CHAPTER XXIX 

 PRACTICAL MULE BREEDING 



While in the breeding of mules the same general fac- 

 tors are to be considered as in breeding horses, yet there 

 are a few peculiar differences worthy careful considera- 

 tion. Chief among these peculiarities are the method 

 of obtaining the sire, as well as his management from 

 the time he is foaled until maturity. 



Number of mules produced. — The number of mules 

 bred in the United States is increasing very rapidly. 

 According to the thirteenth census there were approx- 

 imately 3^4 million mules in the country in 1900, while 

 in 1910 there were about 4% million. This increase is 

 due to the efficiency of the mule as a beast of burden. 

 He possesses a few outstanding advantages over the 

 horse, chief of which are his resistance to disease, largely 

 because he seldom eats more than is good for him ; his 

 pluck, perseverance and steady habits; his fast walk; 

 and his long life, the mule being a longer-lived animal 

 than the horse. 



Mule-breeding states. — The geographical distribution 

 of mules is different from that of horses. Although the 

 use of mules is rapidly increasing in the North, it is in the 

 South that they have been found particularly useful. In 

 1910 there were more than 12 times as many horses as 

 mules in the North, while in the South there were only 

 about one and one-half times as many. Of the 313,196 

 yearling mules in 1909, practically none were in the New 

 England states; less than .5 of 1% in the middle Atlantic 

 states; 3.3% in the South Atlantic states; 46.2% in 'the 

 north central states; 44.9% in the south central states; 

 and 5.1% in the mountain and Pacific states. Missouri, 



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