The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1919-08-29
The Commercial, Union City, Tenn.
FRIDAY. AUGUST 20. 1919.
TENNESSEE FARM NEWS.
Heavy Draft Animals Scarce.

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The country is facing an annual !
shortage of 100000 colts for heavy
work. This is the result of the war
taking many heavy animals out of
the country, and the fact that many /
breeders kave thought that tractors |
would diminish he demand for heavy |
farm animals.
There is no question that the de- |
mand for heavy animals will be
great within the next few years."
states r. M. Murphy, specialist in
Livestock, Division of Extension, Uni
versity of Tennessee. "The war has
drained the country of the supply of
good work stock. Tractors have not
| decreased the demand for this type
of animals. Investigations in the
use of tractors on 252 farms show
that an average of only one-half for
each farm have been displaced by
them.
MANY breeders during the last
four years have not bred their big
brood mares. For this reason the
annual crop of yearling colts has
been decreased 100000. Effects of
this will begin to be felt next year
when the normal supply of young
animals fails to appear on the market.
'In order to arouse more interest
in the production of heavier mares,
| looking toward the increased pro-
duction of heavier mules, the West
Tennessee Experiment Station at
Jackson, is going to offer for sale to
the highest bidder, number of the
young Percheron stations produced
there. The sale will take place We'd
nesday afternoon, September 3, dur
ing the West Tennessee Farmers
Convention. Included in the station
stud are mares of the very vest breed
ing and individuality. They have
been selected of a type particularly
adapted to Southern conditions.
"These mares have taken the place
of the big mules formerly used at
the station farm and are doing the
farm work satisfactorily in addition
to raising an 80 per cent colt crop
each year.
every farm of average size should
have at least one pair of heavy brood
mcres. They will do enough work
to pay for their keep, and raise good
pair of mule colts each year as clear
profit.
at is not practicable to try to buy
satisfactory mares of this type. The
greater number of those on the mar
ket are those which have proved to
be barren, have failed to produce good
colts, or have some other defect.
1.-The most satisfactory brood mare
for raising mules is not straight
draft animal, but cross from a draft
stallion on our good, thoro and trot-
ting bred mares. They give their
colts much more finish and snap,
while the draft cross increases their
weight
"The only way to secure practical
mule mares is by the use of good,
purebred draft stations with style
and quality and weight on our thoro-
bred and trotting bred mares.
weight is the prime requisite of
the mule market to-day. Every pound
that mule weighs above 1000 is
worth rs to 40 cents pound. The
only way to get this weight is by
the infusion of draft blood.
'At present the greater portion of
our number of horses will class as
medium to good drivers" or as
'Southerners, the market for either
of which is not sufficient to warrant
their production. The greater num-
Der of our mules fall into classes be-
low Is v hands high, and sell, at
present, for less than production
costs"
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