l66 THE HORSE, ASS, AND MULE 



their legs, with their superior bone and unusually large and 

 finely formed feet. 



The sex of the mule has a bearing on its salability. Mare 

 mules are preferred by buyers, feeders, and dealers generally, 

 and sell more easily than horse mules. The females assume a 

 matured form at an earlier age, and fatten best for the market. 

 The horse or male mules have a more angular and leggy form, 

 and cannot be fattened so early as the mares. One dealer in 

 mules tells the author that horse mules in pasture with other 

 stock will worry them, when the mares would not. The sexual 

 organs of the mule are supposed to be incjomplete, but several 

 cases are on record where mare mules have become impregnated 

 and produced young. Such cases, however, are remarkable and 

 are not accepted as authentic by most scientists. 



The prices paid for mules vary, naturally, with the quahty and 

 character of the animals offered. However, the average farm 

 price for mules is greater than for horses. Gn January i, 1905, 

 the average farm price for horses in the United States was 

 $70.37, while for mules it was $87.18. In those markets where 

 mules are important, very high prices rule, and a pair of heavy, 

 matched mules of superior quality and conformation sell easily 

 for $500 and upwards. The Poitou mule in France, rated the 

 best in Europe, sells at $200 to $300 a head, and sometimes 

 fetches $400. Large numbers of mules change hands at from 

 $100 to $150 per head. In 1905 The National Stockman and 

 Farmer noted the sale in Kentucky of one pair weighing 3100 

 pounds at $550 and of another pair of 2600 pounds weight at $450. 



