East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-05-29

Miss Lula r. Loren2, travelling cor
respondent for the East Oregonian
and the Oregon Daily Journal, con-
tributes the following special article
TO the Oregon Sunday Journal on
mule raising in eastern Oregon. The
article is accompanied in the Journal
by a photograph of a grower of mules
residing near Pendleton, with two fine
mule colts. and is as follows:
The accompanying photograph is of
two mule colts and their master, taken
on ranch few miles north of Pen
dleton. The mule industry in eastern
Oregon is one that has been neglected
compared with the way in which every
other branch of stock raising has
been exploited in this region, a fact
mournfully noted by every newcomer
from Missouri, especially, in which
state where, upon the rising and set
ting of the sun, and upon every step
of that luminary's daily journey it is
saluted with a cheerful hee-haw from
every 40-acre lot and every mile of
dusty road. There have always been
some mules in eastern oregon, OF
course, as there have always been
some politicians in heaven, but until
the present time they have been woe
fully scarce.
The ratio of efficiency of the horse
decreases when the heat has reached
a certain point and above, while that
of the mule can scarcely be "feased''
by any heat in which a man can
work. From 26 to 80 mules can now
be seen with tolerable frequency
drawing combined harvesters during
the past few years, and where fairly
introduced to this trying duty they
are never discarded for horses
Hence the past few years have
wrought considerable change in the
ambitions of the stockmen and the
number of mules is steadily and rapid
ly increasing. Now a mild craze for
mules has developed and co-eXistent
and necessary is the demand for high
grade jacks, many of which have
been brought in from the middle west
for the most part by private ranchers
in many cases, while at least one
wealthy importer of horses-the A. C.
Ruby company of Pendleton-has di-
verted a portion of its investment to
the purchase and importation of jacks
and that company has already sold
in eastern and central Oregon and
adjacent regions of Washington and
Idaho some two score of those ami
mails the present season alone.
Importing Thoroughbreds.
Quick to recognize the possibilities
of the industry and the development
of the stockmen's and farmers tastes
and judgment, the company is now
arranging for the importation OF
blooded Andalusian jacks from Spain
And in this course the company is
following a no less renowned example
than that set by George Washington
who imported and bred upon his
Mount Vernon estate the first Jack
ever brought into tine territory of the
13 original colonies. OF course, Span
ish jacks had long before that time
been bred in the Spanish colonies OF
America. But Washington, first .ir
war, peace and the respect and love
of his countrymen, was also the frs
Anglo-Saxon in America to appreciate
the mule at his full value.
As eastern Oregon is par excellence
a land where the highest development
of the horse is to be found, so it Il
expected by expert horse raisers t
equal or excel Spain itself in the de
velopment of the mule, owing to th'
similarity in climate between Oregon
( in the lower attitudes and that of th'
1 biuber aItitudac of Gpoiu