St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-09-05
CHAPTER on THE ByRRo.
Little BurGen Bearer Has een m
Important Factor In the B~ild-
Ing Up of the West.

AlA4kAG ="
Important Factor In the Baild-
ing Up Of the West.
Carrying whisky on steep mountain
sides from cabin to cabin, transporting
lumber to points where railways are out
Of the question, trudging to the secluded
mines laden with picks and shovels-
such is the life OF the mountain burro.
A few. of them have dwelt under the shell
ter Of the stables of the wealthy, some
of them have had their lots cast with q
circus, others have gone into the depths
Of Pennsylvania mines, altogether
away from the sunlight, but for the most
part the burros are residents Of the
fast-deyeloping west, says the Philadel-
phia Ledger.
Just how much credit man is willing
to grant the buEro for the western devel-
orment depends somewhat on i man.
The humble burro, like the mule, has
been accorded too many kicks and Guns
and heavy loads from time imrnemor-
able. In early days the ass Is given
credit for more intelligence than the
horse, and 1t has long been c%ontended
that the mules intelligence has been
much underrated,, but in this mongrel-
the burro-his appreciated qualiica-
lions consist wholly in surefootedness,
sturdiness and the fact that he is easy to
keep. In Minnesota, Idaho, California,
Arizona, Washington and in Colorado,
outside of Denver, burros are to be found
In large numbers-in fact, in all the
western states where mountains exist
and mining is carried on.
In the west the burro may be bought
AZ low as five dollars. The majority of
them bring not less than $40 or SIS. In
the localities where they are extensively
used one man may be found with 100 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 will weigh 1900
pounds-thus, in comparison, being
double the weight of the burro.
The burro is a slow creature, seldom
covering more than four or five miles an
hour, and it is not to be hurried. In
some respects he may be termed Stub
born; in others he is rot. When q burro
gets old he Is sometimes 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 80 years of
age and still be of service as a pack ami
NAL. which is better than can be expected
Of a horse. There are really few animals
with which the burro cors..d be compared
In hardness. A burro team will carry
upon their backs a 1 ,200-pound lead with
apparent ease. Though they engage in
such hard work and are of great service
to residents of the west. they subsist on
comparatively little. Often they collect
their WI food by browsing 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 a fat burro.
The lumber which the burros trans
port is usually carried from, the logging
camps in the cleared areas, up the noun
tains to the mines, and the construction
of many valuable mines has thus been
made possible. As the burro is adapted
to the mountains, SO likewise is he fitted
to travel In the American deserts. It Is
said that a burro al subsist q long time
without water, and, furthermore, that
he is capable OF seeming water a great
way OF.