The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1881-04-13

1uueeu, JUG iai III, Sonei any opo"NS'
is the last place the amateur or nov
ice would 60 to look for a specimen
of any breed. In tue last few years.
however, much has been done toward
improvement, and the prospects are
that in time the improved breeds
will take the place of the common
kinds on every homestead.-[Ex
STUBBORN FACTS ABOUT Mules
We are informed by prominent
dealer in mules, of this city, that
10000 mules are annually shipped
from tbs West to New Orleans and
distributed to the planters and far.
mers throughout the State. These
mules, at an average price of $3.50
each, cost the people of the State
81 100000. This money all COOS
out Of the State, and is an annual
drain upon our agricultural interest.
This expense can be avoided, and
Louisiana can become an exporter
instead of an importer of mules. 1t
is stated by stock raisers that five
mares will do the ordinary farm
work of four mules, and at the same
time bring a colt each year. This is
not guess work, but is known to be
true by stock raisers everywhere.
We have frequently known mares to
pillow without injury to themselves
or the colt until the very day of
foaling. This is not desirable, but
it is safe to pillow mares with foal to
within month of !heir time. 1t is
not the pillow which kills the work
stock of the State, but heavy haul,
ing on mud roads. With mules sell
ing at present high prices we would
urge those Of our planters who are
favorably located to invest in good
brood mares for plantation work,
and at the same time raise mule
colts. The mules are worth in the
market an average of $3.50, and good
mares can be bought at $500. Thus
the value Of two mules will buy three
mares. A good jack can be bought
in Kentucky for from $3.50 to $500,
and would pay for himself in one
year in almost any place where be
might stand. Our rice planters
could readily engage largely in this
business with pecunlary advantage
to themselves from the beginning.
The first outlay for work stock would
be one-third less for mares than for
mules. The rice straw makes excel
lent winter feed for mares and colts.
The second cutting Of the unripe
rice would do even for the feed Of
work-stock, and the stubble would
afford excellent pasture during the
winter. The planter need not be at
one dollars expense for feeding his
mares and colts. Thus cotton plan
ters who are located near a good
winter range or canebrake need not
feed their mares and colts oftener
than once week during the winter,
and peavine hay with sailed shucks
would bring them through the win.
ter in good order. Those planters
without winter rauge could afford to
gather peavines and crab grass hay
enough at trifing expense. The
raiser of wild horses or "tackies" on
our prairie lands, with the aid of q
moving machine with whick to make
hay of the wild prairie grass, would
find his income increased four fold
by raising mules. The creole mares
would bring good "cotton mules"
but bred to a coarse, heavy draught
horse, snch as can be bought in the
West for 5000 or $500, they produce
q foal which is equal in size to the
"plugs'' of the West, and superior in
style, action and bottom. Mares of
this cross, bred to good jack, would
bring fine sugar mules, which with
out feed, except the prairie hay for
the three winter months, would at
four years ole do better work than
the pampered two-year-olds which
are yearly imported from the West.
The proportion Of mares to mules
which the sugar planter could ad-
vantageously work would necessarily
be small, on account of his heavy
hauling, but he could, at least, have
mares for the saddle animals of him
self and overseers, and raise mule
colts from them every year. These
ideas have all been practically dem.
oustrstsd in this State. A promi.
nent cotton factor in New Orleans
formerly large aud successful cot.
ton planter in North Louisiana, kept
up his plantation team of thirty
double plows by breeding mules
from his work mares, and sold the