The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1916-02-03
JACKS, ,JENNETSANDMULES
By B. F. SWAGGART, Lexington, Oregon


synopsis of my observations in the
Jack, Jennet and Mule industry. |
am now passed the Goth milestone of
my life's journey. / was born on a
stock farm in Oregon and from child
hood to the present day, stock rails
ing has been and is now the principal
vocation of my life's work.
My father was the pioneer mule
raiser in Oregon and found ready
market for his mules, which he sold
in the Cariboo and Frazier River
mining districts to be used as pack
animals, for which purpose the mule
is better than the horse because he
is surer footed and carries heavier
load than the horse.
AS l am writing these lines some
of the scenes of my childhood, so
dear to the human heart, pass vividly
before my mental vision and | re-
member when small boy, in child
lsh glee and enthusiastic with hope
full anticipation, my first ride was
successfully accomplished on the
back of one of my fathers Mammoth
Maltese Jennets. He was raising this
breed of jennets.
Looking over the annals of stock
industry find that the king of Spain
presented George Washington, "the
father of our country" with Man,
moth Maltese Jack which he Kept in
the stud for forty years.
The Jack and Jennets belong to
the genus "Equus" and are longer
lived and more intelligent than other
animals of this species; the mule
comes next in the scale of intelli-
gence. Some cartoonists who are
ignorant of the nature and DISPOSE
ton of the mule, picture this animal
as vicious and mean in various car
toons In newspapers and magazines.
These "would-be" observers of the
animal kingdom, would make a per-
son believe that the mule is always
ready to kick or strike, but as a mat
ter of fact such cartoons are misrep-
resentations by artists who are to-
tally ignorant as to the nature of
mules. 1t is true that in order to
handle the mule properly, one must
make practical study of the ten
dencies and characteristics of this
animal. In order to instill trust and
confidence in the mule, you must ac-
cord to him kind treatment. A mule
never kicks except he fears some
thing. Many person believes that
young mules must be abused and
beaten into submission, but such a
method is wrong and despicable.
Take for instance, mule that is
handled by a person possessed OF
fear, what would be the result? The
persons magnetism on account OF
being tinged with fear, is of a neea-Y
tive quality which is attracted by the
mules negative magnetism, and ac-
cording to the laws of Occultism, as
two negative or positive qualities
come in contact with each other.
cause discord and inharmony. The
mules negative magnetism repels
the persons magnetism of like qual-
ity and arouses fear in the person,
who, in turn infuses fear in The mule
and the latter because he fears some-
thing is then liable to kick.
In the NorthT est, the introduction
Of mules for farming and other pur-
poses has been SLOW. Tie first mules
| put on the market in Eastern Ore
gon was in 1880, and they were diff
hcult to sell. | took twenty head to
Fort WaIla Walla, Washington, but
could not find any market at that
time, SO was obliged to take them
home again. The next year ! offered
the same mules for sale In farming
section, sold some of them al auction
for only $63 span, called the sale
off and shipped the others to St.
Louis, Missouri, in 1881. In this To-
cality they brought fair price.
Since then the demand for mules
has been on the increase and still in
creasing, so much so, that the supply
is not equal to the demand. Mule
raiserS in the East are shipping
mules to the Northwest and an ay-
arage span thus bought cost the far
mer on the Pacific Coast about $500
a span and the eastern mule is infer
ior to the native mule of Oregon.
Why? Because the eastern mule
must become acclimated to this new
locality before he can thrive and do
his best work.
The Eastern stock raiser has bred
for height too long and neglected to
give the necessary attention to strong
bodily qualities, such as deep and
broad chest deep shoulders, heavy
boned legs, etc. On account of this
neglect on the part of the Eastern
Jack raiser, our Jacks and mules are
superior to the Eastern jacks and
mules. So far as the breeding of
jacks and mules is concerned there
has been of late years, some great
changes in the East.
"The Stallion and Jack News"
now called "The American Breeder,
published in Kansas City, Mo, has
Initiated the Registry Record for