188 THE HORSE IN AMERICA 



tistics at to the comparative length life of the 

 horse and mule, but I am persuaded, from my 

 own observation that on an average a mule lives 

 twenty-five per cent longer. And there is pretty 

 nearly as much work in an old mule as in a young 

 one. They can also be put to hard work sooner 

 than a horse. So the working life of a mule is 

 lengthened at both ends. Moreover, they can sub- 

 sist on what would be starvation for a horse. 



If mules were bred at all in America in the Col- 

 onial era it was to a very limited extent. But after 

 the Revolution they were bred a little, and George 

 Washington was the man who encouraged this 

 new industry. In 1786, before his election to the 

 Presidency, Washington accepted from the King 

 of Spain the present of a large Spanish Jack. He 

 called the jack Royal Gift, and thus advertised 

 his services in a Philadelphia paper: 



" Royal Gift — A Jack Ass of the first race in 

 the Kingdom of Spain will cover mares and jen- 

 nies (she asses) at Mount Vernon the ensuing 

 spring. The first for ten, the latter for fifteen 

 pounds the season. Royal Gift is four years old, 

 is between 14^ and 15 hands high, and will grow. 



