50,000 Aggregate No. of miles trav 10,000 No. of Iba. of iron consumed yearly in m: ing shoes. is soos ea 90,000 Weekly expense of stabling $8,750 Agaregate weekly value of the of Cn ere ++ $15,000 In this table we have not inserted the number of drivers, as the grocers’ clerks act in that capacity, when occasion requires it. It is only the extensive groceries that employ drivers, and these are so few that we do not include them among the number in our general estimate. BAKERS’ HORSES. Of bakers’ horses there are about seven hundred, including all that are employed in pie wagons. The horses are valued at one hundred and twenty dollars, butéhere are some which are worth eight, ten, and fifteen hundred. The number of single and double horse wagons is about six hundred and fifty, which are valued at an average of one hundred and thirty dollars. The harness alone costs twenty-five dollars a set. The drivers get about twenty dollars amonth and their board, which is equal to thirty dollars. The stabling and feeding of a baker's horse costs four dollars and a hslf a week, but this we presume is only paid where the accommodations are superior to those furnished to other horses- There is a very material difference in the price paid for the feanren | of horses, as may be seen by refer- at ence to the tables at the end of the article:— Aggregate value of seven hundred horses. 4,000 br? “of wagons 4,500 Annual cost of shoeing. $14,000 Valtie of harness ...... $17,500 Aggregate number of miles trevelled. + 10,500 Number of pounds of iron consumed in making sh -. 71,400 Weekly expense of etabling . ne 7150 Aggregate weekly value of the labor of the BON Pisces Peoue vcs icanady $4,200 e8 Aggregate monthly salary of drivers. BUTCHERS’ HORSES. Some of the best and fastest trotting horses in New York are owned by butchers. Their average value is $150 each, but there are many that could not be bought for $500 ; and an extensive butcher in Fulton market owns one which he would not sell for $1,500. He is one of the fastest, and can trot his mile inside of 2:50. The number of horses is estimated at seven hundred, and their total value at $105,000. The wagons are valued at $56,000, and the harness at $17,500. These horses will wear out a set of shoes each in three weeks, making the aggregate yearly expense of shoe- ing $14,700. Aggregate value of Ned uw caer * a Annual cost of shoeing. Number of pounds of i in making shoes. Valne of harnesses. Aggregate number of miles travelled dai Aggregate weekly expense of feeding and stabling. . Aggregate value of the weekly labor of GR og Rs $1,900 Total weekly salaries of drivers... . $3,500 The drivers are mainly butcher's boys, who do not receive, on an average, more than @5 a week. HORSES OF MILKMEN. The number of horses owned by milkmen who do business in this city is computed at twelve hun- dred. Some of these are valued at one hundred and fifty dollars; but the average price does not exceed one hundred. The principal occupation in which they are employed is the distribution of milk thronghout the city, and in this work they travel a distance of twelve thousand miles, which is an average of ten, miles a day to each horse, milk wagons there are about ten hundred, each of which is valued at eighty dollars—the harness cost- ing twenty. We have given the average worth of each vehicle, but there are many worth twenty and | ak hel more. The disproportion between the number of horses and wagons is accounted for by the fact that some wagons are so large that two horses | are required to draw them. The drivers number about a thousand, and the average daily wages of each is | a dollar a day. In this we include all who sell pure and adulterated milk, of which those engaged in the sale of the latter kind form a large majority. The horses employed in the business are, as a general thing, of an inferior descrip- tion, and some sre not worth more Wthan from fifty to seventy-five dollars. As the labor is yery light, horses of great strength are not required, and the quality of the animal, therefore, depends | more wpon the taste and means of the owner than upon necessity, as is the case with those engaged in the tracking business, in.which large and strong horses are indispen They have no respite from | work during the whole week, milk being as neces- | saryon Sunday as any other day. In this respect they are not unlike the horses employed on the city railroads, which differ from them only in having more laborious work on that day. A milkman’s horse will wear ont a set of shoes once every month, making the annual expense of shoeing fifteen dollars. We should not omit to state here that the horse- shoers have joined in the recent movement among the trades for increased prices, and will not shoe a horse now for pghee a coceaeee half aset. In the estimate ie aggregate cost of shoeing, we have made our calculations on the porn for- anerly a The value of the labor of each herse is about seven dollars a week, and the expense of his stabling three doliars. From this we should think that they are very spare eaters, or their owners are remarkably eronomical, as the cost of feeding them is Jess than the expense of keep- ing any other class of Imorses, except the miserable creatures that we occasionally see attached to clam and apple carta. They are principuly raised in this State and New Jersey,anda considenble proportion is recruited from the ranks of broen down stagers and hacks. In the following table we have presented the | total value of the horses owned ty mx'kmen, and | $56,000 $14,700 47,600 17,500 8,400 $3,150 such other statistice as we considerel of co,wequence | to those interested in the horse trad® of the city:— Total value of 1,200 horses... . 120,000 | Weekly expense of stabling. ... "6 . 9°3,600 | Yearly expense of shoeing....... $i4'900 Number of miles travelled daily. . 12,, 00 Aggregate weekly value of their Ja\or ; £2.46 0) Number of men Gea ics ba in driving them i kiy ‘ 0 | Total amonnt of wee wages. . 96,000 Number of pounds of iron consumet y | in shoeing 57,600 | Total value of milk wagons $80.000 Total value of harnesses..,.... peeves $24,000 | Of the | cause it may be attributed, it is undeniable that the business is rapidly extending. We have nothing to do here, however, with either temperance or intem- perance—our main object being simply to show what effect the increase has had upon the number of horses required in the distribution of the cordials. Ten years ago there were not more than one hundred em- ployed, while the number at present is two hundred ten. They are a common order of animals, ave- raging in value not more than one hundred dollars each. The wagons are far more costly, being worth two hundred and fifty dollars. This is the average value, but there are some which cost when new five hundred dollars. ‘There is only one wagon to every two horses, go that the total value of the wagons amounts to $26,250. The drivers get the same salary as the expresemen, some few receiving forty dollars a month. The stabling of each horse costs four dol- lars a week, and the yearly expense of shoeing is twenty dollars. In the summer the work is exceed- ingly laborious on the horses, in consequence of the increased consumption of soda water, &c., and an extra number of men are employed. Next summer the present’ force of horses, we understand, will have to be augmented to supply the great tempe- rance army. Value of 210 horges «$21,000 Weekly expense of stabling. $340 Yearly expense of shoeing... $4,410 Number of miles travelled dail: + 3,15 Aggregate weekly value of their labor « $2,100 Number of men employed in driving them. . 105 Total amount of monthly wages........... + $3,675 Number of pounds of iron consumed yearly in shoei eee 21,421 LICENSED CART HORSES. The number of licensed cart horses is about four thousand, and the average value of each, one hundred dollars. The licensed carts are all owned by men who are employed exclusively in carting, and who are entirely dependent upon it for a living. They may be classed as follows :—Carte used in carrying merchandise, spring carts for farniture, brick carts, coal, lumber, baggage and other carts. Besides these, there are a largé number owned by merchants and others whose extensive business renders the servi- ces of from six to twelve horses necessary. For these, strange to say, no license is paid, although they per- form their part in wearing out the pavements. Only those who live by the labor of their own hands are taxed in this way, while the wealthy, who are better able to pay, are exempted. This certainly is making a man pay for the privilege of working. The value of the labor of each horse is eight dollars a week, and the expense of his feed and stabling four dollars. The cost of shoeing alone, is twenty dollars ayear. After paying all these expenses, the driver has about nine dollars a week clear profits. This may be regarded as the average during the year, but there are some who make two dollars a day. The carte are valued at from fifty to one hundred dollars, but they are not worth'more seventy dollars each on an average, while the may be valued at twenty dollars aset. In this estimate we approxi- mate as close as possible to the original price of the Aieeregate value of 4,000 b $400,000 value of orzes $400, aie bie carts... . $280,000 Annual cost of shoeing..... -. $80 Number of pounds of Re consumed yearly in shoes... - 408,000 Value of harnesses. . . : 000 Aggregate number of miles travelled daily.. 48,000 Aggregate weekly expense of stabling..... $16,000 Aggregate value of the weekly labor of horses $82,000 Total weekly salaries of drivers............ $36,000 TRUCK HORSES. The horses employed in trucking are ofa very superior description, aad are among the largest to be found in the city. They are exceedingly power- ful, a pair being able to draw a load weighing three tons. Ohio and Pennsylvania raise better horses for this purpose, and for all kinds of heavy work, than are to be found in any other part of the United States; a pair costs about five hundred dollars, lars, and some cannot be had for less than aix hun- dred. The general run of Vermont horses would not be fit for the work at which they are em- ployed, being generally too small, although they are a remarkably hardy race. Size as well as muscular power is necessary to make a good track horse; it is, | therefore, not unusual to see some of them seventeen | hands high. ‘They are occasionally taxed above their strength, and break down from excessive straining. Im consequence of this, and the | general hard work to which they are sub- jected, greater mortality prevails among them than among any other horses in the city. The whole number is about sixty, and of these a lit- tle more than one-fourth die during the year. The trucks are used for carrying boilers and other parts of machinery, and heavy blocks of granite or mar- ble. We have seen one which is capable of bearing a weight of twenty-five tons, and which requires four horses to draw it alone. Twenty-two is the largest number ever yoked to it at one time. Once we were told it broke through the street into a sewer, and since then its use has been prohibited by the city au- ihorities. It cost over two thousand dollars, but it | ig not at present worth a thousand, as its owner, hav- ing no further use for it, intends breaking it up and using the materials for some other purpose. The | value of all the trucks in the city, numberin | twenty, is estimated at from fourteen to fif- | teen thousand dollars. Each horse requires two sets of harness in a year, but as they are plainer than those required in carriages or common carts, they do not cost more than ten dol- lars a set. The number of miles travelled dail; by all the horses employed in tracking is about two handred and forty,and the yearly Value of their Idbor is computed at $31,200. re are at least sixty men engaged in trucking, as drivers and laborers, who receive an average of eleven shillings each daily. The stabling of each horse is four dol- lars and a half a week, aad the cost of a set of shoes, of which he will wear out twelve sets during the year, is one dollar and a quarter, each shoe weighing two pounds. The follgwing table contains the ag- gregate cost of all the horses, the value of their labor, and other interesting statistics connected with bin: business :— Cities bs garegate cost of si: Ores Number of men exipicved in ate of twenty trucks early wages of men. Cost a 120 sets of hat Numbermiles travelled daily Yearly value of their labor rie Aggregate yearly expense of sabling. joeing. . ae Number of pounds of iron used yearly in Making Ghoes.......0.:.-sesecsesversves ASH AND DIRT CART HORSES. From the peculiar occupation in which these ani- mals are employed, it might be supposed, with some show of reason, that they were of a very inferior des- cription. Such, however, is not the case with the ash cart horses, which are a superior class, each be- 5,760 | ing worth from one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars. The weekly expense of stabling and shoeing therm is estimated at five dollars for each horse, so that, computing the entire number at fifteen hundred, the aggregate yearly cost amounts to three hun- dred and seventy-five thousand dollats. Of these about seven handred are dirt carta, the horses attach- ed to which are not worth more than fir'y dollars each. They are principally composed of Sroken. town onmnibus horses and ‘hacks, which are good cn (gb for carting ashes. At this work they reu'Uize mor ® Han ten times their own vatue every year, avd when \9 longer able to perform the s6: week. The labor of the horses is valued at about |. of required’ : to ‘Lotal weekly wages Number of pounds of consumed yearly in shoeing. . - 108,000 Total value of 175,000 “« «harnesses . ICECART HORSES. Such is the immense consumption of ice, that to supply this city alone requires two hundred and fifty horses, two hundred wagons, and the same number of drivers. The horses are valued at one hundred and forty dollars each, and the wagons at one hun- dred and twenty. During the summer and a part of the fall—about four months altogether—each driver has a helper to assist him in unloading and deliver- ing the ice. The monthly salary of each averages thirty dollars, the driver having a few dollars more than the helper; so that the aggregate amount paid during the year to both drivers and helpers {s ninety- three thousand six hundred dollars. Aggregate value of two hundred and fifty horses. ... bore Do. . ieee ¢ eee umber consu: year! ee citing i expense ee pire pais yearly to drivers Aggregs: PEDLARS’ HORSES. Under this head are classed the horses belonging to eecond-hand dealers, fish, fruit, vegetable, tobacco, charcoal, and other pedlars. With the exception of those owned by charcoal men, they are a miserable class of animals, and the vehicles are of the worst kind. Each horse is worth abont fifty dollars, on an average, and each cart or wagon thirty. The num- ber of horees is estimated at five hun and their etabling and feed costs fifteen hundred dollars a week. The profits of some of the pedlars during a tion of the year are very considerable, amounting To twenty and thirty dollars a week ; but the average does not exceed nine. A set of shoes is made to last a pedlar’s horse two months, & harness two years. In the feeding of their horses, the fish, fruit, and vegetable pedlars, and the second-hand dealers, observe the strictest economy, if the lean and lank condition of the animals themselves may be con- sidered a fair indication. Aggregate value of horses... Weekly expense of stabling Yearly expense of shoeing. Number of miles travelled dail Aggregate weekly value of their labor 500 Number of drivers or owners... . ‘ Total amount of week! Beenie: «+ $3,600 Number of pounds of consumed yearly in making shoes. + 15,000 Total value of wagons. + $15,000 * «harnesses, $6,000 EXPRESS HORSES. ‘The express business of this city is very extensive, employing about three hundred horses and two hundred drivers. ‘There are two distinct branches of | this business: the city express, and the foreign and | fifty domestic express. The city express is limited in | comparison with the other branch, and has not been in operation more than seven years. There are at present about a dozen persons engaged in it; but it offers such favorable inducements that in the course of afew years the number will most probably be doubled. The work is very light, and the horses are not, consequently, so strong or so valuable as those owned by foreign express companies. The ave value aa apical is seventy-five dollars, and t! weekly cost of keeping him three dollars and a half. The total number is about forty, besides which there are twenty belonging to citizens of Brooklyn, who are said to be doing a thriving business in city. As our calculations, however, are confined to those owned in New York, we have not included them in our estimate. The wagons are as valuable as the horses, costing seventy-five dol each, and the harnesses are worth twenty-five dol aset. aren. miles a day isthe average distance travelled by eac! animal, in the course of which he will make from fifty to one hundred stoppages. The load consists of a multitudinous variety of articles, which are gene- rally too light for carts, and which are carried by ex- press from one part of the city to another at consid- erably less cost, and with more safety, than they could be conveyed by any other vehicle. The year- nse of shoeing a city express horse is about twenty dollars, or more than one-fourth of his value. The disparit; Between these two items is caused, not only by the distance which he goes over daily, but also by the rate at which he travels, for itis a fact that one horse will not wear outa pair of shoes b walking so soon.as another will by trotting or = - loping over the same space. Itis not fair, either, to compare the cost of keeping a horse with the amount paid for him, as there are many which realize in one year more than four times the price at which they were sold. As an instance of this we will take the horses employed on the city railroads. The labor of a city express horse is baler at nine pore ‘ Saath se , fap deduct- ing the expense ol , Stabling, shoeing, leaves a balance of a little over two hundred and sixty dollars. The amount paid to drivers, some of whom are boys not more than eighteen years old, is estimated at two hundred and ten dollars a week, there being about thirty-five Gl Meld one to each wagon. The subjoined table comprises in a brief space the statistics presented in the forego- ing account of city express horse: Total value of forty horses. . Weekly expense of stabling Yearly Sxpenee of shoeing... o Number of miles travelled daily. .. . 800 Aggregate weekly value of their labor. $360 Number of men employed in driven them. 35 Total amount of their weekly wages. .... $210 Number of pounds of iren consumed yearly in ‘otal value Total value of Tanness ‘ The horses owned by gu domestic ex- press companies, of which there are near fifty in the city, are a different class of animals from those owned by the city express men. They are very handsome, and inferior in a) Lpuntaee and quality to none other in New York. e average cost of each horse is estimated at two hundred and fifty dollars, but there are some that could not be bought for a thonsand. The expressmen take particular care of them, paying five dollars a week for the stabling alone. ‘To make a handsome turn out, in fact, ap- pears to be a part of their ambition. The drivers are quite stylish in their manner of driving, and ap- pear to regard it more as a matter of amusement than as a means of Veil faty Soy subsistence. The majority of the horses used in the business are from Vermont, and are said to be of the celebrated Mor- gan family. ‘Those who are enabled to keep fifteen or twenty ‘are particularly careful of them, and do not allow any one horse to remain in harness more half a day before he is relieved. To this judi- cious treatment is in a great fdegree owing their general good condition, and the very few deaths which ocetr among them, in comparison with horses employed im other occupations. A gentleman in the tet business told us that out of twenty horses belonging to one gompany only one of the number died in three years. Hach horse travels about fifteen miles a day, and wears outa set of shoes every month. The number of wagons is one hundred and forty, the aggregate value of which, estimating eachone at one hundred and eighty dollars, is about twenty-five thousand dollars. “The harness alone costs nine thousand, and the total value of the horses is sixty- five thousand. The drivers receive an average salar’ of thirty-five dollars a month, some getting forty an others only thiaty, according to their capacit; Total value of horses. .. . Weekly expense of stabling Yearly Ll cy of many Number of miles travelied d Ageregate weekly value of their Number of men employed in driving tl Total amount of their monthly wages. . Number of pounds of iron consumed yearly in shoeing pried $15,600 Total value of wagons. $25,000 Tota] value of harness. ++ $9,000 RACERS AND TROTTING HORSES. THE LONG ISLAND COURSES. Witbin the last ten years a great change has taken place in the public mind in relation to sporting mat- ters in general, and horseracing in particular. One of the most important races that ever came off in this country was between Fashion and Boston, for twenty thousand dollars a side, or five thousand dollars for- feit. This took place at the Union Course, Long Teland, on the 10th of May, 1842. It had been de- cided upon some months before, and was intended £0 settle forever the long disputed question between the North and the South, as to which had the best running horses. An intense rivalry on this point existed Letween both sections of the country, and, as there appeared to be but one way of settling th the sole motive by which men are actuated, it ix: the feeling of enthusiasm that pre~ vailed throughout the whole country, and extended, even to England, where the comparative merits of the rivi ‘were canvassed and discussed. Tho best judges on the other side of the big water were of the opinion that Fashion would be the successful. competitor for the prize—an opinion which her tri-- umph proved to be well founded. But the same con+ fidence was not felt in this country, and great appre-- hensions were entertained among many of the rpge the turf, that she would triumph. “About a had proved her mettle on the C; admirably contested race with John Boston, in which she left both horses The ground was not so well adapted ing the speed of the animals as the Union course,. and the time made was onds longer than that accom prize match a year sul heat of four miles was performed in fpr aer ea NE geri john Blount the winnii A ressed ine ett cons coals Sisteeciete tears ‘The second ¢ was run in seven minutes and forty~ fag seconds, it, who had been Fashion coming in ahead of Blount lamed in his desperate efforts to her. At this time Fashion was not more than old, while Boston was at least twice her age. t mij it be mone that this nee bs have con- vin sporting community of her superiority: but there were various circumstances which war- ranted many in believing that a fair drawn matcle between the rivals would have a far different result. ‘The race was not considered a fair test of the merita of either, and it was therefore desirous that another should be ey which would be regarded aq satisfactory and conclusive. Accordingly, the pre- Jiminaries were arranged, as we have stated, and on the 27th of May both Fashion and Bostor appeared upon the course, in excellent order. ie number of persons present at this race was variously estimated at from fifty to seventy thousand, about ten thousand of whom occupied the stands commanding a view of the whole course. Pain rincipal spectators were mem- bers of the United States Senate and House of Rep- resentatives, several officers of the British and navy, as well as our own, and a fair represen- tation from the gravest of the grave—the members of the bench and bar. Ten dollars was paid for % seat in the enclosed “privilege” space in front of the stand, which is invariably reserved for members of the ee Club and strangers. Where euch a vast number of persons were collected, it was no matter to preserve order. There were thousan who could not see the race, and who in their anxiety to get near the course, burst over the enclosures, rendering it impossible for the animalsto ran. A’ few determined individuals, however, succeeded ir sever army | “clearing the track” by dint of entreaties and blows, of which the latter were used most unsparingly. After a brief delay the rival com started ; and now commenced, in earnest, the excitement incident to such occasions. The friend of Boston bet five to four against Fashion, so san- guine were they of success. The first half mile wag accomplished in fifty-five seconds, and the se~ cond in fifty-eight, Boston gaining by two lengths, On the second, Fashion exhibited wonderful speed, and was rapidly closing on her rival, whens by terrible exertion, he succeeded again in comin, inahead. This mile was run in one minute an and a half seconds. Nothing could exceed the enthusiasm of Boston’s frieuds, and they offered ta accept anything on the chances of their favorites but little did they appreciate the qualities of tha noble animal against which he was cont fe She took her time to do her work, and nobly did ah sustain the high reputation which she had earned. The third mile she appeared to enter into the spirit of the race with more zest, and, put forth hex whole power, succeeded in passing Boston, at a rate of speed which was said never to have been equalled. The enthusiasm of her admirers appeared to know no bounds at this partial triumph, and those wha feared the result, gained fresh confidence from ite The powers of both animuls were taxed to their ut~ most on the fourth mile, which was run in one mi« nute and fifty-five seconds, Fashion posing the post about a length anda half ahead. It is but due ta Boston to state here that he received a ge inj in this last round, which jarred him somew! Taha efforts to pass the mare, he approached too neat a post, and cut through the skin on his for seven or eight inches. The interruption, however, was only momentary, as he recovered ‘2 and redoubled his efforts to pass the distance post first. The four miles of the first heat were ran in the almost ineredibly short period of seven minutes an® thirty-two and a half seconds. It was the fastest: time ever ALS a gra lars exhibited comparatively little signs of e, recovere® from the effects of the heat sooner than Boston. Or the second trial she again came off the victor, run- ning the four miles in seven minutes and pea fives seconds, Boston coming in about sixty yards behind. For the following record of the time made on the occasion, we are indebted to the HERaup of that titors were date:— ; First Heat. Second Heat m 8. m 3% Time of first mile. 1 53 1 59 apes 1 & 1 87 om; 1 54 1 51 ap oe 1 55 1 57 Aggregate time...... 7 32: 7 45 This race was one of the fairest that ever took plac on an; ion of superiority between the North an1 the South, that wa believe it was never afterwards revived. Strange ta say, the betting was very inconsiderable, when com- pared with the general excitement and the deep feel- ing aroused on both sides. It would be wrong, how- ever, to convert this race into an opportunity for mere sectional boasting ; for no matter which cama off victorious—the North or the South—the whole country was entitled to the credit of having raised the matchless racer. Fashion was an American by birth; and though she traced her descent trom air English ancestry, her training and general educatior were received in an American school. Nixreteen years before, the famous race took placé on the Union course between American Beli and Henry, for $20,000 a side. The first heat ot fac iniles terminated in the success of the latter; but om the second heat,a change of riders hay beer made, Eclipse came off the winner. Mr. 8. '. knowing that the powers of the horse had not beer course, and so decisive upon the fairly tested, came forth from the weighing house im a scarlet dress, which was the oh oem of his intentiow to engage in the contest. His apy ice Wad greeted with the wildest enthusiasm by his friends, who knew that their favorite animal would have full justice done him. The result of the second heat proved the correctness of their judgment, and that: their confidence in Eclipse had not nm laced He ran the eight miles of the first and heats in fifteen minutes and twenty-six seconds, which way eight and_a_half seconds longer than the time made by Fashion on the same Course. The third heat decided the struggle, Eclipse tak! the lead from the start, and holding it to the end, when he vet the winning post three le 8 ahead of his lormidable antagonist. This was ® drawn trial 4 speed Bacar the WSeietacts Ro Su racera, the latter being generally regarded, up to tl the best. in the United ‘States. ‘The day star ta race John C. Stevens, one of the backers of the win- ning horse, received a letter from William R. John- son, the proprietor of Henry, challenging him ta another trial of speed between the same animals, on the same ground, and for any sum from twenty to fifty thonsand dollars, ten thousand forfeit. The challenge, however, was not accepted, Mr. Var Ranst, the owner, declining again “to risk the life or reputation of the noble animal whose generoug and Tirnost incredible exertions gained for the Nortly ignal victory.” ‘he Jast running match on the Union Course took lace in the fall of 1849, between Tally Ho, Free ‘rade, Bostona, and Fashion, who was among the vanquished on this occesion. She, however, had ar- rived at that age when she should have been exempt- ed from further service on the tarf, and when it might be reasonably expected that she could not fairly compete with younger and animals, She is still alive, on the estate of the late Williant Gibbons, Esq., neat Morristown, N.J., and in charge of her old trainer, Samuel Laird, Esq. Since decline of racing, more attention has been paid ta the breeding and training of trotting horses, of which our State is acknowledged by com) \ judges to possess the best in the world. The cl from racing to trotting has produced a great lu~ tion in sporting circles, Comparatively little at- tention is paid to the pedigree of a horse, although it is, of course, desirable that he should be partly descended from a thorough-bred animal. It isan old saying, and doubtless a trae one, that “an ounce of blood is worth a pound of bone.” Horse dealers, therefore, attach no little importance to the “plood” of a horse, though it often happens that they are unable to trace the genealogy of some of the fastest trotters. Among the best that have been pro- duced in this country are Lady Saffolk, Dutchman, Hector,Green Mountain Maid, O’Blenis, Kemble, Jackson, Lady Moscow, Tacony, dock, Lizzie Dixin, Pelham, Mac. The last horse is considered the best in point of speed and bot- tom in the world, and has made the fastest time on re~ cord. Before he was brought on the tarf, Laity Sut- folk was at the head of the first class, but she was heaten by him in June, 1849, on the Cambridge ourse, and in July of the same year on the Union Cimmrse. At the former course Mac trotted one mile in t¥9 migutes and twenty-eix sogonds. Dutchman