Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-05-08
USES OF THE BURRO.
Hardy Little Creature That Has
 Done Much in the West.
Has Been an Important Factor i'm the Developme end Of Md mes, Railways and Building Enter
 priSeS.

ways are out of the question, trudg ing to the secluded mlnes laden with picks and shovels-such is the life of the mountain burro. A few of them have dwelt under the shelter of the stables of the wealthy, some of them have had their lots cast with a circus, others have gone into the depts of Pennsylvania mines, alto, gether away from the sunlight, but for the most part the burros are resi- dents of the fast-developing west, says the New York Times.
 Just how much credit man is will ing to grant the burro for the west ern development depends somewhat upon the man. The humble burro, like the mule, has been accorded too many kicks and cuffs and heavy loads from time immemorial. Tn early days the ass is given credit for more intelligence than the horse, and it mules intelligence has been much depreciated, but in this mongrel-the burro-his appreciated qualifications consist wholly in surefootedness, sturdiness, and the fact that he is easy to keep. Tn Minnesota, Idoha, California, Arizona, Washington, and in Colorado, outside of Denver, bur- ros are tofbe found in large numbers, in fact, in all the western states, were mountains exist and mining is carried on.
 Although there is little use for the burro in the eastern part of the country, it once became fad in New York for the children of rich parents to own white ,burros as pets. They hitched them to carts and miniature vehicles and for time the burro be- came very popular. Carloads of them were shipped to the eastern markets and sold for as much as $150 and $200. Only white burros brought this price, however. It was not fashion able to own one of another color. But with Shetland poines available, this fad could not last long,. The ponies presented so much heater and pret- tier appearance that even the chill dren tired of burros.
 In the west the burro may be bought as low as five dollars. The majority of them bring not less than $10 to SIS. Tn the localities where they are extensively used one man may be found with a hundred of them at his command. Burros vary in color, as they also do in weight. They may be found weighing 1000 pounds. Again, they may weigh but $50 pounds. A good-sized mule wifi weigh 1900 pounds, thus, in compari- son, being double the weight of the burro. .
 The burro is a slow creature. sell dom covering more than four or five miles an hour, and is not to be hur- ried. In some respects he may be termed stubborn; in others he is not. When a burro gets old he sometimes is inclined to be ugly, but in the main he is much gentler than a mule When he does become ugly he uses his teeth just as freely as his heels.
 The burro will live to be 30 years of age, and still be of service as a pack animal, which is better than can be expected of a. horse. There are really few. animals to which the bur- TO could be compared in hardness. This has long been one of the char acteristics of the species to which he belongs. A burro team will carry upon their backs a 1200-pound load with apparent ease. Though they en- gage in such hard work and are of such great service to residents of the mountainous regions of the west, they subsist on comparatively little. Often they collect their own food by brousing about the bushes upon the sides of the mountains. Like the camel, which is also used as a pack animal they look lank and bony. It is difficult to find fat burro. The uses to which this sturdy animal is put in the west are too many to enumerate. The milk peddlers carries his load to his mountain customers by means of his faithful burro. He straps a. keg securely to the beasts back, together with his milk cans and pint and quart measures.
 The lumber which the burros trans port is usually carried from the log ging camps, in the cleared areas, up the mountains to the mines, and the construction of many valuable mines have thus been made possible, where, under the circumstances, they would have been practically impossible. With bent heads, the burros climb the slopes with a great piece of timber on each side of their backs. These tinbers are often two and three times as long as the burro that carries them, and may be two or three inches in thickness. The rear ends of these bards drag upn the ground, while the forward ends are in the air. These tibers hide from the view a goodly part of each burro's body. Twenty five of these animals thus half laden beneath the loads which they are dragging, trudging up the mountain sides, is one of the sights of the en- tire west.
 Apricot Bavariose with Snow ERxs.
 Sift canned apricots: add sugar.