Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1850-03-27

some impression on the public mind, and
inducing a higher appreciation Of these ami
mails, by presenting at one view the opln-
ions, some of the hitherto unpublished, and
believed to be very striking, of gentlemen
who have enjoyed rare opportunities TO
Judge Of the different races OF the .HsS, and
of the temper, habits and capabilities of the
Mule. True, the Editor processes to be
himself not altogether without experience
on some Of these points; having often,
when boy, been mounted on the back "i
one, and sent, on Saturdays (alwas on Sd
turdays) in spite Of all pouling and sulkng,
TO the weaver, the shoemaker, the tailor, or
the country store. On these mournful &C
casions, the sense OF hardship at being dis
appointed of some well-concerled scheme Of
rural sport, found vent, !, may be easily i'm
agined, in acts Of spilelulness (not always
nre,alated) towards the innocent mule
the poor beast being beaten and the rider
sometimes thrown over his head until
now, that near forty years have passed a
injustice and mulsh resentment, it may yet
be questioned whether it be exactly fair, that
one of the parties should assume TO be the
llmner of the o,her! We will endeavour,
however, in weighing the subject, to hold
| the scales with even hand and here, lest ii
be else" here omitted, let one acknowledge
men, be made, aud noted by the advocates
OF The more slightly and favoured horse,-
and though the mule may. as already sug-
gested, be the cause Of falls in others, no
man ever ye, saw mule fail down but
We must not anticipate.
AS already stated, the first inquiry would
seem 10 be as to the progenitors oflhe mule,
to decide how far, on these, depend the
qualities and value Of the progeny. This
point being discussed, The subject leads US
to consider the question of rearing and
breaklng-his age, strength and general
usefulness compared with other animals.
On all these points we shall rely as before
admitted on the views of intelligent writer's,
aud OF gentlemen of close observation, and
of the highest responsibility with which we
have recently corresponded. Before pro-
| ceedlng however 10 quote authorities on
these points, there is one proposition or
conclusion without stopping TO trouble the
reader with all the particular grounds Of it..
1t is that the best mules are produced by
The union of the Jack with the mare, rather
than from the cohabilaion between the Stall
lion and the Jennet. independently of any
particular facts, and of the few instances in
which the Stallion is known to have been
so employed, Ghat alone warranling the in
ference against It's eligibility we should
form The conclusion here announced, that
the better produce would be, generally from
| Z !, IL, L. Il,
clear principles of breeding laid down by
Professor Cline of London, in his essay on
breeding domestic animals, which is else
where referred to and quoted IN our intro
ducton to The work on the Horse.
#
We proceed now to view the mule as he is,
in particular point of view-,hat is in re-
spect to the cost and mode of rearing him
his capacities and uses to this end we shall
take leave to publish, without stopping TO
regulate and syslemalise the facts they con-
tain, and the arguments they advance, some
portions of letters from the friends already
spoken Of, as we'll as further quotations
! from respectable writer's who have given
their attention TO this subject. than which.
it is not easy to think Of one more interest
ing to the American husbandman.
| The grea, nurseries Of the mule, for the
supply of Maryland and the yet greater de-
mand for the Southern plantations, have for
years past been Kentucky and more recent
lv Ohio. Before the commencement of
this century, the breeding Of the mule for
sale in our own country, and for the plan
,alions in the West Indies, had been con-
fined to NewEng land Of lis history there
the sort Of jack employed, and kind of
mule then and there produced, the follow
ing accoun. is given in the prize essay al
ready spoken of, and which we commend to
the reader for proof at once of the eager
ness and the accuracy of the writer's inqui-
ries into the qualities of the mule.
In Sir George Saunton's account of Lord
Macar:ney's embassy to China, we are told
that mules are valued in that economical
empire at much higher price than horses.
In our own country, prior to the war of
the revolution, few Jacks Of an ordinary
kind were imporled-a small number of
mules bred =; and all exported to the West
Indies. have reference to ew-England.
as am not aware that any attention was
paid 10 the system in the Middle or South
ern States, though i, is no. improbable ,ha,
some valuable mules may have been raised
by the farmers and planters for their own
use. When peace took place, the price of
mules in the West Indies excited attention
to the breeding of them, which was princi-
pally confined TO Connecticut and several
cargoes Of The small race of Jacks were i'm
ported from the Cape de Verd Islands, and
ST. Michael's, one of the Azores. II should
be observed that the expectation Of jacks
from Spain, or any Of her colonies was
strictly prohibited, and continued to be un-