Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1850-03-20
AGRICULTURAL SCIENTIFIC
A SHORT CHAPTER ON MULES.

SHORT CHAPTER ON MULES.
have, of late, been looking little into the his-
tory and physical economy of ntsles, and am satis-
fled that my brother farmers, like myself have besn
living under cloud of ignorance and prejudice In
regard to these usefol animals. feel disposed
therefore, to do what Ican to change the opinions
and practices that have SO long prevailed.
The mule is hybrid, whose sire is jackass and
whose dam is a mare. II might be supposed that
the offspring whose sire was horse, and whose
dam was jennet, would be mule also. But this
is not the fact. The mule derives from the daA
his nervous system and his bottom, in sportsmens
language. But the jimmy, as the other animal 10
called, takes the short ears and bush tail of tho
horse and is altogether unlike and inferior 10 tho
mule in other respects. The use Of mules dates
very far back in history. They Were used in the
days of Absalom and have always been properly
esteemed Sy those who understood their value
The ancents did not employ the horse for any puf.
pose Of husbandry. Tie OK and the ass were the
chief reliance in performing oil kinds Of drudgery.
as is apparent, from the illusions of the scriptures
being to these animals and not TO the horse. But
the feudal system in Europe changed the customs
of society in This respect as well as many Others
The numerous retaners Of the feudal lords, who
held their lands by the tenure ofperorming knIghrs
services, were required TO keep horses, and gradu.
ally compelled these animals 10 support themselves
by serving the plough or wagon. From the estao.
lishment Of the euda system the chief trade Of tho
w,rld has been war, and next to poor deludsd and
sinful man himself, there is no animal that likes
martial glory SO much as the horse. Agriculture,
therefore, both in Europe and this country, has ey-
erywhere embraced the breeding Of horses adaPtes
to various uses in war.
l. Mules, on general average live more than
twice as long as horses. They are iii for service
from three years old to thirty. At twelve, horss
has seen his best days and is going down hill, but
mule at that age has scarcely risen out OF hn
cothood, and goes on improving until he is twenty
Instances are recorded of mules living sixty ana
seventy years, but these are exceptions. The gen.
'erai rnie is that they average thirty:
2. Mules are never exposed TO diseases as norses
are. have spent considerable time in studying
the diseases of horses from rngbone up TO Poil-evl.
But who ever heard of ringboned, spawned, wind
broken mule2 Immense sums of money are annu.
ally lost in the premature death Of high-pIleed
horses by accident and disease. The omnibus lines
in The city of New York have not been able to sus'
tain their losses. and they are beginning to use
mules as less liable by far even 10 accident as wen
as disease. This results from the next consIden-
tion, which is that
8. Mules have organs of vision and hearing far
superior TO those Of The horse. Hence they seldon
shear and friqhten, and run off. A horse frghteDs
because he imagines he sees something frightfui,
but mule, having superior discernment, both by
the eve and ear, understands every thing he meets
and therefore is safe For the same reason he -
s,rer footed aud hence more valuable in mountain
Gus regions and dangerous roads, doubt whether
on the Alpine paths mule ever fell from mis-
step. He may have been deceived in the flrmness
of the spot where he sets his foot, but not 10 the
proprety of the choice, all appearances considered.
A. The mce is much more hardy than the horse:
A pair Of these animals owned by neighbor OF
mine. although small in size, will plough more land
in one week than four horses. 10 light harness, or
under the saddle, in hauling iron ore, or on the
turnpike before Conestoga wagon, one mule IN q
lifetime will kill seven horses. Their faculty of1n-
duyance is almost incredible.
5. Another very important fact is, that In the
matter Of food, mule will live and thrive on less
than one-halfit it takes to keep horse. The horses
of England, at this present time, are consuming
grain which would save the lives of thousands OF
British subjects. particular friend OF mine whe
has lust returned from visit to Ireland, informed
me few days ago. that in the county Of Antrim
alone there were eight poor-houses, containing from
eight to nine hundred paupers each. Were the
nobility Of England disposed to substitute mules fot
horses the grave might be cheated out OF thousands
of victims who starve to death for want OF grain
that horses consume. In our country, however, ths
saving Of grain Is no object. In national point Of
view the agricultural interest is 50 great that the
greater The demand for grain, Of all kinds, the bot
Ter for the farmer But yet individual farmers who
are in debt and whose land is not improved, would
find it profitable, in the course of ten years, & &
have ,he labor Of good team, and save onehaK
and more OF the food necessary to keep it up, ss
MIGHT be- the case in substituting mules for horses
Pitts VsitOr.