PART II. 

 MULES AND MULE BREEDING. 



CHAPTER XI. 



THE UTILIZATION OF MULES. 



It is a remarkable circumstance that the utility of mules 

 is a fact that requires to be demonstrated in England at 

 the present time, although it is freely acknowledged and 

 extensively acted upon in almost all other civilized 

 countries employing horse labour to any great extent. In 

 Prance the agricultural interest of a large portion of 

 the west central districts mainly depends upon mule 

 breeding, as many as 50,000 mares being annually 

 maintained for the purpose of breeding the magnificent 

 I'oitou heavy draught mules, which command a much 

 higher price than horses of similar standard. In Spain 

 and Italy the employment of mules is proverbial. In 

 America a hundred years ago mules were viewed with the 

 same amount of prejudice that they are in England at the 

 present time. Now, perhaps, the greater portion of the 

 agricultural labour in that country is performed by mules, 

 of whose advantages the acute Americans are firml}- 

 convinced by the most potent of all reasoning, that of 

 experience, and large consignments of the best European 

 donkeys are constantly being made to the States for the 

 purpose of mule breeding. Our military operations when 

 on, active service cannot be carried on in foreign countries 

 without the aid of mules, inasmuch as horses are utterly 



