The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-26
The Southern Mule Trade.

The stock yards in Atlanta are full of
mules. There has never been a supply
of these useful animals on the market.
Few people have any idea how great the
mule trade of Atlanta is. Since 1868 it
has been enormous. In spite of the fact
that year before last about $4,000 mules
were distributed from this point, the de-
mand has not decreased, aud the present
season has been one of unusual activity.
From the rich blue grass valleys of Ken
lucky and the great stock farms of Ten
nessee thousands of the finest mules in
the world come to Atlanta. Hundreds
of farmers come to Atlanta just to buy
mules. At any hour in the day the stock
yards, of which there are four or FIVE in
the city, are being. inspected by pur-
chasers. Many of the jolly drovers who
come here bring as many as three or
four car loads of mules. None of them
come without one car load. Freight
charges are heavy, and it would not pay
to bring fewer. The mules are always In
splendid condition when they reach
Atlanta. They are fat, sleek, and so
active that they throw their heels around
with a native recklessness that insures
respect. Good mules are always in de-
mand and bring good prices. They are
now worth from S100 to $3.50 each, &C.
cording to size and general condition.
They are taken from Atlanta to all parts
of Georgia and Alabama, South Carolina
and Florida. Many of the larger drovers
will not retail their mules, but sell them
by lots to traders and spectators. Some
of these hardy Kentuckians and Teunes-
scans have made fortunes raising mules
since the war. They conduct large stock
farms, where the young mules are made
fat and strong on the richest grass, and
grow up 10 "their majority" in a climate
which is the best in the world for all
kinds of horse flesh. There are other
mule traders who do not own foot of
land, and never bother themselves about
raising mules. They buy them from the
farm at advantageous prices, ship them
to market and pocket few thousands
every mouth of the season. The mule
trader is a character, and Individually
not exactly like anybody else. He has
liberal views, genuine Kentucky jovial-
ity, love of fun that carries him 10 see
all the sights when he comes to the
city.
1t is remarkable what respect these men
have for the mules. The reporter heard
one of them say the other day that he
saw child foil in the street just ahead
of drove of mules rushing at full tilt
down the street. Everybody expected
in the next instant to see the hoofs of the
rushing mules chush the little one to
death. But the good natured mules COM
pretended the danger. Every one of
them skipped over the little child, and
left it as safe as if it had been in its
mothers lap all the while. That the
mule has been slandered is quite proba-
BILE. The mule trade of Atlanta brings
hundreds of thousands of dollars here
every winter and spring. The drovers
spend thousands here. The farmers who
come here to purchase mules spend thou
sands more. In Georgia and the South
successful agriculture depends largely on
the mule. Some one has said that two
things in creation have fully demon
strated their eternal fitness for each other
the negro and the mule. A negro
never works so well as with stout mule;
mule never rises to its highest posi-
bilities except under the guiding hand of
a darky. With darkies and mules our
fields will continue to yield their rich
increase. e.-Ahanta Constitution.