CHAPTER ELEVEN 

 THE BREEDING OF MULES 



ON the first day of January, 1905, we had in the 

 United States 2,888,710 mules with a taxable 

 value of $251,840,378. This shows how extensive 

 an industry mule-breeding is, and also what an 

 important place the mule occupies in the econ- 

 omy of the country. The mule is an ideal farm 

 animal. They would find it hard to get along with- 

 out him on the plantations in the South. The 

 negro is the poorest horseman in the world. As a 

 groom he is careless and neglectful. A horse 

 must be attended to or he will get ill and die. 

 The mule seems, if not to thrive on neglect, at 

 least not seriously to deteriorate. On many of the 

 Southern plantations mules never know either 

 currycomb or brush during all their long lives. 

 And they live to a great age. I have never seen 

 any statement based on carefully ascertained sta- 



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