Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-07-13
ARMY MULE never
FORGETS TRAINING
Has PecuIiaritles That Can Be
Played Upon or Must Be
HUNDRED.
FOLLOW THE BELL MARE
when Leader Starts for Drink OF wa.
ter Every Mule In Place Fol.
lows Her In Single
File.

Louisville. Ky.-Au old fies bitten
hammer.headed. ewe-necked bell mare
slowly picking her way across the cor
raj at the rem0unt station nj Camp
Zachary Taylor, followed by long
string of mules walking In single file
heads down and ears waggiBg served
as illustration for an officer attached
To the big cant0nment who had just
finished remarking that horse nature
and mule nature and human nature
were mighty contrary things anyway
yen take them
Now take those mules" he said.
THE education of pack mule is
II thing that must be begun early He
has just two purposes In life one
is 10 carry 225 pounds day after day
patiently and overwhelmingly. and
the other Is to follow the hell mare
OF the train regardless of where that
animal may 60. Well. there is IN that
corral IN Illustration " the effective
ness of our training. The old mare
has started after II drink of water
aud there goes every dad-hlasted one
water"
Investigation revealed that the pack
mule is not the only member of his
family that has peculianties that can
he played upon or must be humored.
Ii was learned that the larger mules,
once teamed up or paired, must there.
after be worked together If each is not
10 suffer Il loss in efficiency
Mules OF High Quality.
The government requires three types
of mules: Animals that weigh from
l $50 to $50 pounds for wheel mules !.
mules that weigh from $50 To $50 for
leads, and the little flat-necked, short.
bodied mule which may weigh almost
anything under $50 provided he has
the legs TO hold up the 30 pounds
he is supposed To carry.
In this connection ii might be re-
marked that the comparative differ
fnce In the quality of horses and mules
observed IN the stables of the DIFF.
lerent units at Camp Zachary Taylor
aud 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. which appar-
entity are difficult to obtain. When the
good animals terms is used Ii means
= cavalry horse true to type confor'na.
ton and having the ability to carry
weight. Ii Is true some fine animals
are To he seen among the horses now
obtained by the army and the pro.
portion Of good artillery horses is fair.
~ high,
The horse and the mule are MOI
used Interchangeable by the army
Therefore the lack of good horses is
to the army men particularly lamenta-
bic II the task requires quickness
and courage, II it Is one that sense
Of pride or a love Of parade will carry
through, the horse is chosen. There
fore, the cavalry ana artillery use only
the horse.
Use Mules for Hard Tasks.
II there is a hard, thankless Job 70
be done day after day through amy con.
ditions aud over all kinds Of trails, II
there must nj times be short rntions
then the mule gets the call. He viii
20 forward uncomplainIngly doing
more work day In and day ont than
any horse, and at night he viii ASH
for 70 per cent less grain. He vii,
thrive on this, and nj the end Of
hard campaign be squealing aud kick.
ing up his heels when the horse would
be reduced 70 inettcctiveneSs.
Whether horse or mule every ami.
mai bought for war duty must have
been broken. When the animal get.
into the army there are so many things
II must be taught there is no time to
waste on rudlmentary things. II first
goes to the c0rralS Of the rpmount
depot, where K Is held with other ami
mails OF the same general ivpe and
conformation until rpquiSition for
animals Of that sort is received from
some unit To which II is issued.
Then begns the animals real army
training. As With man. the first
thing ~ to drive the lesson home ihu,
The hrst duty is toward the group "a
which It is assigned In the man this
soon becomes loyalty 10 the squad the
platoon, the company and the regiment
ahd results IN team work. For
the animal II means that the
Lesson Is driven home so rplentlpSsly
that II IL the duty Of wheeler ar -
leader. or number two or three (thr
horses making up the middle team Of
n slX'horse artillery team) to do thus
and SO, that an animal thnt has hean
through this school viii never do liz
most effective work anywhere bur in
the position to which II was accus
TONED In It's training.
To the cavalry horse much the
same thing applies. Put him into
training, accustom him Thoroughly to
what IN expected Of him, and his rider
may fall or be shot from the saddle
and IN most cases he viii hold his posi-.
tion aud thunder forward with the rost
of the command In the midst of tn.
charge.