The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-01-26
Working, Condition, Selection, and
Driving Mules.

WORKING CONDITION OF n Mules
Most persons, when they see a good,
at, slick mule, are apt To eTclaim
. What fine mule there is ~ He
takes it for granted that because the
animal is fat, t1Ii, and heavy, he must
be = good work animal. This, how
ever, Is no criterion to judge by. a
mule TO be in good condition for work,
should never be any fatter than what {
is.knOwn rs good working condition. /
One Of fourteen and a half hands /
high, to be in good working condition, /
should not weigh over nine hundred /
and fifty pounds. One Of fifteen |
hands high should not weigh over one /
thousand pounds. If ne does, his legs
will in a very short time give out, and
he Will have to 60 to the hospital, Ia
working mule with too much flesh,
1T will produce curbs, spawn, ringbOne,
or crooked hooks. The muscles and
tendons of their small legs are not
capable of carrying a heavy weight Of
body for any length of time. he may
not, as l have said before, show his
biemishe5 in lameness, but ii is only
because he lacks that fine feeling COM
mon to the horse.
L have, singular rs it may seenl
known mules thGt have beensp spawned
curbed, and riugbOned, and yet have
been worked tor years without eXhio-
iting lameness.
Avoid spotted, or dappled mules
they are the very poorest animals you
can ge5. They cannot stand hard
work, and once they get diseased and
begin to lose strength, there IS no
saving them. The MeXicanS call them
goi0f0g trofad v,1u1al We call
them calico Arabian or ChickasaWs.
They have generally bad eyes, which
get very sore during the heat and dust
of summer, when many OF them go
blind. Many of the snoW-White
mules are Of the same description, anu
about as useless. Mules with the
white muZZle, or, as some term II,
white nor white, and with white rings
round the eyes, are also Of but little
account as work mules. They can
stand no hardship of any kind. Gov
eminent, at least, should not purchase
them. In purchasing mules you must
look well to the age, form, height
eyes, size of bone and muscle, and dis
position; for, these are of more inn
portaDce than his color. Get these
right and you will have good ami
NAL.
If any gentleman wants to purchase
a mule for the saddle, let him get one
bred closer after the mare than the
jack. They are more dOcile, handle
easier, and are more tTactable, and
will do what you want with less
trouble than the other. If possible,
also get mare mules they are much
more safe and trusty under the
saddle, and less liable to get stubborn.
They are also better than a horse mule
Fpv IN ctgvf 80 I 10
purchasing mules for myself, l would
give at least fifteen dollars more for
mare mules than ! would for horse.
They are superior to the horse mule in
every way. One reason is, that they
possess all their natural faculties,
while you deprive the horse Of his by
altering.
The most disagreeable and unman-
ageable, and l was going to say use
less, animal in the world, is a stud
mule. They are no benefit to any
body, and yet they are more trouble
some than any OtheFanimal. They rare
ly ever get fat, and are always fret
ting; and it is next to impossible to
keep them from breaking loose and
getting at mares Besides they are
exceedingly dangerous to have among
horses. They will frequently fly at
the horse, like a tiger, and bite, tear,
and kick him to pieces. I have known
them to shut their eyes, become furi-
Gus, and dash over both man and
beast to get at a mare. It is curious,
also, that q white mare seems to have
the greatest attraction for them. I
have known a Sud mule to take q fan
cy to a white mare, and it seems inn
possible to keep him away from her.
Mules of all kinds, however, seem to
have . peculiar fancy for white mares
and horses, and when this attach
ment is once formed, it is almost inn
possible to separate them. If you
want to drive q herd Of five hundred
mules any distance, turn q white or
gray mare in among them for two or
three days, and they viii become so
attaChedtO her that you may turn her
out, and they Will follow her anywhere.
Just let a man lead the mare, and
with two men mounted you can man
age the whole herd almost IS we'll as
if they. Were in a team. Another
way to lead mules is, TO put q bell
on the mares neck. The mules viii
listen for that bell like "a lot of school
children, and will follow its tinkling
with the same instinct.
Another curious thing about the
mule is this: You may hitch up to-day
for the first time, AND he may become
sulleu and refuse to go step for you.
This may be very provoking, and
perhaps excite your temper; but do
not let it, for ten chances to one, If
you take him out of the harness to-
day and nut him in again to morrow,
that he viii go right of, and DO amy
thing you want him. ! t is best always
to get a mule well used to the harness
before you try to work him in team.
When you get him SO that he is not
afraid of the harness, yOn may consider
your mule twO-thirds broke.
/ have seen it asserted that q team
of mules were more easily handled
than team of horses. 1t is impOssi-
hle that this can be SO, for the reason
that you never can make q mule as
bridle-wise as q horse. To further
prove that this cannot be so, let any
reinsman put as many mules to-
gether as there are horses in the 4" band
wagon of a show, or circus, and see
what ne can do with them. There is
not driver living who can rein them
with the same safety that he can a
horse, and for the very reason, that
whenever the mule finds that he has
the advantage of you, he will keep it
in spite of all you can do.
Why need one always explain?
Some feelings are quite untranslatable.
No language has yet been found for
them They sieam upon us beautiful
", through the dim twilight Of fancy,
and yet, when we bring them close TO
us, and hold them up to the light of