The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-03-23
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THE MULE OF TO-DAY
How the Traffic in Mules Helps make
Kansas City Great.

How the Traffic in Mules Helps make
Kansas City Great.
The traffic in mules that is helping
to make Kansas City the great market
of the Southwest may be understood
by nearly everybody in a general way.
but there are few. even among the pro-
drccrS, who thoroughly understand the
business Ill its smallest details. Farm
erS and shippers who dispose of their
stock on the market do not always I'M
uefStand the exact use of their prod.
ucts, their distinct classification, or
within a few dollrs of their market
value. Fewer still know what points
OF the world will be the ultimate des-
tnation of the animal they have raised
ard cared for.
Mules, in general way, are divided
INTO seven or eight distinct classes, as
70 their age height, bone, weight, etc.
The principal divisions are sugar
mules, cotton, mine, railroad, farm,
leree and car mules. This latter class,
or car mules, has almost passed out of
existence us a marketable animal on ac-
count of the inroads made in the street.
car transportation methods by steam
and electricity. Car mules range from
IA to l515 hands and are generally of
the cheapest grade it is possible to buy.
very few have been sold during the
past five years, and there is scarcely
my demand at the present time.
Sugar mules range from two to five
years of age, from 16 to 1615 hands
high, have medium bone and weigh
from 1,150 to 400 pounds. They are
used for all grades of heavy work on
the sugar plantations of the South,
principally in Louisiana. They must
be of the very best quality and they
command good prices. The market
value ranges from 800 to S125 Der
head. Planters generally prefer them
unbroken. Nearly all the mules of this
class sold here are taken to Louisiana.
The uses of the sugar mule after he
reaches the plantations are manifold.
Inc heavy cane carts are hauled by
him. The sugar mule does all the
ploWlng, and there are a hundred diff
terent ways in which the sugar mule
Is made to pay for himself.
Cotton mules are used in every State
In the South. They range from IA to
l5a hands in height, have light to med
Gm bone and nice, smooth hair. They
must weigh about 900 to 1000 pounds.
and generally sell from $50 to 800 per
head, according to height and general
quality. 1t takes an extra good one.
however, to bring the latter figure
Kansas City sells more cotton mules
than any other grade. A rough esti-
mate of the proportion of cotton mules
handled here would be at least Is per
cent. of the total number. This market
Is unusually well adapted to handling
this class of mules, and the buying
class is finding it out. There are more
cotton mules raised within a radius
or 200 miles of Kansas City than in
any Similar area In the whole world.
and no point is better situated geo.
graphically to handle this trade than is
@2nsast Pity Mine mules are used in
mines o. over the country but most
OF those sold in Kansas City 90 to the
pennsylvania mines. Of late years a
great many mine mules have been sold
here to 80 to Colorado, New Mexico
and Wyoming, as there have been a
good many new mines developed out
there. Mine mules must have plenty
Of weight, have heavy bone and body
and be chunky and hardy. They in
clude nearly all sizes from the small
14-hand Juvenile edition to the biggest
and best 16-hand mules. Prices have
wide range ard depend upon the
general conformation and the charac-
teristics mentioned. A normal range
of $50 to 1925 per head may be given.
The Kansas City dealers have worked
up a good trade in this line and many
a Pennsylvania miner comes direct to
this point for his supplies in this line,
passing right by the older markets of
Chicago and st. Louis. No better
argument, by the way, is needed than
this fact to prove the growth of Kan
sas City's reputation as a supply point
for mules.