The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1900-03-24
Thara Is an outbreak OF

Lie COuILlJ' LNo-S ~ .,L
clanders among the animals, bnt thas
outbreak came after the animals :and'
ed in South Africa, and was possibly
due to the exhausted condition IN
which the animals reached A'rlea'
which rendered them prone to the
many diseases that prevail there de-
structi7e 10 horses and mules. |
The Afrikander protest against the .
Importation Of American mules has
led the British Government to order
the ;noculation Of all the animals with i
the Pasteur serum before beng
sn;pped from here; but this inocula..
ton has shown not single glanderea
animal, thereby going a loug way to
prove that the outbreak OF gIanders
among the American pack animals
was not brought there by them. In
70 wise dissuaded by the protests OF
the native farmers OF the Cape Colony
against tho importation Of American
mules, the British War Olico will H.
crease the arount OF its purchases;
and after experimenting with Italian
and Aulalusian mules it has closed It's
purchasing bureaus in Naples and
GibraItar, and will use only American
animals bought in the Southwest and
sh,pped through New Orleans.
The extent OF the purchases will
! depend. OF course, on the duration OF
| the Boer war. Present appearances
wonld seem to call for 30, 900 or more
mules. Waris q heavy consumer OF
mules. They wear out IN a compara'
ti-e!y short time, for they receive
! very little attention-one OF their
chief merits being their toughness
and their ability tc take care OF them-
! se,yes and to endure all the privatlons
to which they may be subjected. Ihey
ere completely used up and OF ltt'e
value after a campaign, as the United
States found when it tried to sell
some of the superduous mules en-
Moved in the Santiago campaign. .
! Whether the mule would be useful
IL war in temperate country IS .
question that cannot vel! be determ-
med. His toughncss, his stolld-
ness, his ability to get along with It,
tie care, to stand any climate, aud to
exist with far less water and food
than his half brother the horse, would
seem to make him valuable animal
for army packing purposes IN any
climate, but to his Importance, value
and indeed necessity in campaign
il tropical or semi-tropica: country
the United States, Great Britain and
Spain can all testify. He IS now
moro important to al army than
horse. and as essential as the artillery
: itself, Without him al army con nc
,, longer move auy distance without
danger Ct running out OF its supplies:
The recent fight at Nicholson's Nes
bore evidence 10 the importance O.
the mule in warfare; for the result o.
: the battle was largely due to thS
t mules. which ran of and lett tue
l British without ammunition-these
D by the by, were Spanish, not Amerl
, can mules, the first cargo OF the Latter
4 having not yet reached Cape Colony
At present nearly all the mules at TIT
v front in South Africa are the Amerl
S can animal, who are giving General
0 Builer. Gatacre aud Methuen valu
e able assistance in their campaign:
n It can be readily seen from thes
d facts Why mule famine is threatene'
o in the early future when the prcsen
e supply OF mules is exhausted; Mul Il,
n breeding has started up largely ~ a
e parts of the West and Southwest, |
e consequence Of the improved value {
the mules, but the supply Of brood
mares is now very limited, and it will
be some years, before the new crop OF
enima.s is Oh the market. New York
Sun.