The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-11-28
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AaR1cuLTuRAL DEPARTMENT.

horticulturist may expect TO ma read
ing that will interest and perhaps benefit
him. 90
The space devoted to this department
will not be much, and it will therefore
be of the choicest character. AgriCul'
ture is an art, and must be studied and
thoroughly understood to be successful
The annual meeting of the State Hor'
ticultural society meets at Dayton, Dec
9th and 9th. This meeting promises to
be one Of interest to members of the So
ciety. The place is easily reached, and
is near the center Of large fruit grow
ing region. The Montgomery County
Horticultural society, on whose invita-
ton the meeting is appointed, are doing
all they can to make the occasion one OF
pleasure and instruction to all who at
tend. There will also be fine display
of fruits at the meeting, and members of
our horticultural society would find it a
profitable place to be. We clip the fol-
lowing, from the Ohio Farmer, for the
benefit OF our friends;
EDS FARMER-I think farmers in the
Northern States make mistake in not
raising and using more mules. 1t is very
evident to me that mules are, in many
respects, superior to horses. Last year
/ travelled about two thousand miles with
teams. We started with one tirst-c'ass
two horse team and one mule team, and
after about twelve hundred miles it be-
came evident that the horses could not
keep up with the mules without mater.
ial injury. We therefore sold the horses
but drove the mules the rest of the way,
and upon our arrival, put them right to
work delivering coal in the city, giving
them no time 10 recruit, Those mules
were worked on the street early and
late all last winter, through snow, rain
and mud, without missing a day, except
Sundayu. They have never shown any
sign of disease whatever, and are to-day
in good sound condition, and bid fair to
wear out any two pair of horses yet Last
spring purchased another mule team,
which proved to be as good, in every
particular, before buggy or carriage, as
any horse or team of horses l ever drove
and have driven many,
l have lived in the Northern States
nearly all my life, and | believe the pref
udice existing against these useful, har-
dy animals is a very unreasonable one,
Many object to them on account of their
appearance, but this is due to education
largely. Those who have been aCcus'
toned to them, can see more to admire
in good team of mules than in horses,
even, because they are more valuable.
Many suppose mules are more vicious,
harder to break and handle, but this is
due to lack of knowledge of their dis
position and habits. know that mules
are safer and more easily broken and
handled than horses. A smith who un-
derstands both, always prefers shoeing
vicious mule rather than Vicious horse,
because he can rope and overpower the
former without danger, and when the
mule finds he is mastered and is not 60
ing to be hurt, he readily submits, be-
comes perfectly docile, ard remains ever
afterward tractable. A horse, however,
must he handled by manual strength,
as he will not be confined without risk
of iDjuring himself.
Mules mature one year younger than
horses; mule is as good at three years
old as horse is at four-another advan
tage. When the mule is old enough put
him by the side of a steady horse or
mule and go to work, and in one day
he will be as we'll broken as horse will
be in two weeks After breaking, the
mule is much safer, as he is less liable to
run away or scare. l admit that mules
are more nimble with their hind feet
than horses are, but their kicking is
more in consequence of i'll treatment
than anything else. The prejudice
against them in this respect is fast disap-
pearing before an intelligent understand
ing of their disposition and management
Mules should be handled from the time
they are sucking colts. They should be
halter broken and broken to the saddle,
and always treated kindly, while young,
and when this is done there is little dam
ger of kicking. have seen many valu-
able mules that were perfectly safe for
women and children to handle or drive.
A lady in this county recently hitched
up mule that had never been in the
harness before, and drove to town and
back safely.
Robert Stewart NJ. D, V. f., a celebra-
ted practitioner in the Southern States
for more than twenty years, says: The
average period of service of the mule is
from rs to thirty years, and one mule in
his lifetime will ordinarily do the work
NF khovr kryn hnppno of
each year of from 35 to 50 per cent less.
Another important consideration is, the
mule thriVes best on dry feed and grain,
unground, corn in the ear being his ia.
vorite food. In keeping alone, if there
were as many mules as horses, the aggre-
gate saving to the country would be sew
eral million dollars per annum. This
greatly superior economy attending the
use of the mule, his readiness to labor,
his comparative freedom from disease,
and his double longevity, makes the cal
culation largely in his favor, as trusty
and valuable servant"
He further says: "There is more GER
tainty in breeding mules than horses:
the mare is surer to get with foal by a
jack than by horse, and the same pro
portion of accidents do net occur in her
foaling. Another consideration is, al
most any scrub Of mare will bring as
good mule colt as will one of the very
best blood. The offspring may be small
and compact, but he is none the less val
liable on that account"
As far as my experience and observa-
tion go, / find this writer correct, except
that prefer large, well formed mule
to a small one.