The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-04-04

ever been before, the demand for
mules is larger still. First, comes the
demand from the army for mules to be
used on the Western front, where they
are used for the hauling of heavy trans
ports. For the work, indeed, mules
are said to be more efficaclous than
horses, which are not so strong, and
motor trucks, which have a habit of
selecting emergencies in which to get
stuck in the mud. Only it is impossible
to use mules near the firing line, be-
cause they lack the courage of the
horse, becoming frightened and I'M
manageable under direct fire.
The American forces are the only
ones making extensive use of horses
and trucks, largely out of preference
and because they are not so well ac-
quainted with the mule. Germany,
having very few mules and heavy draft
horses, has been compelled to use motor
power exclusively for this work. Be-
fore the war, horse breeding in Ger
many, which was under government
supervision, was confined to the pro-
duction of hight medium weight horses
OF the cavalry type-a practice which
Germany has had reason to regret, since
there is great need for heavy horses
! in this war.
In addition to the demand for army
mules, which is taking all the best
animals in this country, is the increas-
ed demand for mules in the South. The
draft h lett the South short of labor,
the farmers are compelled to substitute
mule and machinery in the place of
hired hands in planting and harvesting
crops.
Fortunately, the South is rich this
year owing to the high prices obtained
for cotton last season, so that most
Farmers are able to buy mules, which
are becoming expensive. Even poor
mules are bringing $500 and $500 apiece.
while the average price is 81 900 pair.
The small farmers who are unable to
meet this price are facing a serious
situation. With cheap labor gone, and
with mules, horses and machinery be-
yond their pocketbooks, these farmers
will have great difficulty in living up to
the standards of the Food Administers
ton unless the banks come to their
rescue. Thus the mule has become an
important factor in the food situation
The Hureau of Animal Industry es-
Inmates that there were over five
million mules in this country in jan
uary -considerably more than there
were that time last year, so that there
would be no shortage were it not for
the unprecedented demand. The United
States has always been the largest
Embarrassing nation in the world. Per
haps the American sense of humor
alone can make allowances for the
mulish disposition, for he is not much
appreciated in Europe. With the ex-
ception of Spain, there are few mules
on the eastern continent.
Now mule-breeding is nearly as inn
portant as horse breeding. Missouri
proudly holds first place on the list of
mule breeding states, while Texas,
Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and
Kentucky offer lively competition. With
the rapid extension of the use of the
motor truck, the industry has constant
" been pointed to by automobile en-
thusiasts as distinctly shaky invest
ment, but so far there is no sign of an
immediate collapse. Mules are still
popular in the cities, and they are even
more esteemed on the farms. Accord
ing to the Bureau of Animal Industry,
farming can never be done entirely by
machinery; there will always have TO be
couple of mules or horses about to
pull the tractor out of the mud. Hence,
the demand for mules, the Bureau be-
lIeves, will be large for years to come.
Yet for some lnexphcahle reason
which is puzzIing agricultural off ials,
nule.bree ling was grestly curtailed
this year. One agent of tue Depart
ment of Agriculture estimates that fol-