Car Horses Hard To Get

üijft of the most curious effects of the genera, replaciug of horses by eleotrioity and cable traction for drawing street cars is being experienced by one of the extensive car lines in this city which still uses horses. One would suppose that, since the only liues in the whole country which continue to use horsea now form but a very small percentage of those -which used them five years ago, these lines would have a much wider range of choice aud oould get horses of a grade superior to the general run of those which used to be offered to them. Remarkable as it may seem, this is the exact opposite of the truth The New York city line referred to runs in direct competition with the cable lines of the upper west side, and its managers, wbo recently purchased it, determined as soon as they came into possession to place upon it a superior lot of horses, and in this way improve its running untilmechanical propulsión could be introduced. Orders were sent out to buy the needed horses. Much to the surprise of the managers, it was discovered that there were almost no street car horses of any kind to be bought. The explanatiou of this situation lies in the fact that since the demand for street car horses almost ceased the trade machinery by which they were gathered has fallen into disuse. A few years ago the street car horses were one of the most important features of the horse market. They were animáis of a standard grade and of almost stable price, and every part of the country' contributed its quota. The street car horse had to be big aud able and sound of limb and wind, but it might b'e of any age. Few lasted long enough in the service to make the questiou of a few years more or less of any consequence. The deinaud was constant, aud the price never varied in New York more thau froru about 125 to.?]50 each. Dealers could always count upon getting this price and getting it promptly, and as a consequence every horse which would answer the purpose was a safe investment at a little smaller price, and a clean proflt of $10 a horse was regarded as a fair margiu in handling them. Horses of all sorts, which lacked the qualities of speed, beauty or youth, but possessed the other requirements, were quickly sorted out froin the markets of the whole country, and every big dealer was always able to gather droves of car horses as fast as the compauies needed them. The trolley has superseded the car horses, and car horses are uo longer quoted as staples in the market. The cornpanies which still use them are obliged to go out and search the ïnarts and buy them one by one instead of simply sending out an order for 100 or 200 or 500 and getting them as readily as they would so many loads of hay or