124 MULES AND MULE BREEDING. 



age, but if they are to be extra fine, feed them a little grain all 

 the while. 



" There is little variety in the feed tmtn the mules are two 

 years old, at which time they are very easUy broken. If halter- 

 broken as they grow up, all there is to do in breaking one is to 

 put on a harness and place the young animal beside a broken 

 mule, and go to work. When it is thoroughly used to the 

 harness the mule is already broken. Light work in the spring, 

 when the mule is two years old, wiU do no hurt, but, in the 

 opinion of many breeders and dealers, make it better, provided 

 it is carefully handled and fed. 



" HOW TO FATTEN THE MULE. 



" This is one of the most important parts of mule-raising, for 

 when the mule is offered to a buyer, he will at once ask, " Is he 

 fat ? ' and fat goes far in effecting a sale. A rough, poor mule 

 could hardly be sold, while if it is fat the buyer will take it 

 because it is fat. 



" The mule should be placed in the bam with plenty of room, 

 and not much light, about the 1st of November, before it is two 

 years old, and fed about twelve ears of (Indian) com per day, 

 and all the nice, well-cured clover hay it will eat, and there kept 

 "untU about the 1st of April. Then in the climate of middle 

 Tennessee the clover is good, and the mule may be turned out 

 on it, and the com increased to about twenty ears or more per 

 day. They will then eat more grain, without fear of ' firing ; ' 

 that is, heating so as to cause scratches, as the green clover 

 removes all danger from this source. During the time they run 

 on the clover they eat less hay, but this should always be kept 

 by them. About the 1st of May the clover blooms, and is large 

 enough to cut, in the latitude of Tennessee. The mules should 

 be placed, then, in the barn, with a nice smooth lot attached, 

 and plenty of pure water. A manger should be built in the lot, 

 4ft. wide by 4ft. high, and long enough to accommodate the 

 number of mules it is desired to feed. This should be covered 

 over by a shed high enough for the mule to stand under, to 

 prevent the clover from wilting. The clover should be cut 



