The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-05-06
Raising Mules.

Twenty reasons why the farmer
should raise mules" Is the title of q
folder published by the Bakers Jack
Farm Of Lawrence, Kan, It is worth
reproducing In full, as follows:
l. They can be raised cheaper than
any other stock.
II. Will 60 into the market sooner
than horses.
III. They are marketable any time
from weaving time (four months old)
until incapacitated by old age.
Nv. Are less liable to contract dis.
ease than the horse.
V. Pasture number OF colts
through the grazing season and you
will find plenty of blemishes at feed.
ing time. Mules prove the contrary
and have few, If any, blemishes, and
their value is not decreased by blem-
ishes, as horse.
vi. They are easy to raise, easy to
sell and hard to blemish.
VII. They instinctively avoid
holes and dangerous places. A team
of runaway mules seem to run more
for sport than fright, and usually stop
before damage Is done, while q horse
never stops until he is completely
freed.
VIII. The mule is more steady
when at work than the horse, less
nervous and Is not 30 liable to become
exhausted, and often becomes 80 well
instructed and trusty as to need no
driver or lines.
TX. Can stand heat better than the
horse, are steady and can be relied
upon.
x. Can stand more abuse and hard
ship than q horse, but will respond as
quickly as the horse to good feed and
kind treatment.
XII. The profit in undertaking is
their quick growth. Are marketable
at three years old. A horse colt can
not be sold to an advantage until five.
So the expense Of two years feeding
and handing Is saved.
XII. Nokind of horse-fesh is more
stable in price, excepting thorough
breds or fancy specimens. Will bring
more per pound upon the open market
or cost less to produce In the actual
value of food consumed and time and
labor required.
XIII. There is always a steady. de-
mand for good mules. A buyer will
always handle them. If there are
plenty of mules raised in q section of
8 country there will be plenty of mule
buyers. Mule buyers are not going
where there are no mules to buy. In
time Of war In any country mules are
always picked up at high price and
very highly priced. Why? Because
they must have them. They endure
all kinds of hardships.
XIV. Buyers make money by buy
ing at weaving time, and by pasturing
and feeding eighteen months have
them ready for the market. Can be
raised and handled as easily rs lot Of
cattle and sheep.
XIV. One steer will eat as much IS
q team of mules. A good steer at
three years old is worth $40 or SIS. A
team Of mules at the same age (good
oneS will cell from $3.50 to $500, hav-
Ing eaten no more food.
XVI. Feed the same amount to q
bunch Of mules that you do to your
hogs and see which will make you
the most money.
XVII. A good COW, fed to make
butter, will consume as much or more
food than team of mules from the
time dropped until three years old.
XVIII. AS for line animals, they
can not be beaten, and are being used
on the farms more extensively for
this purpose. Also in our large cities
are being used exclusively for draying
and heavy street work, standing the
wear Of the hard streets twice as long
as horse.
XIX. As they will not breed they
were created for a special purpose, and
that is, as true, honest, durable and
valuable workers, taking the place of
q team of horses and lasting much
longer.
Xxx. The reader will probably say s:
"Why are not more mules raised ?n
Simply because in most localities
there are no jacks to breed to. Good
mules cannot be raised unless you
breed to good jack. If farmers could
sell yearling horse colts at $50 each
they would be willing to buy all the
stations in sight at $4,000 to $4,000
each. Then why should they hesitate
to buy jacks at $500 to $1,000 each when
q jack has four times the service of a
horse in his natural life and lives to be
almost twice the age of horse?