The Port Gibson herald, and correspondent. (Port Gibson, Claiborne Co., Miss.) 1848-18??, 1850-06-28

On THE USE OF MULES Il. Mules on gen.
eral average, live more than twice as long as
horses, They are fit for service from three years
old to thirty. At twelve, horse has seen his
best days, and is going down hill, hut mule at
that age has scarcely risen out OF his colthood.
and goes on improving until he is twenty. In
stances are recorded Of mules living sixty or se-
venty years, butthese are exceptions. The gen.
eral rule is that they average thirty.
2. Mules are never exposed TO diseases as hor-
ses are. have spent considerable time in stu
dying the diseases of horses, from ring-bone up
to poll evil But who ever heard Of ring bon
ed spawned, wind broken mule? Immense sums
OF money are annually lost in the premature death
OF high spirited horses by accident and disease.
The omnibus lines in the city OF New York have
not been able to sustain their losses and are be-
ginning to use mules, as less liable by far even
to accident as well as disease. This results from
the next consideration, which is that
8. Mules have organs of piSion and hearing far
superior to those oil the horse. Hence they sel~l
dom shear, and frighten, and run of. horse
frightens because he imagines he sees something
frightful, but mule, having superio: dscernment,
both by the eve and eal, understands everything
he meets and therefore is safe. For the same
reason he is surer footed, and hence more valua-
Bile in mountainous regions and on dangerous
roads. doubt whether on the Alpine paths
mule ever made a msslep He may have been
deceived in the firmness of the spot where he set
bis foot, but not in the propriety of the choice,
all appearances considered.
A. The mule is much more hardy than the
horse pair of these animals owned by neigh
Dor Of mine, although small in size, will plow
| frx
light harness or under the saddle, IN hauling IRON
| ore or on the turnpike before Conestoga wa
| gon, one mule in life time will kill seven hoF-
ses. Their faculty ot endurance is almost in.
credible.
5. Another very important fact is, that, in the
matter Of food, mule will live and thrive ON less
than one. halfit takes to keep horse. The hor-
ses of England, at this present time, are consum-
| ing grain which save the lives ofthousands
of the British subjects. A particular friend Of
mine, who has returned from visit to Ireland,
informed me few days ago that, in abe county
| of Antrim alone, there were eight poor hoases.
containing from eight 10 nine hgndred paupers
each. Were the nobility disposed to substitute
mules for horses, the grave might be Cheated QUE
of thousands of victims who starve to death tnT
want Of the grain which horses consume. In onF
country, however, the saving OF grain is no o6r
iect. In national point OF view, the agricultur-
al interests so great that the greater the demand
for grain Of all kinds the better for the farmer
\ But vet individual farmers, who are in debt and
whose land is not improved, would 6nd it profits
BILE in the course of ten years, to have the labor
Of full team, and save one-halE and more Of the
food necessary to keep up as mlghs be the case
in substituting mules for horses Pi1sburg SG-
turday Visitor.