The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-07-05
ARMY MULE never
FORGETS TRAINING.
Has PeCuIiarities That Can Be
Played Upon or Must Be
Humored.
FOLLOW THE BELL MARE
When Leader Starts for Drink Of Wa.
ter Every Mule In Place Fol.
lows Her In Single
File.

Louisville, Ky.-An old, flea-bitten,
hammer-headed, ewe-necked bell mare,
slowly picking her way across the cor
raj at the remount station at Camp
Zachary Taylor, followed by a long
string Of mules walking in single file,
heads down and ears wagging, served
as Illustration for an officer attached
to the big cantonment who had Just
finished remarking that "horse nature
and mule nature and human nature
were mighty contrary things anyway
you take them"
Nov take those mules" he said.
"The education of a pack mule is
a thing that must be begun early. He
has just two purposes In life. One
is to carry 225 pounds day after day
patiently and uncomplainingly, and
the other is to follow the bell mare
Of the train, regardless Of where that
animal may go. Well, there is In that
corral an illustration of the effective
ness of our training. The old mare
has started after a drink of water,
and there goes every dad-blasted one
of those fool mules after a drink of
water"
Investigation revealed that the pack
mule is not the only member of his
family that has peculiarities that can
be played upon or must be humored.
1t was learned that the larger mules,
once teamed up or paired, must there
after be worked together If each is not
to suffer a loss in efficiency.
Mules of High Quality.
The government requires three types
of mules: Animals that weigh from
1,150 to 1850 pounds for wheel mules;
mules that weigh from $50 to 1,150 for
leads, and the little fiat-necked, short
bodied mule which may weigh almost
anything under $50 provided he has
the legs to hold up the 225 pounds
he is supposed to carry.
In this connection 1t might be re-
marked that the comparative differ
cnce in the quality of horses and mules
observed in the stables of the diff
terent units at Camp Zachary Taylor
and In the cOrrals of the remount depot
furnishes an excellent Illustration of
the effects Of the world war on the
supply of such animals held In this
country.
The country has been combed for
horses and good animals, wh ch appar-
emily are difficult to obtain. When the
good animals" terms is used 1t means
a cavalry horse true to type conforma-
tion and having the ability to carry
weight. 1t is true some fine animals
are to be seen among the horses now
obtained by the army and the pro-
portion of good artillery horses is fair.
ly high,
The horse and the mule are not
used interchangeably by the army.
Therefore the lack Of good horses is
to the army men particularly lamenta-
Bile. If the task requires quickness
and courage, If it is one that a sense
of pride or love of parade will carry
through, the horse is chosen. There
fore, the cavalry and artillery use only
the horse.
If there is a hard, thankless job to
be done day after day through any con-
ditions and over all kinds of trails, If
there must at times be short rations;
then the mule gets the call. He will
go forward uncOmplainingly, doing
more work day in and day out than
any horse, and at night he will ask
for 25 per cent less grain. He will
thrive on this, and at the end of q
hard campaign be squealing and kick
ing up his heels when the horse would
be reduced to ineffectiveness.
Whether horse or mule, every ami
NAL bought for war duty must have
been broken. When the animal gets
into the army there are so many things
1t must be taught there is no time to
waste on rudimentary things. 1t first
goes to the corrals of the remount
depot, where it is held with other ami
mails of the same general type and
conformation until a requisition for
animals of that sort is received from
some unit, to which it is issued.
Then begins the animals real army
AS with a man, the first
thing is to drive the lesson home that
the first duty is toward the group to
which it is assigned. In the man this
soon becomes loyalty to the squad, the
platoon, the company and the regiment
and results in team work. For
the animal it means that the
lesson is driven home so relentlessly
that it is the duty of a wheeler, or a
leader, or a number two or three (the
horses making up the middle team of
a six-hOrse artillery team) to do thus
and so, that an animal that has been
through this school will never do it's
most effective work anywhere but in
he position to which it was accus-
.omed in it's training.
To the cavalry horse much the
same thing applies. Put him into
accustom him thoroughly to
what is expected of him, and his rider
nay fall or be shot from the saddle,
md in most cases he will hold his posi-
ion and thunder forward with the rest
# the command in the midst Of the
.hargp