The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1878-05-07
ABOUT MULES.
Justice 10 the Meaitative 0east of
Burden-The General q lsefutuess OF

From the New York sun.
At Grand aud Bishop Streets, in Jer-
sey City, is the largest mule yard east
OF the Alleghanies, and the only yard
whence there is any expectation TO for
eign ports. Ia il the mule is seen in
all his native attractiveness, and every
variety OF mule may be studied at
leisure.
The great yard, in which is ample
room for 10000 mules, but which IL
generally occupied by 400 or 800, is de
yided into many smaller yards, each OF
which contains ranges OF open sheds,
water troughs, hay racks, great corn
hangers, and smaller ones for salt.
Each of these is devoted to animals
destined for different ports in the West
Indies, or on the Spanish main. From
this yard between 4 900 and 1000 mules
are annually shipped 10 the plantations
Of British, French. and Dutch Guiar
aud TO Trinidad, Guadaloupe, and 9th.
er OF the smaller West Indies. They
are sold here TO the agents OF the plan
ters at from 800 10 $3.50 apiece, and
shipped in sailing vessels AT the risk OF
the consignee. Their passage money
is $40 per head, and duties on mules
are &c or SSapiece in the several islands
to which they are sent.
The great mule breeding States are
illinois,, Missouri and Iowa. aud the
large active beast from these States are
much priced on the sugar plantations
OF the West Indies, where they contrast
favorably with the native mules, which
are undersized and have little strength
ard with the lazy, elephantine beasts
imported from France.
Ia one division Of the great Jersey
City mule yard, is a pen formed like a
bottle with long slender neck. A doz-
en- mules are let in the pen at once,
they are driven two at time into the
narrow space at one end, where they
can just squeeze themselves between
the walls. Here they undergo the ope-
ration of roaching-that is their names
are cut off with a pair Of shears until
nothing remains but q line of short,
thick bristles, extending along the
back OF the neck; and all the hair ex-
cept tuff at the end is cut from their
tails. This is done because the hair Of
the animal is thin and Of poor growth.
After the reaching door at the forward
end of the narrow enclosure is opened,
and the mule bounces out with a kick
and n squeal, looking as smooth and
fresh as a man fresh from the BARRIERS
chair.
One OF the Bishop Bros.s herders, n
bronzed frontiersman, whose face il.
shaded by a sombrero with brim of the
! broadest, and whose constant COM
panion is q black-snake whip, that he
can crack with the report lik. a pistol.
relates many anecdotes of mules, with
whose habits and capabilities he is
thoroughly conversant. He says:
when you get out on the plains you
don't want nothing better'n a mule, and
you can't get nothing better for plains
work. They can live on less and Law
themselves down to more honest work
than any critter Of their size. Why,
stranger. a mule kin run down n ante
| lOpe, and never see one OF your long
legged American horses that could do
that. Mustangs eau do il sometimes,
but q mules the best. He won't be so
very speedy, maybe, but he's got the
bottom. and though the lope II get
away at first, and perhaps hist himself
clean out OF sight, the mule tucker him
out aud fetch him in the end, il he's
kept IA his trail long enough. Mules
amt no slouches on the track some
times, TOO. remember a little white
mare mule in Santa Fe, some years ago
that for running beat any horse in New
Mexico. The officers used To match
their American horses against her; but
she'd scope 'em every time. Mules
will live, too, on what a horse won d
starvs before he'd touch. They'll grow
fat on sage brush, and I've known 'em
To live and work for weeks by chawin'
on each others names and tails, wagon
tongues, feed boxes, wagon sheets, and
sand. Oh, you bet mules tough"