676 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



judicious breeding for a specific purpose, may do in improving 

 even an ass. 



Though the ass has for centuries been subjected to hardships, 

 and since the general use of the horse by the wealthier classes 

 has relegated the ass to the conditions of poverty, nevertheless the 

 vigor and stamina of the race are so remarkable that its quick 

 response to careful breeding and liberal feed, has given Poitou a 

 race of jacks that often exceed sixteen hands. The feed, cli- 

 mate, soil, and handling, which have produced the noble French 

 draft-horse, have there given like development to the jacks of 

 Poitou. 



The Mule. The mule is the offspring of the mare served 

 by an ass. They are as ancient as written history, and have 

 been noted for their longevity, sure-footedness, power to endure 

 hardships, patience under abuse, and ability to resist heat. 

 Like hybrids generally, they do not reproduce their kind. Oc- 

 casionally a mule has produced foals, but this is exceedingly rare. 



They were prized by the Romans, and according to Pliny 

 great attention was given to breeding mules. Quintius Axius, 

 a Roman Senator, paid 400,000 sesterces, more than $13,000, 

 for a jack to use in his stud. When male asses brought such 

 sums of money, it is not strange that well-bred and well-formed 

 female asses should be prized at prices which at this day 

 would seem fabulous. The prices then paid, in comparison with 

 money values of this day, exceed the prices now paid for our 

 best-bred trotting stallions. They were so steady and reliable 

 and had so great endurance, that mules of the fifth century 

 before Christ were used in the chariot races of the seventieth 

 Olympiad. 



The Mule in America. General Washington has the 

 honor of being the first to appreciate the mule as an animal 

 suited to the plantation work of the Southern States. He is 

 the first successful breeder of mules in the United States. 

 From the beginning made by him on his farm in Virginia, 

 mules have been introduced into every State in the Union, until 

 the census of 1880 shows 1,812,808 mules and asses, against 

 10,357,488 horses in use. 



