Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-08-22
THE DONKEY N STYLE.
Must Be Jet Black, Very Shiny, With
a Neck Big and Muscular.
What to Pay for Him-If He Has
Little Feet, Thin Legs, Long Ears
and Kind Eyes He Is Worth 800.
a Donkey Show to Come This
Fall.

You hear that donkey carts are COM
| ing in style for fashionable driving,
but ten to one you don't known Wnere
either the donkeys or the carts come
| from, and twenty TO one you Woulon
know where to go to buy one.
Most livery stables laugh at the DON
! key cart, and if you ask where you can
get one will answer you that they
really don't know"
Yet donkeys are coming in, and the
horse sees in them another rival TO
! snatch away his erstwhile popularity.
The best donkeys are the jet-black
ones: and when you see small boy
| driving his little sister in basket
phaeton with team Of shiny, black,
long-eared steeds, you may be sure MS
| father has paid a round sum Tor the
turnout.
The cheapest donkey that is sold in
good shape is $50. OF course, you can
pick up old ones, as you can old horses,
for a song. But $50 is as low as you can
get a sound animal. Your $50 donkey
will be gray, with spots on him. He
will have big legs, heavy hoofs and 9TH
err marks of the plebeian. If you want
anything better you must pay more.
The points Of a good beast are, first,
his color. The blacker the better. AT
ter the black donkey, which is very
rare and high priced, comes the dark
gray one. and then the light gray.
The second point in the consldera-
ton of the animal is his neck. Thls
should be very thick and muscular.
The experienced donkey buyer always
feels Of the neck of the animal and is
sure that he has muscle. stout
necked donkev will never balk. It IS
strong and does not get tired. The
balkiness Of any animal is caused by
Ieg-weariness. If not by that, by the
fear that he will become leg-weary.
But a good. heavy-necked donkey will
never worry himself about getting tired
The next point of your prize donkey
is that he shall have thin legs, taper
ing towards the fetlocks, and small
feet. A truly fine animal has hoofs so
tinv that to be struck by one is like
being hit with a sledge. The whole
force of the animals body is condensed
in this ore small round space.
There should be no swelling veins
upon your donkey. He must be smooth
AS a horse and as shiny. His ears
must stand erect and he long and Ia
pering. His eyes must have a soft. in
telligent expression and his attitude
be like of that Of a good dog. torefeet
well together and a springy look about
his hind parts as though ready to go.
When he starts off it is with the mo-
ton of a jack rabbit.
Donlzeys all come from the island of
Curacao. which is entirely devoted 10
donkey-raisiug. The few that are bred
in this country boast foreign grand
parents. The animals are imported in
to this country and sold from the
large auction rooms. There are about
10000 of them in this country, and a
great many more than that in the far
North and way South. where they are
used q q2ra dborHamental donkey is an an
imal with considerable pride of ances-
try. This shows in his appearance, in
his nature and in his accomplishments.
He eats little. can work hard, and is
always handsome If half way groomed.
He is not a mongrel and he does not
look like one.
AS donkey carts are coming in style
/ for family use and for park driving. a
man NAV like to know what he has
got to nay for one to harness in front
of his little park vehicle. II he wants