The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-04-06
NED HORSES and Mules
INCREASED ARMY MEANS MORE
DRAUGHT ANIMALS.
Honolulu to be Used as an Acclmat-
ing Place for the Philippine Islands
Live Stock.

If the Hull army bill had passed it
would have been necessary for the
government to buy at least $4,000 hors-
es and $1,000 mules, says the Chicago
Record, but under the present tempo
rary reorganization very little addi
tional live stock will be necessary for
the army. According to the regula-
lions each regiment of 1000 men re-
quires an average of 1875 animals. Out
side of the cavalry they usually figure
one mule or horse for every ten men.
When the war broke out there were
only about 5000 horses and 2,200 mules
in the army, but during the summer
10000 mules and $4,000 horses were pur-
chased When the volunteers are mus
tered out the war department will
keep the CRITTERS" mostly at Macon
Atlanta and Savannah, and distribute
them as they are needed. American
horses do not thrive i'm our new pos
sessions. 1t takes them a long time
to become acclimated. The heat, the
malaria and the insect pests are more
of a trial to the beasts than to the men.
Texas ponies or brOncos, however, do
very well in Cuba and Porto Rico, and
500 have been shipped over to Cuba
since the close of the war. Three or
four hundred have been shipped to
Porto Rico. Any man who will go to
Cuba and raise mules and ponies will
make a fortune, because the draft an
imalS have been almost eXterminated
during the war, and a great many are
needed upon the plantations, as well
as by the military forces. The best
stock for that climate is the hardy
little horse that is found in Texas and
New Mexico.
The government has purchased 600
native horses in the Philippine Islands.
They are tough, small animals, of the
hRI g-f at, s.NV = ID
grifiins. For heavy teaming the water
buffolo is used--a domesticated animal
that resembled an OK more than the
American bison. Three hundred mules
were shipped to Honolulu two months
ago to be seasoned for use in the Phil
ippineS, and will be sent forward in a
short time. There are 5000 more at
San Francisco awaiting shipment. A
cargo will be taken to Honolulu in a
few days and will be allowed to re-
main there for two or three months to
recover from the voyage and become
accustomed to the climate.
There has been an enormous falling
off both in the number and value of
draft animals in this country since
those faithful friends have had to
compete with the bicycle and the cleo
trio motor. According to the statistics
CT the agricultural department on Jan
Uary /, 1893, there were 1623S, 900 horses
in the United States, representing a
value of $l,007 500 636, which was an
average of about $50 each. On January
l, 1899, there We're only 1851 900 horses
valued at $47S 262, 600 or an average of
So q head.
On January /, 1898, the United States
had 2,3l5,00O mules, valued at $4,000, -
0C0, and last January only $780, S2
valued at 500. 100 900, the decrease in
the value per head in six years being
from $15 to $44 Texas owns the larg-
est number of mules, and New York
the largest number of horses. Pennsyl-
vania, because of the coal and mining
Industries, has more than ten times as
many mules as New York. Illinois is
second on the list of horses and Mis-
souri, second in the list of mules.