82 FARM ANIMALS 



and in hot weather as much as one hundred and 

 thirteen pounds each. When not working, how- 

 ever, especially in cold weather, the amount of 

 water required per day was often only eighteen or 

 twenty pounds for each mule. These mules did 

 one third more work than horses and ate less grain,' 

 but rather more coarse fodder. These differences 

 between horses and mules are such as are ordi- 

 narily found. The mule, while patient and pos- 

 sessed of great endurance, especially toward all 

 kinds of neglect, nevertheless has an excellent ap- 

 petite and will eat rations corresponding to those 

 required by a horse of the same size. His appetite 

 is not so delicate as that of the horse and conse- 

 quently he may be induced to eat more coarse and 

 undigestible food than the horse will. The extent 

 of the mule industry and its importance may 

 be seen from the fact that according to the last 

 census there are nearly 3,500,000 mules in the 

 United States. This industry is rapidly spread- 

 ing. In former years it was largely confined to 

 the southern states, especially Texas, Mississippi, 

 Kentucky, and Tennessee. Recently, however, 

 it has developed so as to include not only those 

 southern states and others, but many of the north- 

 ern states. In fact at the present time some of 

 the largest mule raising ranches in the country 

 are located in the northern states, and the Chicago 

 and other northern markets for mules are very 

 important centers of traffic in these animals. In 

 Jamaica, the importance of the mule industry has 

 been the cause of considerable neglect in horse 

 raising so that a governmental investigation was 

 necessary to determine means of improving the 

 horses of the country. 



In the breeding of mules a large number of 



