The Savannah morning news., 1903-09-07
GARDEN
AND HOUSEHOLD
By S. A. COOK.

, portant. But it is the big team mule
that pays best always and is surest of
4 steady market. 1t is a general inn
preston here that only the big mares
should raise mules in order to insure
good farm purpose sizes. This is not
true where the big producing jack is
to be had. The mammoth bred Span
ish jack stock of the right kind crossed
to any of our average-size roadster
stock will beget mules of an average
of from 1000 to 1.150 pounds weight,
with as many above as below these
figures; in short, good farm purpose
sizes
To the brood mare in general set
aside to mother the mule, the same
rules of reproduction will apply as
though she reproduced her own kind
The tested brood mares and those young
and vigorous will usually bring good
mules from even deficient sires. The
practice has often been to use the vic
ious or the old heart broken mares to
raise mules, with the result that the
progeny often inherited these tenden-
cies. The female is most apt to impaTt
the temperament This is no doubt
true as to brood mares and perhaps
to all animal kind. As the nice temp
cred mules are so much desired in
this part of the country, it behooves
the breeder to use the obedient, quiet
cannot be too good. By this kind of
selection that stubborn phase of the
mules disposition can be almost bred
out.
The brood mare of obtuse sensibii-
ties should be avoided as she will bring
the mule that will not respond to the
whip. On the other hand, the mare
that is most apt to reproduce her own
temperament is the crazyheaded, wild,
irresponsible beast of unbalanced
nervous organism. The head-strong
trait of the ass crossed on this tenn
permanent is Objectionable Mettle,
courage, ambition, gentleness, docility
are always traits to be desirable in
the dam.
There is now an opportunity to raise
mules of great sibe from our draft
mares and grade draft mares that have
become so common in recent years.
Nearly all the big mules that have ever
been raised in the United States have
been from the lightest strains of
horses The dependence mas all been
on the jacks to produce big mules.
Using the draft mares for mule-rais-
ing is a comparatively new thing, so
it is easy to realize that if the ap-
proved strain of jack stock is crossed
in this way unusual sizes may be had
in the mules.
But the most potent factor by far
III the production or mules OF size and
quality is the Jack stock used. These
animals have been bred for some CEN
turtles with the sole idea of reproduc-
ing the hybrid (mule) with greatest per-
lection. And the first aim has been to
perpetuate the power to beget size
This power seems ia have been estab-
lished more as a trait than as a quail
ity OF size, attributable to the parent
stock. Jacks are not uncommon that
reproduce mules of great size and fine
quality, but when crossed to their own
kind beget inferior progeny in all re-
spects. On the contrary, not all good
Jack sires are good mule producers.
As common illustration, in mule
raising sections, a 14-hand sire will be
used, with dams not over Is or 1914
hands average, and will often produce
mules of an average height of 16 and
16h hands. The pure blood of the jack
is the most important thing, and, as
of horses, there are families of espec-
ial merit. On the whole the richly
bred jack of the mammoth Spanish
strain is so much superior to the come
by-change sort heretofore mostly used
IN Ohio as to be beyond comparison"