DONKEYS MULES 21 



to India, Uganda, South Africa, Syria and Egypt from 

 time to time, and the local breed has no doubt suffered 

 owing to the best jacks having left the country. Although 

 the villagers depend so much upon these animals, very 

 little care is taken by them, either in the matter of breeding, 

 feeding or proper management. The animals are mostly 

 worked far too early, and underfed, and the majority are 

 consequently undersized and of poor quality. Where 

 good jacks are used, the progeny is generally satisfactory, 

 and at shows and fairs some fine specimens are usually 

 brought in. Owing to the increasing demand for jennets, 

 the village breeder is inclined to put his she-donkey to a 

 pony stallion rather than to a jack-donkey. The donkey 

 mares range from 13 to 13.2 hands, with girth measurement 

 of 58 in. to 60 in. and shank 6| in. They have great 

 room, and are well shaped with a straight back and good 

 quarters. 



It has been recommended that every encouragement 

 should be given to the production of good donkeys, from 

 which the best mares could be selected for mating with 

 suitable pony stallions, such as the Exmoor and Welsh 

 cob, for the breeding of jennets ; and at the same time 

 an improvement in the jacks would naturally follow. 



Jennets and Mules 



" Owing to the excellence of the Cyprus donkeys and 

 the poor class of Cyprus horses, the superiority of the 

 jennet ' (the result of mating the pony stallion with the 

 donkey mare) is very patent over the ' mule ' (the product 

 of the donkey jack and the pony mare). The jennet of 

 from 13.1 hands to 14.1 is doubtless the most paying animal 

 that the Cyprus villager or landowner can produce, and its 

 excellence for army or general pack purposes cannot be 

 surpassed in any country in the world. Therefore, in my 

 opinion, it is to this class of animal that the most en- 

 couragement in breeding should be given. To maintain 

 the excellence of the Cyprus jennet every help should be 

 given to the breeding of big donkeys, so that the plentiful 

 supply of donkey mares of from 12.3 to 13.3 hands is avail- 

 able for mating with suitable imported pony stallions, 



