The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1900-03-24
MILES FOX WAR SCAR{CiIE1
Sou7B ALMOST STRIPPED OF THESE
VALUABLE ANIMALS.

that will prove very 'rouole-
some to the Southern farmers. This
is the opinion OF every niate raiser and
dealer in the Southwest. 1t has sent
mn the rrice OF lhe sturdy and stub
horn animal that does the bulk OF tae
farm work south Of TIE Ohio a2d
Potomac; and tho price still tends up |
ward. and will cost the British War |
Department half million more than !
its original estimate for mules. Bnt,
however great the advance IN price
it will not mend the matter or prevent
a famine.
The mule has been found so neces-
sarv in war aud the American mule SO
superior to the Spanish and ltailan
animal that there has been a drain on
the market in this country which 1t
cannot stand. The market, more
over, was caught ii a somewhat de.
nuded state, with o smaller crop OF
animals on hand than ever before.
Mule raising for some five or six years
had ceased to be as profitable as here
tofore and many mule growers had re-
tired from business.
The bulk of the mule crop is grown
in Missouri, Kansas Kentucky anil
Tennessee, the animal being shipped
to the South and Southwest. There
was a steady decline in prices until
1897, when, in consequence OF the
Spanish War prices advanced. This
decline is partly attributable to the
fail in the value OF the horse, due to
the greater use Of bicycles, trolley
; cars. etc. The horse, however, has
! fallen of more THAI the mule IN value,
and tue latter, in spite OF lenoble
origin, commands better price.
! The average value OF mule, includ-
! inr the Young and old, is 34.96; of g
! horse only S37.40. -.
The Cuban insurrection brought
the mule back into favor and created
o. demand for mules, which has con-
tinue6 ever since. Just now there IS
O period of war, especially in tropical
countries. where the mule is an abso'
lpte necessity. The demand for tue
animals has, therefore, greatly IN
creased, and ct the same time the al,
vance in the price OF cotton has caused
the Southern farmers to improve their
places and increase their stock, which
they greatly needed. There is su IL
c,ent amount OF mule stock left over
to supply the present demand, but at
greatly advanced rrices. But when
this supply is exhausted it is going tc
cause a mule famine. The mule crop
is q slow one and not to be harvested
in g single year like corn or wheat OF
cotton. There are comparatively fe"
mule breeders operating stock farm:
7asS now. It will take some time t
get these farms in operation. purchase
The lacks and brood mares. Ther
there will have to be long wait ant
8 wear or so to bring the mule colt tt
Z maturity. Altogether it will taxi
.ah-~e or four years to get any return
,ron> ron,>..-~-ioyestment made nowiu mule
bfeealng. eas-the time the mules ar
put upon the market rrrscro-,v:;ll ia!
mule famine. There is the predic-
tion. if it can be called a prediction,
based upon the solid fact that the
United States has cut down its output
of mules from thirty-tbree to fifty pei.
cent. just at q time when til, demand
for mules has become greater than
ever because OF war.
The export Of mules from this coun-
try year ago was not ever 1000
annually. In 1897, with the Cuban
war, i! rose to 5000. 1t was probably
: 10000 to $4,000 last year and will be
even greater for 1900. The Spaniards
! first began the export of mules for use
in the Cuban revolution. They found
tue animal extremely valuable and
indeed necessary ID their campaigns
against the Cubans in the mountains.
They had to travellong distances from
the railroads, and they needed laIge
! numbers Of pack mules, animals that
could stand the climate of Cuba. \
Spanish commission was established
at New Orleans for the shipment OF
mules to Cubf, and perhaps 10000
were sent to tl.at island to help sub
due the Cuba!.s. On the very eve of
the war between the United States
and Spain, Spain still had large
number of mules in this country. a
cargo Of the animals had been placed
upon the Spanish steamer Buenven-
tura, which was about leaving for
Havana, when an order from Wash
ington stopped the shipment on the
ground that the mules were intended |
for the Spanish army to be used
against this country The animals
were disembarked and driven back to !
the stock yards, and the eBuenaventura, !
which had remained here dangerously |
late in order to take on the animals,
put out to sea, only to be captured by |
the American feet in the Gulf and !
condemned as a prize of war. The de-
cision was subsequently reversed and !
the value of the vessel paid over to the !
owners.
The Spaniards announced them /
selves we'll pleased with their expert
ences with American mules and de-
cIared that bountiful supply OF !
these animals doubled the efficiency
of an army operating in the field, and
having long expeditions to make.
When the United States went to war
with Spain, it proited by the expert
ence OF that country and supplied its
army in Cuba with a large force Of
mules. The same thing was done in
the Philippines, and the Government
demand called for $4,000 animals.
Then came the Boer war. The
British War Office had heard of the
experience Of Spain and the United
States in the use Of mules in war, and
deciiled TO try the animal II also