CHAPTER XXIV 

 THE MULE 



While England, France, Belgium, Germany and Spain 

 have developed most of the breeds of horses and jacks, it 

 has been left for America to prove the usefulness of the 

 mule. It seems strange that these older countries should 

 have given mule breeding so little attention, particularly 

 in view of the animal's usefulness. The only excuse for 

 this neglect is that the producing of a mule removes the 

 opportunity of raising a horse. 



The mule a hybrid. — The mule is not a true breed, but 

 is a hybrid, the result of a cross between a jack and a 

 mare. As is usually the case, where two species are 

 crossed, the mule is sterile and will not breed. The 

 sexual organs are supposed to be incomplete, although 

 several cases are on record where mare mules have con- 

 ceived and produced young. These are remarkable 

 cases, however, and are not accepted as authentic by 

 most scientists. 



The history of the mule. — We have no reliable data as 

 to when the first mules were raised, although they have 

 been used more or less since the time of Christ, and per- 

 haps even before. The literature of ancient Rome and 

 Greece makes frequent reference to the mule, in which he 

 seems to have served various purposes. While the mule 

 seems to have served a useful purpose since very early 

 times, it is only in recent years that his true value has 

 been appreciated. 



The mule in America. — From the time that the King 

 of Spain presented General George Washington with an 

 Andalusian jack until the present, mule breeding has had 

 a steady and rapid growth in America. In fact, mules 

 were bred in this country as early as the sixteenth ceti' 



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