The Republican journal., 1903-02-12
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RAISE MULES!
That is the advice of Waldo County
Farmer

That is the advice of Waldo County
Farmer
To THE EDITOR OF The JOURNAL:
The farmer has received many sugges-
tions on how to make money. Some
have advocated sheep-raising, stock
raising of all kinds and poultry raising.
Others have suggested raising Angora
goats, and few have tried it, and fail
ed to make success. Sheep, cattle
and poultry raising are all right, and
can be carried on on the same farm;
but they do not supply the necessary
funds to carry on the business and pay
our taxes.
The writer is placed in the same posi-
tion in which many of his readers no
doubt find themselves, and has been
turning over in his mind the possibili-
ties of muleraising industry in our
State.
Ten million dollars have been left in
this county by European governments
in exchange for army mules, Great
Britain taking the largest number. SO
large have been the shipments that
mules are becoming scarce. They seem
to be indispensable in times OF war as
well as in peace, and it looks as though
there must be profitable market for
all that can be raised. Nearly every
State in the Union has more or less
mules, aud in the great majority the
mule, is valued on an average $40 per
head higher than the horse. You hear
of s25, 900, even of 100000 horses, and
of others valued at 1000, but the mule
with his even valuation is worth more
per head than the horse. In Connecti-
cut horses are valued at $73.06 and
mules at Ss7.O3 per head. In the Dis
trict of Columbia, in which the National
Capital is situated, mules are valued at
$3.50 and horses at only $67.93 per
head
Now if the mule can do this when his
dam is bred to the jack only when she
is deemed too much blemished to be
bred to the horse, what could the mule
do if he had for his dam the best in the
land, such as are bred to fine horses?
We don't want the horse breeders to
quit breeding, nor will they, for we are
looking for better mares to get better
mules from.
If we can increase the value of the
horse in this country and bring them up
to the valuation of the mule, the coun-
try would be richer by $3.50, 100000, that
is $40 per head on the 100000 horses
in the United States Take the State
of Illinois, with her ], ,135, 900 horses and
put the valuation of the mule on them,
and the State will be richer by $11 $780,
600.
These illustrations show the possibil-
tiles of the mule industry right here in
Maine. Mules can be raised cheaper
than any other stock; they will 60 into
market sooner than the horse; can be
handled and worked at two years old,
and if properly handled will do more
work than four year old colt, and be
the better for it. They are less liable
to contract diseases than the horse and
can stand the heat much better. They
are not easy to sweat, are steady and
reliable and can stand more abuse and
hardship than the horse; but are very
sensitive and sensible animal, and re-
spond quickly to kind treatment by
docility and gentleness.
The profit of mule raising is in their
quick growth. They are marketable at
and years old. A horse colt cannot
be sold to advantage till he is years
old; so the feeding and handling are
saved by the mule. There is always a
steady demand for the mule. If plenty
of mules are raised in a section OF
country, there will be plenty of mule
buyers. A Western dealer recently Of
fered from $32 to $50 for all the mules
that can be raised after certain breed
of black Spanish jacks, and will take
them at weaving time. That would be
neat little profit, considering the 1l1he
and expense of wintering.
1t behooves us all to put our shoul-
ders to the wheel and make the mule
raising industry of this State worthy
of the Western patronage. In time OF
war in any country mules are always
picked up and are very highly priced.
Why? Because they must have them.
The mule can endure all kinds of hard
ships and its jaw-bone, which is very
heavy, can masticate any kind of rough
food. A mule will do better fed
twice day than the horse that is
fed three times, on the same ration.
AS they will not breed, the mule was
created for special purpose-and that
is true, honest and desirable as well
as a very valuable worker-taking the
place of team of oxen without cost