Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1912-12-06
weight, and as far in a day. az

weight, and as far in a day, az
horses.
The economy of feeding mules
makes their employment in sugar and
cotton raising almost UNIVERSAL in
fact, it may be doubted, under pres
ent conditions, whether these indus
tries would be possible If all the la
Dor which is now done by mules had
to be performed by horses. In the
southern states two types OF mules
have received special names on ac-
count Of their connection with these
industries. The sugar mule is larger.
more powerful and more valuable
than the cotton mule, which is the
smaller, cheaper type. These types
are governed according to the re-
quirements placed upon the animal,
the work in the sugar field being
harder than that in the cotton field.
AS draft animals and for general
work purposes mules excel horses in
several respects. They are capable
of more continuous application at
heavy work, under unfavorable condl-
tions. Although they may often be
less tractable, they are also less ex-
citable, and therefore more desir-
able for work in situations where I'M
steady movements or riunging would
be dangerous to the draft animals
and to the machinery and attendants.
The color which is most desired in
mules Is dark brown or black, and In
breeding them the jacks and mares
are selected with reference to the
probability of securing these colors
in the mules.
Mules require essentially the same
general care and management as
horses. They should be weaned at
about four months of age, and the
subsequent feeding should be gov
erned according to the purpose for
which the mules are being raised.
The market requirements for mules
are that they should be fat, and at
tentfon should therefore be given to
this point in order to bring them to
fat condition soon after they are two
years old.
In the southern states 1t Is well to
begin the fattening process in No
vember before the animals become
two years of age. They may be fed
a dozen ears of corn per day and an
abundance of clover or timothy hay
until the following April The mules
may then be turned out upon clover
pasture and the quantity of grain may
be increased. AS soon as the clover is
cut feeding with clover hay may be
resumed in the barn, and shelled corn
should be continued in the ration.
The animals should have free access
to water and salt Shelled oats and
bran are regarded by many mule
raisers as essential to the proper
finishing of mules for market. With
sugar mules this process of feeding
should bring the animals to weight
of from 1,200 to 1880 pounds when
they are just past two years of age.
The same care and attention should
be given to the feeding of cotton
mules, except that the process should
begin later, usually after the animals
are just past the second year.
In comparative experiments with
mules and horses 1t was found that
the mule did about one-third more
work than the horse ate less corn,
more slower and required more water.
A prominent mule raiser states that
as result of experiments extending
over period Of 20 years, three mules
may be expected to consume about
as much as two horses, and to re
main in better condition than the
horses, although doing the same
amount of work