THE POITOU ASS. 103 



and silver medal at the Grand Concours Mulassier held at 

 Niort. 



The following are the measurements of a Poitou jack 

 imported by the late Mr. Ed. Pease for the purpose of 

 breeding* draught mules ; they may be regarded as those 

 of a fair specimen of the Poitou ass : 



Height, 14 hands lin. 

 Forearm, 19|in, 

 Knee, 15in. 

 Below knee, 8|in. 

 Hock, 17 Un. 

 Below hock, 12 in. 



Greatest girth, 77in. 



Girth behind shoulder, 66in. 



Length of head, 25in. 



Length of ear, 15in. 



Ears, tip to tip across, 32in. 



The kind of mare from which the large draught mules 

 are bred is known as la jument Poitevine mulassiere. 

 From official statistics, jDublished some years ago, it 

 appears that there Avere at that time 50,000 mares employed 

 for mule breeding in Poitou, of which number 38,000 were 

 devoted to producing mules, and the remaining 1 2,000 used 

 for keeping up the breed of horses called race chevaline 

 mulassiere. The above number is probably exceeded in 

 the present day, in cou sequence of the lucrative nature of 

 the business, the mules costing but little to breed and 

 rear, and realising high prices when brought to the fnirs to 

 be sold. 



It may be as well to mention that from time to time the 

 French Government has tried to discourage the breeding 

 of mules; but, in spite of all efforts to the contrary, the 

 business has increased year by year; mules have become 

 dearer and dearer, they have been more and more sought 

 after by foreigners from almost all parts of the world, and 

 more money has consequently been brought into the country. 

 Years ago the sum annually realised by the sale of Poitou 

 mules was estimated by M. Ayrault at something like 



