72 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



ran and capered until they came to the first batch of green grass, 

 and there stopped to regale themselves, while the horse ran on until 

 he stuck the plow in his back, greatly frightened. In less than ten 

 minutes the five mule plows were going without a bolt broken, while 

 the plow after the horse was a wreck, and the horse ruined for life. 

 The mule is more steady while at work than the horse, and is not 

 so liable to become exhausted, and often becomes so well instructed 

 as to need neither driver nor lines. 



They are also good for light harness, many of them being very 

 useful buggy animals, traveling a day's journey equal to some 

 horses. The writer obtained one from a firm of jack breeders in his 

 vicinity, that was bred in the purple by them, as an experiment, 

 being out of a thoroughbred mare by a royally bred jack. She is T6' 

 hands high, as courageous as most any horse. In traveling a dis- 

 tance of 32 miles, this mule, with two men and the baggage, made 

 it, as the saying goes, "under a pull," in four hours, and when ar- 

 rived at the journey's end seemed willing to go on. 



We do not wish to be understood as underrating the horse, for 

 it is a noble animal, well suited for man's wants, but for burden- 

 bearing and drudgery is more than equaled by the patient, faithful, 

 hardy mule. 



The Kind of Sire to Breed From. There are two kinds of 

 jacks the mule jack and the jennet jack, or combined jack, that is 

 good for either mares or jennets, and is used chiefly in breeding 

 jacks for stock purposes. It is only with the mule jack that we will 

 deal, as the jennet jack is too costly to breed to mares, as a rule, un- 

 less the mares are of extra quality. 



A good mule jack ought to be not less than 15 hands high, and 

 have all of the weight, head, ear, foot, bone, and length that can be 

 obtained, coupled with a broad chest, wide hips, and with all the 

 style attainable with these qualities. Smaller jacks are often fine 

 breeders, and produce some of our best mules, and when bred to 

 the heavier, larger class of mares show good results, but as "like pro- 

 duces like," the larger jacks are preferable. 



Black, with light points, is the favorite color for a jack, but 

 many of our gray, blue, and even white jacks have produced good 

 mules. In fact, some of the nicest, smoothest, red-sorrel mules have 

 been the product of these off-colored jacks; but the black jacks get 

 the largest proportion of good-colored colts from all colored mares. 



The breed of the jack is also to be looked into. There are now 

 so many varieties of jacks in the United States, all of which have 

 merits, that it will be well to examine and see what jack has shown 

 the best results. We have the Catalonian, the Andalusian, the Malt- 

 ese, the Majorca, the Italian, and the Poitou all of which are im- 

 ported and the native jack. Of all the imported, the Catalonian is- 

 the finest type of animal, being a good black, with white points, of 

 fine style and action, and from 14^ to 15 hands high, rarely 16 

 hands, with a clean bone. The Andalusian is about the same type 

 of jack as the Catalonian, having perhaps a little more weight and 

 bone, but are all off colors. The Maltese is smaller than the Cata- 

 lonian, rarely being over 14^ hands high, but is nice and smooth. 



