| Show from the plow loom and anvil anah Pt rearing earing mules for market barket we have always looked upon mules as a sort of interloper among the beasts which god had mide which wa was unworthy of the attention of agriculturists but a writer in the albany cultivator it is of a different opinion and seems to understand what hat he is about and we propose to give him a hearing in lie he says I 1 it is not probably generally known that the rearing of mules is one of the most profitable occupations engaged in by american farmers and that the supply does not keep pace with the demand the principal market are those of the cottonard cotton cotto nand and sugar growing states and for the california and oregon omi emigrants rants who take the overland route at the present time a three year old mule cuiule standing thirteen handa hiiro and of aase good action will readily bring and those standing fourteen bands high and well broken to harness and possessing good points command from to each the great endurance of the mule their for hot climates the great age to which they attain the ease and cheap ness with which they are raised and their hardy constitution together with the high price rice obtained for them and the inor increasing easing demand all tend to make it a busi business n e 8 s worthy the attention of those engaged a in pastoral life but very little science appears to be employed in the propagation of this species of animal hybrid and the best course to affect the change 11 would be for agricultural societies to award liberal premiums for the best formed and largest and most active specimens and to encourage the importation of the largest sized and best made jacks from the south of europe to secure large and well made mules the first consideration is to obtain the services sar vices of a large active and neatly made jack and the next point of importance por tince is to select the largest and most sprightly mares and the progeny from such a description of stock would afford a race of mules that would command the highest prices and for all kinds of labor in a hot dry climate would be incomparably superior bior to horses for all kinds of severe drudgery and especially for farm labor and roadsters by careful crossings of this kind a popularity would thus be imparted to the ran mulish lish family that in no other way can be obtained and there is no good reason why mules averaging sixteen hands high embodying a beautiful combination of the points of of both races of animals cannot be raised with as much certainty and success as attend the efforts put forth to improve the race of hor lies aes or any 0 of the domesticated animals good mares for the purpose are abundant in I 1 in pennsylvania in parts of tennessee anti and in most parts of the northern states and the spanish jack should be imported and mide to take the place of the stunted and inferior race that is generally found in this country this may at first sight appear a small matter hut but the demand has become so universal for mules throughout a very large portion of the union onion that to our minds agricultural ri al societies might with great advantage to the interests of agriculture hold out liberal encouragement for the im improvement r ove m ent of this description of stock the aboard board of agriculture for the state of ohio have at both the annual state fairs awarded very liberal premiums premi uma to the owners of the best specimens of jacks and mules and in the rearing of the stock tt that state is now taking a very prominent stand as well as in most other departments of agriculture the president of the board of agriculture michael L mt esq who is the proprietor of a farm of some nine thousand acres of beautiful land lying contiguous to the state capital and alongside of 0 the national road some seven miles in length is the owner of several jacks and his annual sales range from three to four hundred mostly three and four years tears old many of his mules are broken to the plough and wagon and the strongest and finest teams that are brought a into the columbus market are those of mr sullivant consisting of four well trained mules to each wagon the business bubines 9 of trading in in mules is becoming a great favorite with many ganv farmers in ohio and and kentucky and the day is not distant when this department of stock rear jug ing will be very extensively and profitably conducted throughout all the northwestern states mates the upper mississippi valley including the states of illinois indiana wisconsin missouri and lowa iowa hold bold out greater inducements for the propagation of mules than any other portion of the union the boundless and inexhaustible character of the pasturage of this interesting region and having a direct water communication the unrivalled mississippi to the I 1 southern states where the future demand 1 will largely exist together with the new and I 1 increasing demand that has been imparted by the tens of thousands of california and oregon emigrants that annually pass along the overland ove rland route mostly making their outfits in those states all tend to make that i the most desirable location that could be I 1 selected for the prosecuting exten extensively sivel the th n e business of propagating and re rearing ar ing farge large and handsome mules the entire oust cost of rearing a three year old mule in Illi illinois or iowa need not exceed thirty dollars and the price obtained ranges from sixty to one hundred dollars according to quality no other stock are reared with wit so little expense and risk and none affords so large a profit with the prospect I 1 of I 1 a continued steady demand I 1 to make the business as profitable to the farmers as it is susceptible more pains are required on the part of those who under I 1 take to select the jacks and instead of employing cloying small and badly shaped mares the largest argest I 1 and finest should be selected for this purpose then instead of allowing 0 the 1 young mules to become stunted the first winter by a short allowance of provender and I 1 I 1 even that of an inferior quality as much pains should be taken in providing them with wholesome food as is given to the I 1 rearing of colts or calves the young mule is very hardy yet to secure a full and early development he requires artificial food in winter and spring as well as any tiny of the young of the other descriptions of domesticated stock |
