The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-02-09
WHY MULES ARE SO HIGH.
THE DEMAND Is MARKED AND
THE PRICES ARE AWAY UP.
The National Government Has Been
an Active Buyer For Years.
England Buys Here, Too.

England Buys Here, Too.
The price of mules and horses is
! just twice what it was ten years ago,
according to figures and other infor-
nation furnished by prominent deal
ers. To express this fact concretely
horse that sold for 500 in 1900
would sell for 5000 today. The
prices of mules and horses keep
closely together and are practically
the same.
In the last three or four months
Al car loads have been sold in Daw-
son at a cost of about 1925, 900 to
the people of this section who bought
them.
There are several reasons assigned
by dealers in live stock for the great
dearth and high prices of mules and
horses, one of which is that the live
stock breeders have not bred as
many horses and mules during the
last year as in the preceding year.
Through Tennessee, Kentucky, In
diana, Illinois and Missouri, where
most of the live stock of the coun-
try is bred, buyers ride one after the
other every day now in search of
stock. If the price offered by one
buyer does not suit a breeder the
buyer is told to pass on by, as there
is another buyer right behind him
who will give the price asked. And
this is true, for stock must be OBJ
tanned at almost any price in times
of scarcity like the present. The
result is that more live stock has
been marketed thus far in the season
this year than in many years past. |
The national government is held
largely responsible for the scarcity
and high price of live stock. The
government is using large numbers
of mules in the Panama canal zone
in the construction of the canal. It'll
is necessary for the government to
have live stock, so handsome prices
are paid for horses and mules. AS
much as % per cent. of the govern
ment shipments of live stock die on
the way while another 25 per cent.
die in becoming acclimated. Only
about One-half of the shipments re-
main as strong, healthy animals, able
to do the work required of them.
With the estimated loss of SO per
cent. before available numbers can
be secured, and the fact that num-
Der of mules are needed in the work
on the canal zone, the principal cause
of the scracity of live stock is ex-
planned.
Many Go to Panama.
Until the excavation of the Pana-
ma canal is completed it is predicted
that the scarcity of live stock will
last, and the corresponding high
prices will be asked for them. The
high price of cotton has also. added
much to the scarcity of live stock.
Many farmers are putting in unus-
ually large crops of cotton, conse-
quently the demand for mules is
stronger in the agricultural districts
than it has been in a long time.
The scarcity, however, has been
growing for several years It's be-
ginning is attributed to the Spanish
American war, when the United
States government obtained large
numbers of mules to carry on the
army maneuvers in Cuba. Later the
federal government again drew
largely on the supply of mules in this
country in graphing with the prob
lens in the Philippines The Eng
fish government also obtained large
numbers of mules in carrying on the
Boer war, which further depleted the
supply. The price of horses has kept
pace with that of mules and is the
highest in the history of the country
IN spite of the large number of auto
mobiles in use. If the automobile
had not been invented where would
the price of horses be?