178 



JUDGING FARM ANIMALS 



which if mated to draft mares will produce the most desir- 

 able type of draft mule. Referring to fashioning the Ameri- 

 can jack, Anderson of Kentucky calls attention 1 to the fact 

 that the small mule is not demanded excepting to work in 

 the mines. The trade demands mules of size, well formed, 

 with good flesh and coat. The -jacks capable of siring such 

 are from 15 to 16 hands in height and weigh from 1,000 

 to 1,150 pounds. 



The form of the jack should 

 be broad, deep, symmetrical 

 and smooth. Commenting on 

 the form as compared with that 

 of the horse, Curtis of North 

 Carolina, 2 states that "the 

 shoulders are not as sloping, 

 the ribs usually not as well 

 sprung, the hindquarters not 

 as well developed or muscled, 

 and there is not as much 

 definition, quality or refine- 

 ment in the bones and joints. 

 There is a general lack of 

 smoothness and co-ordination 

 of parts, although this is usu- 

 ally more apparent in the 

 head, neck and hindquar- 

 ters. ' ' The judge should seek 

 for as much balance of form 



as possible, without wide variation from good conformation 

 in any part. 



Quality in the jack is of prime importance, and more 

 and more stress is laid on the same. The bone should be 

 large, but clean and strong. The hair covering should be 

 abundant and fine. The French breeders of the Poitou 

 jack make much of a long, thick, fine coat of hair, regarding 



Fig. 99. "There is a general 

 lack of smoothness and co-ordina- 

 1 ion of the parts." 



1 "Breeders' Gazette," April 2, 1914. W. S. Anderson. 



2 Fundamentals of Live Stock Judging, 1915, p. 183. 



