3C4 SOUTHHRN CULTIVATOR. 
have u steady horse to work them, with a second hand to 
drive them an hour or two to keep him up, after which, he 
is ‘Considered ready for any service that the farmer may 
require of him. He may kick once or twice, but is un- 
like the spirited horse, who when he commences is apt to 
kick himself out of the harness before he stops. 
There v/cre in this county, in the year 1855, 2,000 
mules; in 185G there were 2,888; the number in the 
county at present I have no means of ascertaining, but 
sujipose it is at least as great perhaps, as any previous 
year. The probabilities arc that all of these, or as many, 
were fed in this county each year. The counties imme- 
diately around, no doubt, fed equally as many, some no 
doubt more. The counties of Bourbon, Fayette, Clark 
and Jassamine, ore engaged quite as extensively in the 
trade as lliis. 
Besides the great number of mules fed annually in these 
counties, we supply New Orleans, New York and other 
cities with an immense amount of beef, mutton and ba- 
con. These facts being considered, you may readily 
imagine that we must of necessity be a grain grown peo- 
ple. Such is the fact. Yet so extensive is the mule busi- 
ness, and so great are the profits upon feeding, that those 
engaged in the trade can afford to give 40 cents per bushel 
for corn— at least they say so— and cannot get it for any 
less. 
In this portion of Kentucky, a lot of mules is almost con- 
sidered a legal tender ; no man is afraid to buy mules at 
a little less than he thinks they are worth if he has any- 
thing to feed them on, for he knows that some buyer will 
come along in a few days and pay him a small profit on 
the first cost and the grain they have eaten. It is not un- 
usual for a farmer to borrow money out of banks on four 
or six months’ time, to pay for a lot of mules to eat up his 
surplus of provender, knowing that it is more profitable to 
do so than to sell the surplus at home. 
As a consequence of this great mania, if it might be so 
called, and which has now existed for several years, good 
horses have become comparatively scarce, saddle and har- 
ness horses commanding the most exhorbitant prices, the 
sports of the turf were in a perfectly collapsed state, the 
best stallions were poorly patronized, and mares of finest 
formj the purest strain and most brilliant escutcheon, were 
basely "prostituted to the forced and ignoble embraces of 
the assinine ravisher.” 
Tije average price of weanlings is about ^i;75. No, 1, 
from S'BO tc S90, and extra, often as high as S120. A lot 
will often change hands as often as a dozen times before 
ready for market. Yearlings will average I suppose about 
SlOO, owing in a great extent, however, to their quality. 
At two years old they will bring S125 or |il80; if they 
are average select lots, more. A neighbor of mine is feed- 
ing a lot of one hundred, for which, I am told, he has re- 
fused SlG5 around, But this is an extra lot, no doubt 
the best lot in Kentucky. The same gentleman gave, a 
short time ago, $;I100 for at wo year old to work to his 
sulkey, and is working to his wagon on his farm four, for 
which. I am told, he paid ij}i200 each. i\nother gentleman 
of this county sold, a short time ago, a two year old mare 
mule for iflilOO, But these are fancy prices for fancy 
mules; there is a small and, Inferior class of animals that 
are considered a sort of dead he.8d.s, and which the feeder 
won’t buy if offered alone, and these, are ones usually found 
in service on the farms. 
Until forced by the scarcity and higli price of horses, 
ihe Kentuckians would not use mules. ,But within the 
last few years they have become common on the farm, 
pulling plow and wagon, and occasionally ^ clever, pair 
is seen in the carriage ; some of them are p£f?tty glib 
goers for an hour or two, when they get lazy, they 
will then take the lash "like a mule.” 
Persons who have tried them on their farms are better 
pleased with them they say, than they thought they v/onld 
be. They never get sick, rarely ever get lame, will do as 
much work as a horse which will cost twice as much 
money, and at the same time will subsist on less and more 
inferior food; for a mule will work very well on wheat 
straw and corn shucks, whereas the horse must have grain 
as well as a good allowance of long food. They are bet- 
ter for our servants to handle, as they can stand neglect 
and violent treatment better than the horsf, and a blemish 
such as the loss of an eye, does not impair his value as 
much as that of the horse. 
As to their temperament and peculiarities, it is useless 
to say much; the world knows pretty much what they 
are. He is not so apt to run as the horse, but more apt 
to kick, viz: until broken. He is fond of company, is de- 
cidedly gregarious, and his attachments are quite as strong 
when once formed as those of the horse. It is almost im- 
possible to confine one away from an as.sociate. He will 
climb over the fence if practictible, like a dog, or if more 
practible creep through a crack, or worm himself under it 
like a pig. An acquaintance of mine told me that he was 
once in the habit of working a pair together, but on one 
occasion wishing to use but one, he confined the other in 
a close stable, where as he thouglit he won hi be compell- 
ed to remain. But on his return, he found to l)i>- astonish- 
ment, that the perverse beast had ascended into the hay 
loft, which enterprising fetit it had accompiislied by first 
getting into the trough, thence through tlie hole left to 
throw the hay into the manger. The circumstance forcib- 
ly reminded him of the fact that the 
"Best laid schemes of mice and men. 
Aft gang agree.” 
And at the same time convinced him that if perseverance 
will not overcome all things, it will at least surmount a 
great many seemingly unsurmoun table obstacles. — Avieri- 
can Veterinary Journal. 
TO THE PEANTERS. 
Tiik Banks of Savannah and Augusta, and tlieir Agen- 
cies in this city, have evinced a willingness to do their 
part towards putting the wheels of trade in motion. That 
is to say, they are now in condition, and are ready to 
furnish money to pay to Planters for their cotton ; and it 
is now the duty of Planters to come forward, meet buyers 
and sell at least a portion of their crop, and let it be sent 
forward to the markets of the world. Do not lose sight 
of the fact that 10 or 12 cents is a good price for cotton. 
At this price, the present light crop will put into circula- 
tion a large sum. The sale of one thousand bales of cot- 
ton per week in this market for the next eight weeks, 
would produce a wonderful, and very agreeable change 
in the business of this city and the surrounding country. 
Do not let the late quotations for cotton in Liverpool in- 
duce you to hold back your crops. Prices will probably 
rapidly decline in Europe on receipt of the news of our 
financial embarrassments. We shall not be surprised to 
hear in less twenty days, that the Bank of England has 
suspended, to keep its specie from leaving its vaults for 
this country. These are our views. We wish them to 
pass for just what they are worth, and no more . — Macon 
Jour, (p Messenger . 
Cotton. — The cotton crop is about to prove consider- 
able larger than was anticipated a month ago. Indeed 
we have heard it surmised that it may not, after all, fall 
much short of an average yield. If so, it may well be that 
the price will not rise much, if any, above tho present 
notch, which we believe is 12 1-2 cents per pound. Should 
this supposition be well founded, it will at once occur to 
our planters that the best policy is to sell immediately. 
They will, at 12 1-2 cents per pound, reap an ample return 
for their labor; and the crop, at that price, will make 
money abundant, perhaps relieve the whole country firom 
