JACKS, JENNBTS AND MULES 33 



of the jennets; they were not to breed to jacks that 

 stood for mares, but were to breed to the best jacks 

 that were standing for jennets alone. My object was 

 to improve my stock, and make it better all the time. 

 I was sure that all of the jennets I owned or had 

 farmed out, if bred to such jacks as Maringo Mam- 

 moth, and should bring jack colts, and were properly 

 cared for, could be readily sold for remunerative 

 prices, say from $500 to $1,000 or more at maturity. 

 At the expiration of the time for which the stock was 

 farmed out, the original jennets were to be returned 

 to me in as good condition as when they were taken 

 away. Of some of the premium jennets, I was to 

 have two-thirds of the produce, and of the others one- 

 half. 



But when the four years' war ended, many of the 

 farms in my section (Middle Tennessee) were torn to 

 pieces, both armies having been about there for a 

 number of months, and finally met at our city, Mur- 

 freesboro, and fought one of the heavy battles of the 

 war, called the Battle of Stone's River, or Battle of 

 Murfreesboro. Many of the parties came to me and 

 said that they were not able to carry out the contract 

 that they had made with me before the war; that 

 they were left in destitute circumstances. They could 

 scarcely get bread for their children. They stated 

 that the mares were nearly all taken out of the coun- 

 try by the soldiers, and if they had jacks they would 

 be of no value to them then. So they insisted posi- 

 tively that I must take the stock and release them of 

 any further obligation and give up the breeding bills 

 and that I should have all the proceeds up to that 

 date. I told my patrons it was a liberal proposition 



