The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-05
HORSES, MULES AND ASSES.
Interesting Farm Statistics Compiled b
the Census Bureau.


The census ofhee has issued bulletin giving
statistics of horses, mules, and asses on farms
of three or more acres, but not including this
kind OF stock on ranges, kept on holdings of less
than three acres or in cities ana villages Inc
figures of the tables show that IN the states ana
territories there were on hand June /, $780, H.
e76.ol7 horses, 2,24osS6 mules, ana 4s,los asses;
that In lsSs there were ioaieo i'oi4,toi norses'
Isl, 105 mules. and 1887 asses; that there were
sold in the same year 1,a09,557 horses, 329 ,995
mules, and 727i asses and that there died from
ali causes 765,211 horses, mules and asses. dur
ing the same period. The increase of horses
from 1850 to 1890 is shown TO be 4459 per cent,
as against "A % per cent between 1870 and 1850,
and il "a per cent between 1850 and 1870. The
increase OF mules from 1880 to 1890 was 1855 per
cent: between 1870 and 1850 the increase was
CLOS per cent, while from 1860 to 1870 there was
decrease of 224 per cent OF the aggregate
number of horses and mules in the whole coun-
try June l, 1890, 1886 per cent were horses and
1905 per cent were mules The North Atlantic
group OF states had the smallest proportion of
mules Al per cent, while the South Atlantic
group had the largest proportion, 3204 per cent,
as against 81. 90 per cent. OF horses.
In the North Atlantic division New York and
Pennsylvania are close together in the lead as
producers of horses There were foaled in 1889
in New York state A., 954 horses, and in Pennsyl-
vania 1882 The percentage of increase table
III from all causes for 1890 over 1880 was, for
New York $50 per cent, and for Pennsylvania
1894 per cent Maine and Vermont have also
kept close together, there having been foaled in
1899 In Maine s,156 horses, and in Vermont
5000
In the South Atlantic division Virginia and
West Virginia take the lead In horses, with o..
CSC and 1854 fosled. respectively.
In the North Central division Illinois and
Iowa lead close together in number of horses on
ham I,,pa vi nd
Iowa 1,312,e7s, while there were foaled in 1882
in Illinois, 1S419S, and in Iowa, 1892: but as
Illinois foaled G, 408 mules and Iowa sos 1t will
be seen that the two states are remarkably close
together.
In the South Central division Kentucky, Ten
nessee ana Texas take the lead in the produc-
ton of horses and mules, Texas reporting 1,025,-
SIC on hand June l, 1890, with 1864 horses and
25,3S1 mules foaled in 1889. but this does not as
before stated, include the horses on the ranges
OF the state. Kentucky and Tennessee show,
respectively, 401 1856 and 81, SAP horses on hand,
in addition to their mules, which are, for Ken
lucky 146,52l, and for Tennessee 1872.
In the Western division California and Oregon
are In the advance. with 4O5,S13 horses for the
former and 224,s62 for the latter. There were
foaled in California in 1889 Sc, ll6 horses and in
Oregon 1860.
The percentage of increase of horses from
1880 to 1890 is shown to be 4459 very close to the
increase from 1870 to 1880, which was 4495. The
percentage of increase of mules for the same
periods is 2666 and CLOS 1t will thus be seen
that, taking the whole country into considera-
ton, the mule is not keeping pace with the
horse as a farm animal; but reference to the
table shows that the mule grows in favor and
use In several of the Southern states faster than
the horse. One reason for the change in the
Eastern, Northern, Central and Western states
ia probably the falling off in the profits of agri
culture during the past decade, causing the
farmer to economic in many ways. The price
of horses has held up better than of most classes
OF farm stock during the past ten years. team
OF mares can do the farm work and raise pair
OF colts each year, so mares have taken the place
OF mules on tens of thousands of farms.
Still, the breeding of mules is a great industry,
found largely in Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee
and Texas, with considerable development in
Kansas, California, Illinois, Arkansas, Missis-
sippi, Alabama and North Carolina. Under the
diversified system of agriculture rapidly spread
ing in the South the breeding of horses and
mules Ia growing in favor, and cannot fail to
add largely to the material wealth OF that Sec
ton.
For the first time in United States census an
enumeration of asses independent Of mules has
been made, variously known as asses, "iack
stock" jacks and jennets and burros. There are
several millions of dollars invested in import
ing. breeding and raising this class of animals,
SO essential in the mule breeding industry.
The hardy little burro has advantages over
both horse and mule, and in some sections count
up into the thousands, notably in New Mexico,
California and Colorado. Census figures show
that on the ranges of New Mexico in 1890 there
were 1904 of these useful creatures employed
as pack animals for transportation.
The breeders OF slack stock" are mainly To-
Gated in Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Colo
RADIO, Missouri, Texas, Louisiana and Alabama.
The jack stock imported into this country
comes mainly from Spain, France, Italy and the
islands Of Malta and Majorca. The best ami
mails sell as high as 900 and 5000 each. In
the Poiteau district of France, not larger than
most OF our counties, statistics show that i'll
single year $1,000 mares were bred to jacks, and
the yearly export of young mules amounted in
value to between 8, 900 and 100000.
On June /, 1890, there were 1870 horses in
this state, 1872 mules and thirty-three asses.
During 1889 26,174 horses were foaled, eighty
three mules and six asses. During 1889 1927
horses were sold, 146 mules and six asses, while
l2sl6 animals died. The increase in the num-
Der of horses in this state between 1880 and 1880
VI