White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1858-01-07
fS,ir3 .ttB Il. 3:fsarialfers
Mules.

The business Of raising mules has, be-
come very large and profitable in the
West. Indeed in some portions of Mis-
souri, and Kentucky, it is the largest and
best paying branch of stock raising
Mule colts, at weaving time. have COM
manded for several years past. from fifty
to seyenty-6ye dollars per head. and, the
past season. have been considerably
higher. The severe money pressure.
which. for the time being, is lessening
the price ofeyerything, viii. doubtless.
decrease the present high price of mules.
although, perhaps, in a less proportion
than on almost any other article the
farmer may raise. Mules must be had
for work-the Southern market must be
supplied, and, while the animals, now
ready to be broken for work, will COM
msnd nearly as high prices as formerly.
yet the younger ones, which are usually
purchased and fed for one or more sea-
sons, by those following that business,
will, doubtless, bring much lower price
than formerly. Our advice to fhe farmer
therefore, is to keep his young stock till
another season, if he is prepared to keep
them well-by which time the money
pressure will have ceased, and the mules
being needed, the price, which has here
tofore been paid for them, will be sus-
tanned, and the farmer will be well paid
for keeping them. a- T1a7 aais W
Good horses have become scarce, and
command very high prices, in conse-
quence of SO much attention being paid
to raising mules. The farmer has found,
by experience, that the business is profit
able, that mules can be sold at an early
age, in ever so large droyes fol, the cash
that at the age Of two years, or, in the
fall after two years Of age, if they have
been we'll fed-they are ready for market,
that is work, and that, in consequence he
can turn them much quicker than horses.
They are generally literally fed from the
start-being allowed all the corn and oats
they want, and, in summer, soiiing is
frequently adopted, and they are fed in
droves of one or two hundred in fields of
two or three acres, partially shaded by
trees. In this manner they are treated.
being forced into as rapid growth as pos
sible, so that they will bring high prices
in the Southern market-wkere they are
sold unbrOken-plantcrs being afraid to
buy mules that have worked, as they do
not know bat that they may get older
ones than they bargin for.
Rhe younger mules make a good deal
of trouble, at weaving time. as they will
crawl through a crack in the fence, or
leap the fence like dog, and the stable
in which they are put must be very tight
to detain them. Sometimes, in their eff
forts to get out, they have been known to
ascend into the stable loft. They will
pursue sheep, dogs and other animals,
and unless feet of foot, stamp them to
death. .- 7-fa- 80
That mules are more profitable for PER-
forming farming work than horses, we
think can be demonstrated. The first
cost Of mule teams is generally less.-
They do not require the amount Of food,
nor the fine quality of food, that horses
do, and the cost of keeping them alone,
is from S3 to so per cent. less. Mules
will do very7well, and work we'll. oncorn
stalks and good straw-while horses must
have oats, corn. good hay, etc. and the
kinIest treatment. Mules will stand
rough treatment and usage much better,
and, therefore, where servants are intrust.
ed with the management Of the teams
they are decidedly preferable. Mules are
harder, are never sick, rarely ever be-
come lame, and live to very great age
at least double or treble that of the
horse, and in this respect are far more
valuable. Mules will do equally as
much, if not more, work than horses
are truer to pull--and team, be it ever
SO large, will soon learn to pull in con-
cert, while horses, some of them possess
ing more fire than others, rarely ever pull
steadily and evenly. All of these things
being taken into the account, we think
farmers would find, that for farm work,
and haaxy hauling, mules are better and
more profitable than horses Valley
Farmer.