348 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



substituted for bran, pound for pound, 

 in North Carolina, proved equal to the 

 bran and reduced the cost of the ration 

 5 cents per day. Fifteen pounds of 

 cowpea hay with 10 pounds corn and 

 cob meal gave better results than a 

 ration containing 5 pounds corn and 

 cob meal, 1 pound cottonseed meal, 5 

 pounds cowpea hay and 12 pounds corn 

 stover. Silage may be fed to mules 

 under the same conditions as to horses. 

 In North Carolina, silage was found to 

 improve mule rations. The animals 

 were active, sleek and always in good 

 condition while receiving silage. In 

 these experiments silage was also com- 

 pared with oat hay (30 pounds: 15 

 pounds, clover hay in the same ratio and 

 cowpea hay also in the ratio 30 pounds: 

 15 pounds). In all cases, it proved 

 highly satisfactory when fed in rations 

 of 25 to 30 pounds. 



Molasses is commonly fed to mules 

 in rations of 5 to 20 pounds per day, 

 usually 8 to 12 pounds. In Louisiana, 

 blackstrap molasses has been found al- 

 most equal to corn for mules and may 

 be bought for 5 cents per gallon. For- 

 merly on some sugar plantations, oats 

 were fed in rations of 18 pounds per 

 day. The use of molasses has greatly 

 reduced the cost of feeding. Molasses 

 is extensively fed to mules in Jamaica, 

 South Africa and elsewhere. We may 

 now mention a number of rations and 

 feeding methods which have given good 



results in the hands of breeders and 

 farmers. 



Southern feeders' ration — A south- 

 ern mule raiser has found that mules 

 at light work may be kept in fine condi- 

 tion from December to March on a ra- 

 tion of 5 pounds cottonseed meal and 

 cottonseed hulls ad libitum. On this 

 ration the hair shed early in the spring 

 and the coat had a fine appearance. In 

 South Africa, chaffed hay, corn stover, 

 corn, linseed meal, bran, barley, alfalfa, 

 sweet potatoes, pumpkin and sunflower 

 seeds are used in compounding mule 

 rations. The Rhodesian government has 

 found that chaffed hay (cut in %-inch 

 lengths), is much less likely to cause 

 colic in mules than whole hay, especially 

 if the mules are put to work immediate- 

 ly after feeding. 



The use of a well balanced ration 

 greatly reduces the percentage of disease 

 among mules. Thus in Louisiana, by 

 the use of molasses, cowpea hay and 

 alfalfa, the cost of mule rations has 

 been reduced one-half and the mules 

 are much healthier than on very wide 

 rations with too much corn, or even on 

 an exclusive grain ration of oats. On 

 large sugar plantations, it has been 

 found that properly balanced rations 

 (for example 8 pounds corn and cob 

 meal, 2 pounds cottonseed meal, 11 

 pounds molasses and 15 pounds cut cow- 

 pea hay), almost eliminate the occur- 

 rence of colic among mules and cost 

 only 15 cents a day. 



