THE GEXESEE FAEMER. 



215 



MULES vs. HOESES. 



"TVill it pay best to raise Mules or Horse's, either for Farm 

 Purposes or the Market?" 



I rxDERSTANO that to mean, ^vliicli will pnt the 

 most money in the farmer's pocket in a given time, 

 mules or horses ? And if the old adage be trite — 

 *' A penny saved is as good as a penny earned," — I 

 think there is no doubt but mules pay best. For 

 all the labor of a farm, a good sized mule is equal 

 in all respects to a good sized horse. Tliis no one 

 "vvill dispute who is accustomed to both. But there 

 is this (iitlerenee in favor of the mule : he will per- 

 form the same labor upon two-thirds the amount of 

 food tliat the horse will consume. Hei-e, then, is a 

 -saving of one-third, which will enable the fanner 

 to keep three mules Vv-hen he could only keep two 

 horses. Their cash value is about the same. 



Another item will be saved in the shoeing of 

 mules. Owing to the hardness of the mule's feet, 

 and their slow growth, shoes once on need not be 

 2*emoved until worn out; and their bodies being 

 light, the shoes wear a long time. I think I am 

 within bounds, when I say a mitle can be kept shod 

 the year round for one-third the cost of keeping a 

 Lorse shod the same length of time. 



Then their durability should be taken into ac- 

 count. But few horses survive twenty, and I think 

 I may s<iy with safety that the majority are used up 

 by the time they arrive at fifteen years of age. Not 

 •so with the mule. Sonie in this country which are 

 known to be from eighteen to twenty-five years of 

 age are still good mules, — still at labor, and from all 

 appearances will be for the next ten years ; they 

 are not failing in the least yet Then mules are 

 not near so liable to diseases and accidents as the 

 horse. It is a rare thing to see a blind mule, and 

 very seldom that they are sick. Although mules 

 have been used to a considerable extent in this 

 neighborhood tor a number of years, I have heard 

 of but one that has been in the least diseased, while 

 on the other hand many horses have died by differ- 

 ent diseases. Mules are often charged with being 

 vicious, but this need not be so ; if they are han- 

 <dled carefully and kindly while young, they will be 

 ■equally as docile as the horse. 



I am confident that were it not for the prejudice 

 existing against the mule, he would pull himself 

 into favor wherever land is to plow or wagons to 

 pull. And he is not a whit behind the horse for 

 the saddle or the carri^ige, though I acknowledge a 

 person feels rather too low upon a mule. But they 

 are far more sure-footed than tlie horse ; they are 

 much more true to pull, and they are quicker trav- 

 elers before a load than the horse. Now, if all 

 these savings are put together, I think it will make 

 a good large penny saved by employing mules in- 

 stead of horses. 



But there is another feature of the text, which 

 we will say a little about before we quit this sub- 

 ject. Which will pay lest to raise for marl-et^ mules 

 or horses? The great advantage mules have over 

 horses, is, that they can be sold for their worth at 

 any time. The small farmer can keep his mule 

 colts until weaning time, and then sell them at a 

 better price than he could get for horse colts, while 

 those who are prepared for keeping them longer 

 can do so at a profit, and at three years old they 

 will bring as much as horses will at five. And as 

 I before stated, it will not cost more than two- 



thirds as much to raise them. I am fully convinced 

 it is more profitable to raise mules than horses, 

 either to sell or keep. w. d. m. 



Fin. Oak, Wan-en Co., Mo. 



ON THE CONSTEUCTION AND ATJIANGEMENT OF 

 BARN-YARDS. 



A WELL constructed barn-yard is the most im- 

 portant part of the farm. It is a kind of mine, 

 containing elements of more intrinsic value than 

 the gold of " a thousand hills." The size of the 

 yard should be made, not merely according to the 

 size of the farm, but with referetice also to the col- 

 lection of any material which would increase with- 

 out inconvenience the amount of manure. Its line, 

 and location as an enclosure for the confinement 

 and convenient feeding of stock, would naturally 

 be adapted to the situation of the buildings and 

 adjoining fields; but as a place for making and 

 saving manin-e, the main object is the mixnner of its 

 construction. The border on every side should be 

 high, with an inward slope, forming a reservoir suf- 

 ficient to contain all the water which might in any 

 way get into it, and with the bottom so compac:t 

 that it could not penetrate the ground. 



A yard thus constructed would retain all tlie 

 salts of the manure, — a large portion of which, ac- 

 cording to the present practice of many farmers, is 

 entirely lost. '' The dark side of the picture" of a 

 barn-yard, is tl^at side wliere is frequeently seen a 

 black or copper-colored liquid running into the 

 ditches by the roadside, or overflowing some al- 

 ready over-rich portion of the land, and lost, for 

 any useful purpose to the farm. The waste in this 

 way, on many farms, is very great ; and the annual 

 loss of the farmers, by neglecting to provide suita- 

 ble yards for the preservation of their manure, is 

 beyond estimation. But light on this subject is 

 breaking hito the minds of at least a portion of the 

 farming community, and a better practice will 

 eventually prevail. J. a. 



CTDTTING AND STEAMING FOOD FOE STOCK. 



"Will it pay to cut and steam Hay, Straw, Corn Fodder, 

 Meal, and Roots, for Stock?" 



I TnixK not, as far as the steaming part is con- 

 cerned. The necessary fixtures for steaming are 

 quite expensive, and it requires considerable time 

 to do the necessary labor of steaming. The straw 

 or other fodder that is to be steamed must first be 

 cut, of course, and then steamed. It requires more 

 of an outlay of time and money than will ever be 

 returned in the gain from the operation. 



I am a great advocate of cutting hay, straw, and 

 other fodder: it pays well for the trouble. If the 

 fodder is in good order, none need be wasted if cut 

 before being fed, and I have always found cattle to 

 do better on cut fodder than on uncut. ]\[ejil 

 shoidd be shghtly wet before feeding, I think, as I 

 find it more easily fed than when dry. When good 

 feeding boxes are provided, the best way is to mix 

 the hay, straw, stalks, &c., and meal together, and 

 moisten it a little with water, when it wiU all be 

 eaten with avidity. It is an excellent plan to cut 

 fodder for all kinds of stock, and pays well, both in 

 the fodder saved and in the better condition of the 

 animals ; but steaming will not ptiy with the most 

 of farmers, — at least, such is my opinion. b. 



