,,the ,,mule ,a ,,treatise ,,on ,,the ,,breeding1 ,,training1 ,,and ,,uses ,,to ,,which ,,he ,,may ,,be ,,put4 ,,by ,,harvey ,,riley1 ,,superintendent ,,of ,,the ,,government ,,corral1 ,,washington ,d4,c4 #ahfg4 ,,preface4 ,there is no more useful or willing animal than the ,mule4 ,and perhaps there is no other animal so much abused1 or so little cared for4 ,popular opinion of his nature has not been favorable2 and he has had to plod and work through life against the prejudices of the ignorant4 ,still1 he has been the great friend of man1 in war and in peace serving him well and faithfully4 ,if he could tell man what he most needed it would be kind treatment4 ,we all know how much can be done to improve the condition and advance the comfort of this animal2 and he is a true friend of humanity who does what he can for his benefit4 ,my object in writing this book was to do what ,i could toward working out a much needed reform in the breeding1 care1 and treatment of these animals4 ,let me ask that what ,i have said in regard to the value of kind treatment be carefully read and followed4 ,i have had thirty years' experience in the use of this animal1 and during that time have made his nature a study4 ,the result of that study is1 that humanity as well as economy will be best served by kindness4 ,it has indeed seemed to me that the ,government might make a great saving every year by employing only such teamsters and wagon-masters as had been thoroughly instructed in the treatment and management of animals1 and were in every way qualified to perform their duties properly4 ,indeed1 it would seem only reasonable not to trust a man with a valuable team of animals1 or perhaps a train1 until he had been thoroughly instructed in their use1 and had received a certificate of capacity from the ,quartermaster's ,department4 ,if this were done1 it would go far to establish a system that would check that great destruction of animal life which costs the ,government so heavy a sum every year4 ,h4,r4 ,,washington1 ,d4,c41 ,april #ab1 #ahfg4 ,,note4 ,i have1 in another part of this work1 spoken of the mule as being free from splint4 ,perhaps ,i should have said that ,i had never seen one that had it1 notwithstanding the number ,i have had to do with4 ,there are1 ,i know1 persons who assert that they have seen mules that had it4 ,i ought to mention here1 also1 by way of correction1 that there is another ailment the mule does not have in common with the horse1 and that is quarter-crack4 ,the same cause that keeps them from having quarter-crack preserves them from splint--the want of front action4 ,a great many persons insist that a mule has no marrow in the bones of his legs4 ,this is a very singular error4 ,the bone of the mule's leg has a cavity1 and is as well filled with marrow as the horse's4 ,it also varies in just the same proportion as in the horse's leg4 ,the feet of some mules1 however1 will crack and split1 but in most cases it is the result of bad shoeing4 ,it at times occurs from a lack of moisture to the foot2 and is seen among mules used in cities1 where there are no facilities for driving them into running water every day1 to soften the feet and keep them moist4 ,,contents4 ,best ,method of ,breaking ,value of ,kind ,treatment ,how to ,harness ,injured by ,working too ,young ,what the ,mule can ,endure ,color and ,peculiar ,habits ,mexican ,mules1 and ,packing ,the ,agricultural ,committee ,working ,condition of ,mules ,spotted ,mules ,mule-,breeding and ,raising ,how ,colts should be ,handled ,packing ,mules ,physical ,constitution ,value of ,harnessing ,properly ,government ,wagons ,more about ,breeding ,mules ,ancient ,history of the ,mule ,table of ,statistics #ad ,portraits of ,celebrated ,mules ,diseases ,common to the ,mule1 and how they should be treated ,,chapter ,i4 ,,how ,,mules ,,should ,,be ,,treated ,,in ,,breaking4 ,i have long had it in contemplation to write something concerning the mule1 in the hope that it might be of benefit to those who had to deal with him1 as well in as out of the army1 and make them better acquainted with his habits and usefulness4 ,the patient1 plodding mule is indeed an animal that has served us well in the army1 and done a great amount of good for humanity during the late war4 ,he was in truth a necessity to the army and the ,government1 and performed a most important part in supplying our army in the field4 ,that he will perform an equally important part in the future movements of our army is equally clear1 and should not be lost sight of by the ,government4 ,it has seemed to me somewhat strange1 then1 that so little should have been written concerning him1 and so little pains taken to improve his quality4 ,i have noticed in the army that those who had most to do with him were the least acquainted with his habits1 and took the least pains to study his disposition1 or to ascertain by proper means how he could be made the most useful4 ,the ,government might have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars1 if1 when the war began1 there had been a proper understanding of this animal among its employees4 ,probably no animal has been the subject of more cruel and brutal treatment than the mule1 and it is safe to say that no animal ever performed his part better1 not even the horse4 ,in breaking the mule1 most persons are apt to get out of patience with him4 ,i have got out of patience with him myself4 ,but patience is the great essential in breaking1 and in the use of it you will find that you get along much better4 ,the mule is an unnatural animal1 and hence more timid of man than the horse2 and yet he is tractable1 and capable of being taught to understand what you want him to do4 ,and when he understands what you want1 and has gained your confidence1 you will1 if you treat him kindly1 have little trouble in making him perform his duty4 ,in commencing to break the mule1 take hold of him gently1 and talk to him kindly4 ,don't spring at him1 as if he were a tiger you were in dread of4 ,don't yell at him2 don't jerk him2 don't strike him with a club1 as is too often done2 don't get excited at his jumping and kicking4 ,approach and handle him the same as you would an animal already broken1 and through kindness you will1 in less than a week1 have your mule more tractable1 better broken1 and kinder than you would in a month1 had you used the whip4 ,mules1 with very few exceptions1 are born kickers4 ,breed them as you will1 the moment they are able to stand up1 and you put your hand on them1 they will kick4 ,it is1 indeed1 their natural means of defence1 and they resort to it through the force of instinct4 ,in commencing to break them1 then1 kicking is the first thing to guard against and overcome4 ,the young mule kicks because he is afraid of a man4 ,he has seen those intrusted with their care beat and abuse the older ones1 and he very naturally fears the same treatment as soon as a man approaches him4 ,most persons intrusted with the care of these young and green mules have not had experience enough with them to know that this defect of kicking is soonest remedied by kind treatment4 ,careful study of the animal's nature and long experience with the animal have taught me that1 in breaking the mule1 whipping and harsh treatment almost invariably make him a worse kicker4 ,they certainly make him more timid and afraid of you4 ,and just as long as you fight a young mule and keep him afraid of you1 just so long will you be in danger of his kicking you4 ,you must convince him through kindness that you are not going to hurt or punish him4 ,and the sooner you do this1 the sooner you are out of danger from his feet4 ,it may at times become necessary to correct the mule before he is subdued2 but before doing so he should be well bridle or halter-broken1 and also used to harness4 ,he should also be made to know what you are whipping him for4 ,in harnessing up a mule that will kick or strike with the forefeet1 get a rope1 or1 as we term it in the army1 a lariat4 ,throw1 or put the noose of this over his head1 taking care at the same time that it be done so that the noose does not choke him2 then get the mule on the near side of a wagon1 put the end of the lariat through the space between the spokes of the fore wheel1 then pull the end through so that you can walk back with it to the hinder wheel 7taking care to keep it tight71 then pass it through the same1 and pull the mule close to the wagon4 ,in this position you can bridle and harness him without fear of being crippled4 ,in putting the rope through the above places1 it should be put through the wheels1 so as to bring it as high as the mule's breast in front1 and flanks in the rear4 ,in making them fast in this way1 they frequently kick until they get over the rope1 or lariat2 hence the necessity of keeping it as high up as possible4 ,if you chance upon a mule so wild that you cannot handle him in this way1 put a noose of the lariat in the mule's mouth1 and let the eye1 or the part where you put the end of the lariat through1 be so as to form another noose4 ,set this directly at the root of the mule's ear1 pull it tight on him1 taking care to keep the noose in the same place4 ,but when you get it pulled tight enough1 let some one hold the end of the lariat1 and1 my word for it1 you will bridle the mule without much further trouble4 ,in hitching the mule to a wagon1 if he be wild or vicious1 keep the lariat the same as ,i have described until you get him hitched up1 then slack it gently1 as nearly all mules will buck or jump stiff-legged as soon as you ease up the lariat2 and be careful not to pull the rope too tight when first put on1 as by so doing you might split the mule's mouth4 ,let me say here that ,i have broken thousands of four and six-mule teams that not one of the animals had ever had a strap of harness on when ,i began with them1 and ,i have driven six-mule teams for years on the frontier1 but ,i have yet to see the first team of unbroken mules that could be driven with any degree of certainty4 ,i do not mean to say that they cannot be got along the road2 but ,i regard it no driving worthy of the name when a driver cannot get his team to any place where he may desire to go in a reasonable time--and this he cannot do with unbroken mules4 ,with green or unbroken mules1 you must chase or herd them along without the whip1 until you get them to know that you want them to pull in a wagon4 ,when you have got them in a wagon1 pull their heads round in the direction you want them to go2 then convince them by your kindness that you are not going to abuse them1 and in twelve days' careful handling you will be able to drive them any way you please4 ,in bridling the young mule1 it is necessary to have a bit that will not injure the animal's mouth4 ,hundreds of mules belonging to the ,government are1 in a measure1 ruined by using a bridle bit that is not much thicker than the wire used by the telegraph4 ,i do not mean by this that the bridle bit used by the ,government in its blind bridles is not well adapted to the purpose4 ,if properly made and properly used1 it is4 ,nor do ,i think any board of officers could have gotten up or devised a better harness and wagon for army purposes than those made in conformity with the decision of the board of officers that recommended the harness and wagon now used4 ,the trouble with a great many of the bits is1 that they are not made up to the regulations1 and are too thin4 ,and this bit1 when the animal's head is reined up too tight1 as army teamsters are very likely to do1 is sure to work a sore mouth4 ,there are few things in breaking the mule that should be so carefully guarded against as this4 ,for as soon as the animal gets a sore mouth1 he cannot eat well1 and becomes fretful2 then he cannot drink well1 and as his mouth keeps splitting up on the sides1 he soon gets so that he cannot keep water in it1 and every swallow he attempts to take1 the water will spirt out of the sides1 just above the bit4 ,as soon as the mule finds that he cannot drink without this trouble1 he very naturally pushes his nose into the water above where his mouth is split1 and drinks until the want of breath forces him to stop1 although he has not had sufficient water4 ,the animal1 of course1 throws up its head1 and the stupid teamster1 as a general thing1 drives the mule away from the water with his thirst about half satisfied4 ,mules with their mouths split in this way are not fit to be used in the teams1 and the sooner they are taken out and cured the better for the army and the ,government4 ,i have frequently seen ,government trains detained several minutes1 block the road1 and throw the train into disorder1 in order to give a mule with a split mouth time to drink4 ,in making up teams for a train1 ,i invariably leave out all mules whose mouths are not in a sound state1 and this ,i do without regard to the kind or quality of the animal4 ,but the mule's mouth can be saved from the condition ,i have referred to1 if the bit be made in a proper manner4 ,the bit should be one inch and seven-eighths round1 and five inches in the draw1 or between the rings4 ,it should also have a sweep of one quarter of an inch to the five inches long4 ,i refer now to the bit for the blind bridle4 ,with a bit of this kind it is almost impossible to injure the mule's mouth1 unless he is very young1 and it cannot be done then if the animal is handled with proper care4 ,there is another matter in regard to harnessing the mule which ,i deem worthy of notice here4 ,government teamsters1 as a general thing1 like to see a mule's head reined tightly up4 ,i confess that1 with all my experience1 ,i have never seen the benefit there was to be derived from this4 ,i always found that the mule worked better when allowed to carry his head and neck in a natural position4 ,when not reined up at all1 he will do more work1 out-pull1 and wear out the one that is4 ,at present1 nearly all the ,government mule-teams are reined up1 and worked with a single rein4 ,this is the old ,virginia way of driving mules4 ,it used to be said that any negro knew enough to drive mules4 ,i fear the ,government has too long acted on that idea4 ,i never heard but one reason given for reining the heads of a mule-team up tight1 and that was1 that it made the animals look better4 ,the next thing requiring particular attention is the harnessing4 ,during the war it became customary to cut the drawing-chains1 or1 as some call them1 the trace-chains4 ,the object of this was1 to bring the mule close up to his work4 ,the theory was taken from the strings of horses used in drawing railroad cars through cities4 ,horses that are used for hauling cars in this manner are generally fed morning1 noon1 and night2 and are able to get out of the way of a swingle-tree1 should it be let down so low as to work on the brakes1 as it did too frequently in the army4 ,besides1 the coupling of the car1 or the part they attach the horse to1 is two-thirds the height of a common-sized animal1 which1 it will be seen at a glance1 is enough to keep the swingle-tree off his heels4 ,now1 the tongue of a ,government wagon is a very different thing4 ,in its proper condition1 it is about on an average height with the mule's hocks2 and1 especially during the last two years of the war1 it was customary to pull the mule so close up to the swingle-tree that his hocks would touch it4 ,the result of hitching in this manner is1 that the mule is continually trying to keep out of the way of the swingle-tree1 and1 finding that he cannot succeed1 he becomes discouraged4 ,and as soon as he does this he will lag behind2 and as he gets sore from this continual banging1 he will spread his hind legs and try to avoid the blows2 and1 in doing this1 he forgets his business and becomes irritable4 ,this excites the teamster1 and1 in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred1 he will beat and punish the animal cruelly1 expecting thereby to cure him of the trouble4 ,but1 instead of pacifying the mule1 he will only make him worse1 which should1 under no circumstances1 be done4 ,the proper course to pursue1 and ,i say so from long experience1 is to stop the team at once1 and let all the traces out to a length that will allow the swingle-tree to swing half way between the hock and the heel of the hoof4 ,in other words1 give him room enough to step1 between the collar and swingle-tree1 so that the swingle-tree cannot touch his legs when walking at his longest stride4 ,if the above rule be followed1 the animal will not be apt to touch the swingle-tree4 ,indeed1 it will not be apt to touch him1 unless he be lazy2 and1 in that case1 the sooner you get another mule the better4 ,i say this because one lazy mule will spoil a good team1 invariably4 ,a lazy mule will be kept up to his work with a whip1 you will say2 but1 in whipping a lazy animal1 you keep the others in such a state of excitement that they are certain to get poor and valueless4 ,there is another advantage in having the drawing-chains worked at the length ,i have described4 ,it is this3 ,the officers that formed the board that recommended the drawing-chain1 also recommended a number of large links on one end of the chain1 so that it could be made longer or shorter1 as desired4 ,if made in conformity with the recommendation of that board of officers1 it can be let out so as to fit the largest sized mule1 and can be taken up to fit the shortest4 ,when ,i say this1 ,i mean to include such animals as are received according to the standard of the ,quartermaster-,general's department4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,disadvantages ,,of ,,working ,,mules ,,that ,,are ,,too ,,young4 ,a great many of the mules purchased by the ,government during the war were entirely too young for use4 ,this was particularly so in the ,west1 where both contractor and inspector seemed anxious only to get the greatest number they could on the hands of the ,government1 without respect to age or quality4 ,i have harnessed1 or rather tried to harness1 mules during the war1 that were so young and small that you could not get collars small enough to fit them4 ,as to the harness1 they were almost buried in it4 ,a great many of these small mules were but two years old4 ,these animals were of no use to the ,government for a long time4 ,indeed1 the inspector might just as well have given his certificate for a lot of milk cows1 so far as they added to our force of transportation4 ,another source of trouble has been caused through a mistaken opinion as to what a young mule could do1 and how he ought to be fed4 ,employers and others1 who had young mules under their charge during the war1 had1 as a general thing1 surplus forage on hand4 ,when they were in a place where nine pounds of grain could be procured1 and fourteen of hay1 the full allowance was purchased4 ,the surplus resulting from this attracted notice1 and many wondered why it was that the ,government did not reduce the forage on the mule4 ,these persons did not for a moment suspect1 or imagine1 that a three year old mule has so many loose teeth in his mouth as to be hardly able to crack a grain of corn1 or masticate his oats4 ,another point in that case is this3 at three years old1 a mule is in a worse condition1 generally1 than he is at any other period in life4 ,at three1 he is more subject to distemper1 sore eyes1 and inflammation of all parts of the head and body4 ,he becomes quite weak from not being able to eat1 gets loose and gaunt1 and is at that time more subject and more apt to take contagious diseases than at any other change he may go through4 ,there is but one sure way to remedy this evil4 ,do not buy three year old mules to put to work that it requires a five or six year old mule to perform4 ,six three year old mules are just about as fit to travel fifteen miles per day1 with an army wagon loaded with twenty-five hundred and their forage1 as a boy1 six years of age1 is fit to do a man's work4 ,during the first twelve months of the war1 ,i had charge of one hundred and six mule-teams1 and ,i noticed in particular1 that not one solitary mule as high as six years old gave out on the trips that ,i made with the teams4 ,i also noticed that1 on most occasions1 the three year olds gave out1 or became so leg-weary that they could scarce walk out of the way of the swingle-tree1 whereas those of four and upward would be bright and brisk1 and able to eat their forage when they came to camp4 ,the three year old mules would lie down and not eat a bite1 through sheer exhaustion4 ,i also noticed that nearly all the three year old mules that went to ,utah1 in #aheg1 froze to death that winter1 while those whose ages varied from four1 and up to ten1 stood the winter and came out in the spring in good working condition4 ,in ,august1 #ahee1 ,i drove a six-mule team to ,fort ,riley1 in ,kansas ,territory1 from ,fort ,leavenworth1 on the ,missouri ,river1 loaded with twelve sacks of grain4 ,it took us thirteen days to make the trip4 ,when we reached ,fort ,riley there were not fifty mules1 in the train of one hundred and fifty1 that would have sold at public sale for thirty dollars1 and a great many gave out on account of being too young and the want of proper treatment4 ,in the fall of #ahfj1 ,i drove a six-mule team1 loaded with thirty hundred weight1 twenty-five days' rations for myself and another man1 and twelve days' storage for the team1 being allowed twelve pounds to each mule per day4 ,i drove this team to ,fort ,laramie1 in ,nebraska ,territory1 and from there to ,fort ,leavenworth1 on the ,missouri ,river4 ,i made the drive there and back in thirty-eight days1 and laid over two and a half days out of that4 ,the distance travelled was twelve hundred and thirty-six miles4 ,after a rest of two days1 ,i started with the same team1 and drove to ,fort ,scott1 in ,kansas ,territory1 in five days1 a distance of one hundred and twenty miles4 ,i went with ,harney's command1 and1 for the most part of the time1 had no hay1 and was forced to subsist our animals on dry prairie grass1 and had a poor supply of even that4 ,notwithstanding this1 ,i do not believe that any mule in the team lost as much as ten pounds of flesh4 ,each of these mules1 let me say1 was upward of five years old4 ,in #aheh1 ,i took a train of mules to ,camp ,floyd1 in ,utah1 forty-eight miles south of ,salt ,lake ,city2 ,during the march there were days and nights that ,i could not get a drop of water for the animals4 ,the young mules1 three and four years old1 gave out from sheer exhaustion2 while the older ones kept up1 and had to draw the wagons along4 ,now1 there are many purposes to which a young mule may be put with advantage2 but they are altogether unfit for army purposes1 and the sooner the ,government stops using them1 the better4 ,when they are purchased for army use1 they are almost sure to be put into a train1 and turned over to the tender mercies of some teamster1 who knows nothing whatever about the character of the animal4 ,and here let me say that thousands of the best mules in the army1 during the war1 were ruined and made useless to the ,government on account of the incompetency and ignorance of the wagon-masters and teamsters who had to deal with them4 ,persons who own private teams and horses are generally particular to know the character of the person who takes care of them1 and to ascertain that he knows his business4 ,is he a good driver8 ,is he a good groom8 ,is he careful in feeding and watering8 ,these are the questions that are asked2 and if he has not these qualities he will not do4 ,but a teamster in the army has none of these questions put to him4 ,no2 he is intrusted with a valuable team1 and expected to take proper care of it when he has not the first qualification to do so4 ,if he is asked a question at all1 it is merely if he has ever driven a team before4 ,if he answer in the affirmative1 and there are any vacancies1 he is employed at once1 though he may not know how to lead a mule by the head properly4 ,this is not alone the case with teamsters4 ,i have known wagon-masters who really did not know how to straighten out a six-mule team1 or1 indeed1 put the harness on them properly4 ,and yet the wagon-master has almost complete power over the train4 ,it will be readily seen from this1 how much valuable property may be destroyed by placing incompetent men in such places4 ,wagon-masters1 it seems to me1 should not be allowed1 under any circumstances1 to have or take charge of a train of animals of any kind until they are thoroughly competent to handle1 harness1 and drive a six-animal team4 ,there is another matter which needs essential improvement4 ,i refer now to the men who are placed as superintendents over our ,government corrals and depots for animals4 ,many of these men know little of either the horse or the mule1 and are almost entirely ignorant of what is necessary for transportation4 ,a superintendent should have a thorough knowledge of the character and capacity of all kinds of animals necessary for a good team4 ,he should know at sight the age and weight of animals1 should be able to tell the most suitable place for different animals in a team1 and where each would be of the most service4 ,he should know all parts of his wagon and harness at a glance1 be able to take each portion apart and put them together again1 each in its proper shape and place1 and1 above all1 he should have practical experience with all kinds of animals that are used in the army4 ,this is especially necessary during war4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,color1 ,,character1 ,,and ,,peculiarities ,,of ,,mules4 ,after being in command of the upper corral1 ,i was ordered1 on the #gth of ,september1 #ahfd1 to take charge of the ,eastern ,branch ,wagon ,park1 ,washington4 ,there were at that time in the park twenty-one six-mule trains4 ,each train had one hundred and fifty mules and two horses attached4 ,there were times1 however1 when we had as many as forty-two trains of six-mule teams1 with thirty men attached to each train4 ,in a year from the above date we handled upward of seventy-four thousand mules1 each and every one passing under my inspection and through my hands4 ,in handling this large number of animals1 ,i aimed to ascertain which was the best1 the hardest1 and the most durable color for a mule4 ,i did this because great importance has been attached by many to the color of these animals4 ,indeed1 some of our officers have made it a distinguishing feature4 ,but color1 ,i am satisfied1 is no criterion to judge by4 ,there is an exception to this1 perhaps1 in the cream-colored mule4 ,in most cases1 these cream-colored mules are apt to be soft1 and they also lack strength4 ,this is particularly so with those that take after the mare1 and have manes and tails of the same color4 ,those that take after the jack generally have black stripes round their legs1 black manes and tails1 and black stripes down their backs and across their shoulders1 and are more hardy and better animals4 ,i have frequently seen men1 in purchasing a lot of mules1 select those of a certain color1 fancying that they were the hardiest1 and yet the animals would be widely different in their working qualities4 ,you may take a black mule1 black mane1 black hair in his ears1 black at the flank1 between the hips or thighs1 and black under the belly1 and put him alongside of a similar sized mule1 marked as ,i have described above1 say light1 or what is called mealy-colored1 on each of the above-mentioned parts1 put them in the same condition and flesh1 of similar age and soundness1 and1 in many cases1 the mule with the light-colored parts will wear the other out4 ,it is very different with the white mule4 ,he is generally soft1 and can stand but little hardship4 ,i refer particularly to those that have a white skin4 ,next to the white and cream1 we have the iron-grey mule4 ,this color generally indicates a hardy mule4 ,we have now twelve teams of iron-gray mules in the park1 which have been doing hard work every day since ,july1 #ahfe2 it is now ,january1 #ahff4 ,only one of these mules has become unfit for service1 and that one was injured by being kicked by his mate4 ,all our other teams have had more or less animals made unfit for service and exchanged4 ,in speaking of the color of mules1 it must not be inferred that there are no mules that are all of a color that are not hardy and capable of endurance4 ,i have had some1 whose color did not vary from head to foot1 that were capable of great endurance4 ,but in most cases1 if kept steadily at work from the time they were three years old until they were eight or ten1 they generally gave out in some part1 and became an expense instead of profit4 ,various opinions are held as to what the mule can be made to do under the saddle1 many persons asserting that in crossing the plains he can be made to perform almost equal to the horse4 ,this is true on the prairie4 ,but there he works with every advantage over the horse4 ,in #aheh1 ,i rode a mule from ,cedar ,valley1 forty-eight miles north of ,salt ,lake ,city1 to ,fort ,leavenworth1 ,kansas1 a distance of nearly fourteen hundred miles4 ,starting from ,cedar ,valley on the #bb;d of ,october1 ,i reached ,fort ,leavenworth on the #cast of ,december4 ,at the end of the journey the animal was completely worn down4 ,in this condition ,i put her into ,fleming's livery stable1 in ,leavenworth ,city1 and was asked if she was perfectly gentle4 ,one would suppose that1 in such a condition1 she would naturally be so4 ,i assured the hostler that she was2 that ,i had ridden her nearly a year1 and never knew her to kick4 ,that same morning1 when the hostler went to feed her1 she suddenly became vicious1 and kicked him very severely4 ,she was then about twelve years old4 ,i have since thought that when a mule gets perfectly gentle he is unfit for service4 ,proprietors of omnibuses1 stage lines1 and city railroads have1 in many cases1 tried to work mules1 as a matter of economy2 but1 as a general thing1 the experiment proved a failure1 and they gave it up and returned to horses4 ,the great reason for this failure was1 that the persons placed in charge of them knew nothing of their disposition1 and lacked that experience in handling them which is so necessary to success4 ,but it must be admitted that1 as a general thing1 they are not well adapted for road or city purposes1 no matter how much you may understand driving and handling them4 ,the mule may be made to do good service on the prairies1 in supplying our army1 in towing canal boats in hauling cars inside of coal mines-- these are his proper places1 where he can jog along and take his own time1 patiently4 ,work of this kind would1 however1 in nearly all cases1 break down the spirit of the horse1 and render him useless in a very short time4 ,i have seen it asserted that there were mules that had been known to trot in harness in three minutes4 ,in all my experience1 ,i have never seen any thing of the kind1 and do not believe the mule ever existed that could do it4 ,it is a remarkably good road horse that will do this1 and ,i have never yet seen a mule that could compare for speed with a good roadster4 ,i have driven mules1 single and double1 night and day1 from two to ten in a team1 and have handled them in every way that it is possible to handle them1 and have in my charge at this time two hundred of the best mule teams in the world1 and there is not a span among them that could be forced over the road in four minutes4 ,it is true of the mule that he will stand more abuse1 more beating1 more straining and constant dogging at him than any other animal used in a team4 ,but all the work you can get out of him1 over and above an ordinary day's work1 you have to work as hard as he does to accomplish4 ,some curious facts have come under my knowledge as to what the mule can endure4 ,these facts also illustrate what can be done with the animal by persons thoroughly acquainted with his character4 ,while on the plains1 ,i have known ,kiowa and ,camanche ,indians to break into our pickets during the night1 and steal mules that had been pronounced completely broken down by white men4 ,and these mules they have ridden sixty and sixty-five miles of a single night4 ,how these ,indians managed to do this1 ,i never could tell4 ,i have repeatedly seen ,mexicans mount mules that our men had pronounced unfit for further service1 and ride them twenty and twenty-five miles without stopping4 ,i do not mention this to show that a ,mexican can do more with the mule than an ,american4 ,he cannot4 ,and yet there seems to be some sort of fellow-feeling between these ,mexicans and the mule4 ,one seems to understand the other completely2 and in disposition there is very little difference4 ,and yet the ,mexican is so brutish in dealing with animals1 that ,i never allowed one of them to drive a ,government team for me4 ,indeed1 a low ,mexican does not seem disposed to work for a man who will not allow him full latitude in the abuse of animals4 ,packing ,mules4--,the ,mexican is a better packer than the ,american4 ,he has had more experience1 and understands all its details better than any other man4 ,some of our ,united ,states officers have tried to improve on the experience of the ,greaser1 and have made what they called an improvement on the ,mexican pack-saddle4 ,but all the attempts at improvement have been utter failures4 ,the ranchero1 on the ,pacific side of the ,sierra ,nevadas1 is also a good packer2 and he can beat the ,mexican lassoing cattle4 ,but he is the only man in the ,united ,states who can4 ,the reason for this is1 that they went into that country when very young1 and improved on the ,mexican1 by having cattle1 mules1 and horses round them all the time1 and being continually catching them for the purpose of branding and marking4 ,there is1 in ,old as well as ,new ,mexico1 a class of mules that are known to us as ,spanish1 or ,mexican mules4 ,these mules are not large1 but for endurance they are very superior1 and1 in my opinion1 cannot be excelled4 ,i am not saying too much when ,i assert1 that ,i have seen nothing in the ,united ,states that could compare with them4 ,they can1 apparently1 stand any amount of starvation and abuse4 ,i have had three ,spanish mules in a train of twenty-five six-mule teams1 and starting from ,fort ,leavenworth1 ,kansas1 on ,colonel 7since ,general7 ,sumner's expedition1 in #aheg1 have travelled to ,walnut ,creek1 on the ,santa ,fe route1 a distance of three hundred miles1 in nine days4 ,and this in the month of ,august4 ,the usual effects of hard driving1 ,i noticed1 showed but very little on them4 ,i noticed also1 along the march1 that with a halt of less than three hours1 feeding on grass that was only tolerably thick1 they will fill up better and look in better condition for resuming the march1 than one of our ,american mules that had rested five hours1 and had the same forage4 ,the breed1 of course1 has something to do with this4 ,but the animal is smaller1 more compact than our mules1 and1 of course1 it takes less to fill him up4 ,it stands to reason1 that a mule with a body half as large as a hogshead cannot satisfy his hunger in the time it would take a small one4 ,this is the secret of small mules outlasting large ones on the prairies4 ,it takes the large one so long to find enough to eat1 when the grass is scanty1 that he has not time enough for rest and recuperation4 ,i often found them leaving camp1 in the morning1 quite as hungry and discouraged as they were when we halted the previous evening4 ,with the small mule it is different4 ,he gets enough to eat1 quick1 and has time to rest and refresh himself4 ,the ,spanish or ,mexican mule1 however1 is better as a pack animal1 than for a team4 ,they are vicious1 hard to break1 and two-thirds of them kick4 ,in looking over a book1 with the title of ,domestic ,animals1 ,i notice that the author1 ,mr4 ,r4,l4 ,allen1 has copied from the official report of the ,agricultural ,committee of ,south ,carolina1 and asserts that a mule is fit for service sooner than a horse4 ,this is not true2 and to prove that it is not1 ,i will give what ,i consider to be ample proof4 ,in the first place1 a mule at three years old is just as much and even more of a colt than a horse is4 ,and he is as much out of condition1 on account of cutting teeth1 distemper1 and other colt ailments1 as it is possible to be4 ,get a three year old mule tired and fatigued1 and in nine cases out of ten he will get so discouraged that it will be next to impossible to get him home or into camp4 ,a horse colt1 if able to travel at all1 will work his way home cheerfully2 but the young mule will sulk1 and in many instances will not move an inch while life lasts4 ,an honest horse will try to help himself1 and do all he can for you1 especially if you treat him kindly4 ,the mule colt will1 just as likely as not1 do all he can to make it inconvenient for you and him4 ,to show of how little service three year old mules are to the ,government1 ,i will give the number handled by me during part of #ahfd and #ahfe4 ,on the #ast of ,september1 #ahfd1 ,i had charge of five thousand and eighty-two mules2 and during the same month ,i received two thousand two hundred and ten1 and issued to the ,armies of the ,potomac1 the ,james1 and the ,shenandoah1 three thousand five hundred and seventy-one1 which left us on hand1 on the #ast of ,october1 three thousand seven hundred and twenty-one4 ,during the month of ,october we received only nine hundred and eighty1 and issued two thousand five hundred and thirty1 which left us on hand1 on the #ast of ,november1 two thousand one hundred and seventy-one4 ,during ,november we received two thousand one hundred and eighty-six1 and issued to the army one thousand seven hundred and fifty-seven1 which left us on hand1 on the #ast of ,december1 two thousand four hundred and thirty mules4 ,now mark the deaths4 ,during the month of ,september1 #ahfd1 there died in the corral fifteen mules4 ,in ,october1 six died4 ,in ,november1 three2 and in ,december1 eight4 ,they were all two and three years old4 ,on the #ast of ,may1 #ahfe1 we had on hand four thousand and twelve head1 and received1 during the same month1 seven thousand nine hundred and fifty-eight4 ,we issued1 during the same month1 fifteen thousand five hundred and sixty-three1 leaving us on hand1 on the #ast of ,june1 six thousand four hundred and eighty-seven4 ,during this month we received seven thousand nine hundred and fifty-one1 and issued eleven thousand nine hundred and fifteen4 ,our mules during these months were sent out to be herded1 and the total number of deaths during the time was twenty-four4 ,but two of them were over four years old4 ,now1 it occurs to me that it would be a great saving to the ,government not to purchase any mules under four years old4 ,this statement of deaths at the corral is as nothing when compared with the number of deaths of young mules in the field4 ,it is1 in fact1 well established that fully two-thirds of the deaths in the field are of young animals under three years of age4 ,this waste of animal life carries with it an expense it would be difficult to estimate1 but which a remedy might easily be found for4 ,now1 it is well known that when a mule has reached the age of four years1 you will have very little trouble with him1 so far as sickness and disease are concerned4 ,besides1 at the age of four he is able to work1 and work well2 and he also understands better what you want him to do4 ,the committee appointed to report on this subject say many mules have been lost by feeding on cut straw and corn meal4 ,this is something entirely new to me2 and ,i am of opinion that more ,government mules die because they do not get enough of this straw and meal4 ,the same committee say1 also1 that in no instance have they known them to be inflicted with disease other than inflammation of the intestines1 caused by exposure4 ,i only wish that the members of that committee could have had access to the affidavits in the ,quartermaster-,general's department-- they would then have satisfied themselves that thousands of ,government mules have died with almost every disease the horse is subject to4 ,and ,i do not see why they should not be liable to the same diseases1 since they derive life and animation from the horse4 ,the mule that breeds closest after the jack1 and is marked like him1 is the hardiest1 can stand fatigue the best1 and is less liable to those diseases common to the horse2 while those which breed close after the mare1 and have no marks of the jack about them1 are liable to all of them4 ,in the beginning of this chapter ,i spoke of the color of mules4 ,i will1 in closing1 make a few more remarks on that subject1 which may interest the reader4 ,we have now at work three dun-colored mules1 that were transferred to the ,army of the ,potomac in #ahfb1 and that went through all the campaigns of that army1 and were transferred back to us in ,june1 #ahfe4 ,they had been steadily at work1 and yet were in good condition1 hardy1 and bright1 when they were turned in4 ,these mules have a black stripe across their shoulders1 down their backs1 and are what is called dark-colored duns4 ,we also have the only full team that has gone through all the campaigns of the ,army of the ,potomac4 ,it was fitted up at ,annapolis1 ,md41 in ,september1 #ahfa1 under ,captain ,santelle1 ,a4,q4,m4 ,they are now in fine condition1 and equal to any thing we have in the corral4 ,the leaders are very fine animals4 ,they are fourteen hands high1 one weighing eight hundred1 and the other eight hundred and forty-five pounds4 ,one of the middle leaders weighs nine hundred1 the other nine hundred and forty-seven pounds1 and fourteen hands and a half high4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,diseases ,,mules ,,are ,,liable ,,to4--,,what ,,he ,,can ,,draw1 ,,etc41 ,,etc4 ,the committee also say that the mule is a more steady animal in his draft than the horse4 ,i think this the greatest mistake the committee has made4 ,you have only to observe the manner in which a dray or heavily-loaded wagon will toss a mule about1 and the way he will toss himself around on the road1 to be satisfied that the committee have formed an erroneous opinion on that point4 ,in starting with a load1 the mule1 in many cases1 works with his feet as if they were set on a pivot1 and hence does not take so firm a hold of the ground as the horse does4 ,i have never yet seen a mule in a dray or cart that could keep it from jolting him round4 ,in the first place1 he has not the power to steady a dray2 and1 in the second place1 they never can be taught to do it4 ,in fine1 they have not the formation to handle a dray or cart4 ,what1 then1 becomes of the idea that they are as steady in drays or teams as the horse4 ,the committee also say that mules are not subject to such ailments as horses--spavin1 glanders1 ringbone1 and bots4 ,if ,i had the committee here1 ,i would show its members that every other mule in the quartermasters' department1 over fifteen and a half hands high1 is either spavined1 ringboned1 or ill some way injured by the above-named diseases4 ,the mule may not be so liable to spavin as the horse1 but he has ringbone just the same4 ,i cannot1 for the life of me1 see how the committee could have fallen into this error4 ,there is this1 however1 to be taken into consideration3 the mule is not of so sensitive a nature as the horse1 and will bear pain without showing it in lameness4 ,the close observer1 however1 can easily detect it4 ,one reason why they do not show spavin and ringbone so much at the horse1 is because our blacksmiths do not cut their heels as low as they do a horse's1 and consequently that part of the foot is not made to work so hard4 ,if you believe a mule has a ringbone1 and yet is not lame1 just cut his heel down low1 and give him a few good pulls in a muddy place1 and he will soon develop to you both lameness and ringbone4 ,cut his toes down and leave his heels high1 and he will not be apt to go lame with it4 ,the committee also say that a ,mr4 ,elliott1 of the ,patuxent ,furnaces1 says they hardly ever had a mule die of disease4 ,this is a strange statement2 for the poorest teams ,i ever saw1 and the very worst bred stock1 were on the ,patuxent ,river1 through the southern part of ,maryland1 and at the markets on ,washington ,city4 ,it is pitiable to see1 as you can on market days1 the shabby teams driven by the farmers of eastern and southern ,maryland4 ,a more broken-hearted1 poverty-stricken1 and dejected-looking set of teams can be seen nowhere else4 ,the people of ,maryland have raised good horses2 it is high time they waked up to the necessity1 and even profit1 of raising a better kind of mule4 ,in regard to the draft power of mules1 in comparison with horses1 there are various opinions2 and yet it is one which ought to be easily settled4 ,i have tested mules to the very utmost of their strength1 and it was very rare to find a pair that could draw thirty hundred weight a single year1 without being used up completely4 ,now1 it is well known that in the northern and western ,states you can find any number of pairs of horses that will draw thirty-five and forty hundred weight anywhere4 ,and they will keep doing it1 day after day1 and retain their condition4 ,there was one great difficulty the ,agricultural ,committee of ,south ,carolina had to contend with1 and it was this4 ,at the time it had the subject of the mule under consideration1 he was not used generally throughout the ,united ,states4 ,i can easily understand1 therefore1 that the committee obtained its knowledge from the very few persons who had them1 and made the best report it could under the circumstances4 ,indeed1 ,i firmly believe the report was written with the intention of giving correct information1 but it failed entirely4 ,in recommending any thing of this kind1 great care should be taken not to lead the inexperienced astray1 and to give only such facts as are obtained from thorough knowledge2 and no man should be accepted as authority in the care and treatment of animals1 unless he has had long experience with them1 and has made them a subject of study4 ,a few words more on breaking the mule4 ,don't fight or abuse him4 ,after you have harnessed him1 and he proves to be refractory1 keep your own temper1 slack your reins1 push him round1 backward and forward1 not roughly2 and if he will not go1 and do what you want1 tie him to a post and let him stand there a day or so without food or water4 ,take care1 also1 that he does not lie down1 and be careful to have a person to guard him1 so that he does not foul in the harness4 ,if he will not go1 after a day or two of this sort of treatment1 give him one or two more of it1 and my word for it1 he will come to his senses and do any thing you want from that time forward4 ,some persons assert that the mule is a very cunning animal2 others assert that he is dull and stupid1 and cannot be made to understand what you want4 ,he is1 ,i admit1 what may be called a tricky animal2 but1 for experiment sake1 just play one or two tricks with him1 and he will show you by his action that he understands them well4 ,indeed1 he knows a great deal more than he generally gets credit for1 and few animals are more capable of appreciating proper treatment4 ,like many other species of animal1 there are scarcely two to be found of precisely the same temper and disposition1 if we except the single vice of kicking1 which they will all do1 especially when well fed and rested4 ,and we can excuse even this vice in consideration of the fact1 that the mule is not a natural animal1 but only an invention of man4 ,some persons are inclined to think that1 when a mule is a kicker1 he has not been properly broken4 ,i doubt if you can break a mule so that he will not kick a stranger at sight1 especially if he be under six years old4 ,the only way to keep a mule from kicking you is to handle it a great deal when young1 and accustom it to the ways and actions of men4 ,you must through kindness convince it that you are not going to harm or abuse it2 and you can do that best by taking hold of it in a gentle manner every time it appears to be frightened4 ,such treatment ,i have always found more effective than all the beating and abusing you can apply4 ,there is another fault the mule has to contend against4 ,it is the common belief among teamsters and others that he has less confidence in man than the horse has1 and to improve this they almost invariably apply the whip4 ,the reason for this want of confidence is readily found in the fact that mule colts are never handled with that degree of kindness and care that horse colts are4 ,they are naturally more stubborn than the horse1 and most of those persons who undertake to halter or harness them for the first time are even more stubborn in their disposition than the mule4 ,they commence to break the animal by beating him in the most unmerciful manner1 and that at once so excites the mule's stubbornness1 that many of them1 in this condition1 would not move an inch if you were to cut them to pieces4 ,and let me say here that nothing should be so much avoided in breaking this animal as the whip4 ,the young1 unbroken mule cannot be made to understand what you are whipping him for4 ,it is a habit with mule drivers in the army1 many of whom are men without feeling for a dumb animal1 to whip mules just to hear their whips crack1 and to let others hear with what dexterity they can do it4 ,it has a very bad effect on the animals1 and some means should be applied to stop it4 ,army teamsters and stable-men seem to regard it as a virtue to be cruel to animals4 ,they soon cultivate vicious habits1 and a bad temper seems to grow up with their occupation4 ,it naturally follows1 then1 that in the treatment of their animals they do just what they ought not to do4 ,the ,government has been a very severe sufferer by this2 and ,i contend that during a war it is just as necessary to have experienced and well trained teamsters as it is to have hardened and well trained soldiers4 ,the mule is peculiar in his dislikes4 ,many of them1 when first harnessed1 so dislike a blind bridle that they will not work in it4 ,when you find this1 let him stand for say a day in the blinders1 and then take them off1 and in forty-nine cases out of fifty he will go at once4 ,it has been said that the mule never scares or runs away4 ,this is not true4 ,he is not so apt to get frightened and run away as the horse is4 ,but any one who has had long experience with them in the army knows that they will both get frightened and run away4 ,they do not1 however1 lose all their senses when they get frightened and run away1 as the horse does4 ,bring a mule back after he has run away1 and in most cases he will not want to do it again4 ,a horse that has once run away1 however1 is never safe afterward4 ,indeed1 in all the tens of thousands of mules that ,i have handled1 ,i never yet found an habitual runaway4 ,their sluggish nature does not incline them to such tricks4 ,if a team attempts to run away1 one or two of them will fall down before they have gone far1 and this will stop the remainder4 ,attempt to put one up to the same speed you would a horse1 over a rough road1 and you will have performed wonders if he does not fall and break your bones4 ,the mule1 especially if large1 cannot stand hard roads and pavements4 ,his limbs are too small for his body1 and they generally give out4 ,you will notice that all good judges of road and trotting horses like to see a good strong bone in the leg4 ,this is actually necessary4 ,the mule1 you will notice1 is very deficient in leg1 and generally have poor muscle4 ,and many of them are what is called cat-hammed4 ,working ,condition of ,mules4--,most persons1 when they see a good1 fat1 slick mule1 are apt to exclaim3 ,what a fine mule there is6 ,he takes it for granted that because the animal is fat1 tall1 and heavy1 he must be a good work animal4 ,this1 however1 is no criterion to judge by4 ,a mule1 to be in good condition for work1 should never be any fatter than what is known as good working condition4 ,one of fourteen and a half hands high1 to be in good working condition1 should not weigh over nine hundred and fifty pounds4 ,one of fifteen hands high should not weigh over one thousand pounds4 ,if he does1 his legs will in a very short time give out1 and he will have to go to the hospital4 ,in working a mule with too much flesh1 it will produce curbs1 spavin1 ringbone1 or crooked hocks4 ,the muscles and tendons of their small legs are not capable of carrying a heavy weight of body for any length of time4 ,he may not1 as ,i have said before1 show his blemishes in lameness1 but it is only because he lacks that fine feeling common to the horse4 ,i have1 singular as it may seem1 known mules that have been spavined1 curbed1 and ringboned1 and yet have been worked for years without exhibiting lameness4 ,avoid spotted1 or dapple mules2 they are the very poorest animal you can get4 ,they cannot stand hard work1 and once they get diseased and begin to lose strength1 there is no saving them4 ,the ,mexicans call them pintos1 or painted mules4 ,we call them calico ,arabians or ,chickasaws4 ,they have generally bad eyes1 which get very sore during the heat and dust of summer1 when many of them go blind4 ,many of the snow-white mules are of the same description1 and about as useless4 ,mules with the white muzzle1 or1 as some term it1 white-nore white1 and with white rings round the eyes1 are also of but little account as work mules4 ,they can stand no hardship of any kind4 ,government1 at least1 should never purchase them4 ,in purchasing mules1 you must look well to the age1 form1 height1 eyes1 size of bone and muscle1 and disposition2 for these are of more importance than his color4 ,get these right and you will have a good animal4 ,if any gentleman wants to purchase a mule for the saddle1 let him get one bred closer after the mare than the jack4 ,they are more docile1 handle easier1 and are more tractable1 and will do what you want with less trouble than the other4 ,if possible1 also1 get mare mules2 they are much more safe and trusty under the saddle1 and less liable to get stubborn4 ,they are also better than a horse mule for team purposes4 ,in short1 if ,i were purchasing mules for myself1 ,i would give at least fifteen dollars more for mare mules than ,i would for horse4 ,they are superior to the horse mule in every way4 ,one reason is1 that they possess all their natural faculties1 while you deprive the horse of his by altering4 ,the most disagreeable and unmanageable1 and ,i was going to say useless1 animal in the world1 is a stud mule4 ,they are no benefit to anybody1 and yet they are more troublesome than any other animal4 ,they rarely ever get fat1 and are always fretting2 and it is next to impossible to keep them from breaking loose and getting at mares4 ,besides1 they are exceedingly dangerous to have amongst horses4 ,they will frequently fly at the horse1 like a tiger1 and bite1 tear1 and kick him to pieces4 ,i have known them to shut their eyes1 become furious1 and dash over both man and beast to get at a mare4 ,it is curious1 also1 that a white mare seems to have the greatest attractions for them4 ,i have known a stud mule to take a fancy to a white mare1 and it seemed impossible to keep him away from her4 ,mules of all kinds1 however1 seem to have a peculiar fancy for white mares and horses1 and when this attachment is once formed1 it is almost impossible to separate them4 ,if you want to drive a herd of five hundred mules any distance1 turn a white or gray mare in among them for two or three days1 and they will become so attached to her that you may turn them out1 and they will follow her anywhere4 ,just let a man lead the mare1 and with two men mounted you can manage the whole herd almost as well as if they were in a team4 ,another way to lead mules is1 to put a bell on the mare's neck4 ,the mules will listen for that bell like a lot of school children1 and will follow its tinkling1 with the same instinct4 ,another curious thing about the mule is this3 ,you may hitch him up to-day for the first time1 and he may become sullen and refuse to go a step for you4 ,this may be very provoking1 and perhaps excite your temper2 but do not let it1 for ten chances to one1 if you take him out of the harness to-day and put him in again to-morrow1 that he will go right off1 and do any thing you want him4 ,it is best always to get a young mule well used to the harness before you try to work him in a team4 ,when you get him so that he is not afraid of the harness1 you may consider your mule two-thirds broke4 ,i have seen it asserted that a team of mules was more easily handled than a team of horses4 ,it is impossible that this can be so1 for the reason that you never can make a mule as bridle-wise as a horse4 ,to further prove that this cannot be so1 let any reinsman put as many mules together as there are horses in the band wagon of a show1 or circus1 and see what he can do with them4 ,there is not a driver living who can rein them with the same safety that he can a horse1 and for the very reason1 that whenever the mule finds that he has the advantage of you1 he will keep it in spite of all you can do4 ,mule ,raising4--,i never could understand why it was that almost every person1 that raises stock1 recommends big1 ugly gollips of mares1 for mule-breeding4 ,the principle is certainly a wrong one1 as a little study of nature must show4 ,to produce a good1 well-proportioned mule1 you must have a good1 compact1 and serviceable mare4 ,it is just as necessary as in the crossing of any other animal4 ,it certainly is more profitable to raise good animals than poor ones2 and you cannot raise good mules from bad mares1 no matter what the jack is4 ,you invariably see the bad mare in the flabby1 long-legged mule4 ,it has been held by some of our officers1 that the mule was a better animal for ,government service1 because he required less care and feed than the horse1 and would go longer without water4 ,this1 again1 is a grave mistake4 ,the mule1 if properly taken care of1 requires nearly as much forage as the horse1 and should be groomed and cared for just the same4 ,i refer now to team animals4 ,such statements do a great deal of injury1 inasmuch as they encourage the men who have charge of animals to neglect and abuse them4 ,the teamster who hears his superior talk in this way will soon take advantage of it4 ,animals of all kinds1 in a wild and natural state1 have a way of keeping themselves clean4 ,if left wild1 the mule would do it4 ,but when man deprives them of the privileges by tying them up and domesticating them1 he must assist them in the most natural way to keep themselves clean4 ,and this assistance the animal appreciates to its fullest extent4 ,how to ,handle a ,mule ,colt4--,owners and raisers of mules should pay more attention to their habits when young4 ,and ,i would give them this advice3 ,when the colt is six months old1 put a halter on him and let the strap hang loose4 ,let your strap be about four feet long1 so that it will drag on the ground4 ,the animal will soon accustom himself to this2 and when he has1 take up the end and lead him to the place where you have been accustomed to feed him4 ,this will make him familiar with you1 and increase his confidence4 ,handle his ears at times1 but don't squeeze them1 for the ear is the most sensitive part of this animal4 ,as soon as he lets you handle his ears familiarly1 put a loose bridle on him4 ,put it on and take it off frequently4 ,in this way you will secure the colt's confidence1 and he will retain it until you need him for work4 ,speaking of the sensitiveness of the mule's ear1 a scratch1 or the slightest injury to it1 will excite their stubbornness and make them afraid of you4 ,i have known a mule's ear to be scratched by rough handling1 and for months afterward it was with the greatest difficulty you could bridle him4 ,nothing is more important than that you should bridle a young mule properly4 ,i have found from experience that the best way is this3 stand on the near side1 of course2 take the top of the bridle in your right hand1 and the bit in your left2 pass your arm gently over his eye until that part of the arm bends his ear down1 then slip the bit into his mouth1 and at the same time let your hand be working slowly with the bearings still on his head and neck1 until you have arranged the head-stall4 ,it would be a saving of thousands of dollars to the ,government1 if1 in purchasing mules1 it could get them all halter and bridle-broken4 ,stablemen1 in the employ of the ,government1 will not take the trouble to halter and bridle-break them properly2 and ,i have seen hundreds of mules1 in the ,city of ,washington1 totally ruined by tying them up behind wagons while young1 and literally dragging them through the streets4 ,these mules had never1 perhaps1 had a halter on before4 ,i have seen them1 while tied in this manner1 jump back1 throw themselves down1 and be dragged on the ground until they were nearly dead4 ,and what is worse1 the teamster invariably seeks to remedy this by beating them4 ,in most cases1 the teamster would see them dragged to death before he would give them a helping hand4 ,if he knew how to apply a proper remedy1 very likely he would not give himself the trouble to apply it4 ,i have never been able to find out how this pernicious habit of tying mules behind wagons originated2 but the sooner an order is issued putting a stop to it1 the better1 for it is nothing less than a costly torture4 ,the mule1 more than any other animal1 wants to see where he is going4 ,he cannot do this at the tail of an army wagon1 though it is an excellent plan for him to get his head bruised or his brains knocked out4 ,some persons charge it as an habitual vice with the mule to pull back4 ,i have seen horses contract that vice1 and continue it until they killed themselves4 ,but1 in all my experience with the mule1 ,i never saw one in which it was a settled vice4 ,during the time ,i had charge of the receiving and issuing of horses to the army1 ,i had a great many horses injured seriously by this vice of pulling back4 ,some of these horses became so badly injured in the spine that ,i had to send them to the hospital1 then under the charge of ,dr4 ,l4,h4 ,braley4 ,some were so badly injured that they died in fits2 others were cured4 ,even when the mule gets his neck sore1 he will endure it like the ox1 and instead of pulling back1 as the horse will1 he will come right up for the purpose of easing it4 ,they do not1 as some suppose1 do this because of their sore1 but because they are not sensitive like the horse4 ,packing ,mules4--,in looking over a copy of ,mason's ,farrier1 or ,stud ,book1 by ,mr4 ,skinner1 ,i find it stated that a mule is capable of packing six or eight hundred pounds4 ,mr4 ,skinner has evidently never packed mules1 or he would not have made so erroneous a statement4 ,i have been in all our ,northern and ,western ,territories1 in ,old and ,new ,mexico1 where nearly all the business is done by pack animals1 mules1 and asses2 and ,i have also been among the tribes of ,indians bordering on the ,mexican ,states1 where they have to a great extent adopted the ,spanish method of packing1 and yet ,i never saw an instance when a mule could be packed six or eight hundred pounds4 ,indeed1 the people in these countries would ridicule such an assertion4 ,and here ,i purpose to give the result of my own experience in packing1 together with that of several others who have long followed the business4 ,i also purpose to say something on what ,i consider the best mode of packing1 the weight suitable for each animal1 and the relative gain or loss that might result from this method of transportation1 as compared with transportation by wagon4 ,in the first place1 packing ought never to be resorted to1 because it cannot be done with profit1 where the roads are good and wagons and animals are to be had4 ,in mountains1 over deserts and plains of sand1 where forage is scant1 and water only to be had at long intervals1 then the pack is a necessity1 and can be used with profit4 ,let it be understood1 also1 that in packing1 the ,spanish pack-mule1 as as well as saddle1 is the most suitable4 ,second3 ,the ,spanish method of packing is1 above all others1 the most ancient1 the best and most economical4 ,with it the animal can carry a heavier burden with less injury to himself4 ,third3 ,the weight to be packed1 under ever so favorable circumstances1 should never be over four hundred and fifty pounds4 ,fourth3 ,the ,american pack-saddle is a worthless thing1 and should never be used when any considerable amount of weight is required to be packed4 ,if ,i had previously entertained any doubt in regard to this ,american pack-saddle1 it was removed by what came under my observation three years ago4 ,while employed in the quartermasters' depot1 at ,washington1 ,d4,c41 as superintendent of the ,general ,hospital ,stables1 we at one time received three hundred mules1 on which the experiment of packing with this saddle had been tried in the ,army of the ,potomac4 ,it was said this was one of ,general ,butterfield's experiments4 ,these animals presented no evidence of being packed more than once2 but such was the terrible condition of their backs that the whole number required to be placed at once under medical treatment4 ,officers of the army who knew ,dr4 ,braley1 know how invariably successful he has been in the treatment of ,government animals1 and how carefully he treats them4 ,yet1 in spite of all his skill1 and with the best of shelter1 fifteen of these animals died from mortification of their wounds and injuries of the spine4 ,the remainder were a very long time in recovering1 and when they did1 their backs1 in many cases1 were scarred in such a manner as to render them unfit ever after for being used for a similar purpose4 ,the use of the ,american pack-saddle1 and lack of knowledge on the part of those in charge as to what mules were suitable for packing1 did this4 ,the experienced packer would have seen at a glance that a large portion of these mules were utterly unfit for the business4 ,the experiment was a wretched failure1 but cost the ,government some thousands of dollars4 ,i ought to mention1 however1 that the class of mules on which this experiment was tried were loose1 leggy animals1 such as ,i have heretofore described as being almost unfit for any branch of ,government service4 ,but1 by all means1 let the ,government abandon the ,american pack-saddle until some further improvements are made in it4 ,now1 as to the weight a mule can pack4 ,i have seen the ,delaware ,indians1 with all their effects packed on mules1 going out on a buffalo hunt4 ,i have seen the ,potawatamies1 the ,kickapoos1 the ,pawnees1 the ,cheyennes1 ,pi-,ute1 ,sioux1 ,arapahoes1 and indeed almost every tribe that use mules1 pack them to the very extent of their strength1 and never yet saw the mule that could pack what ,mr4 ,skinner asserts4 ,more than that1 ,i assert here that you cannot find a mule that will pack even four hundred pounds1 and keep his condition sixty days4 ,eight hundred pounds1 ,mr4 ,skinner1 is a trying weight for a horse to drag any distance4 ,what1 then1 must we think of it on the back of a mule8 ,the officers of our quartermasters' department1 who have been out on the plains1 understand this matter perfectly4 ,any of these gentlemen will tell you that there is not a pack train of fifty mules in existence1 that can pack on an average for forty days1 three hundred pounds to the animal4 ,i will now give you the experience of some of the best mule packers in the country1 in order to show that what has been written in regard to the mule's strength is calculated to mislead the reader4 ,in #ahef1 ,william ,anderson1 a man whom ,i know well1 packed from the ,city of ,del ,norte to ,chihuahua and ,durango1 in ,mexico1 a distance of five hundred miles or thereabout4 ,anderson and a man of the name of ,frank ,roberts had charge of the pack train4 ,they had seventy-five mules1 and used to pack boxes of dry goods1 bales1 and even barrels4 ,they had two ,mexican drivers1 and travelled about fifteen miles a day1 at most1 though they took the very best of care of their animals4 ,now1 the very most it was possible for any mule in this train to get along with was two hundred and seventy-five pounds4 ,more than this1 they did not have over twenty-five mules out of the whole number that could pack two hundred and fifty pounds1 the average weight to the whole train being a little less than two hundred pounds4 ,to make this fifteen miles a day1 they had to make two drives1 letting the animals stop to feed whenever they had made seven or eight miles4 ,in #aheh1 this same ,anderson packed for the expedition sent after the ,snake ,indians4 ,his train consisted of some two hundred and fifty or three hundred mules4 ,they packed from ,cordelaine ,mission to ,walla ,walla1 in ,oregon4 ,the animals were of a very superior kind1 selected for the purpose of packing out of a very large lot4 ,some of the very best of these mules were packed with three hundred pounds1 but at the end of two weeks gave out completely4 ,in #ahei1 this same ,anderson packed for a gentleman of the name of ,david ,reese1 living at the ,dalles1 in ,portland1 ,oregon4 ,his train consisted of fifty mules1 in good average condition1 many of them weighing nine hundred and fifty pounds1 and from thirteen to fourteen hands high4 ,his average packing was two hundred and fifty pounds4 ,the distance was three hundred miles1 and it occupied forty days in going and returning4 ,such was the severity of the labor that nearly two-thirds of the animals became poor1 and their backs so sore as to be unfit for work4 ,this trip was made from the ,dalles1 in ,oregon1 to ,salmon ,falls1 on the ,columbia ,river4 ,anderson asserts it1 as the result of his experience1 that1 in packing fifty mules a distance of three hundred miles with two hundred and fifty pounds1 the animals will be so reduced at the end of the journey as to require at least four weeks to bring them into condition again4 ,this also conforms with my own experience4 ,in #aheg1 there was started from ,fort ,laramie1 ,nebraska ,territory1 to go to ,fort ,bridger with salt1 a train of forty mules4 ,it was in the winter2 each mule was packed with one hundred and eighty pounds1 as near as we could possibly estimate1 and the train was given in charge of a man of the name of ,donovan4 ,the weather and roads were bad1 and the pack proved entirely too heavy4 ,donovan did all he could to get his train through1 but was forced to leave more than two-thirds of it on the way4 ,at that season of the year1 when grass is poor and the weather bad1 one hundred and forty or one hundred and fifty pounds is enough for any mule to pack4 ,there were also1 in #aheg1 regular pack trains run from ,red ,bluffs1 on the ,sacramento ,river1 in ,california1 to ,yreka and ,curran ,river4 ,out of all the mules used in these trains1 none were packed with over two hundred pounds4 ,to sum up1 packing never should be resorted to when there is any other means of transportation open4 ,it is1 beyond doubt1 the most expensive means of transportation1 even when the most experienced packers are employed4 ,if1 however1 it were necessary for the ,government to establish a system of packing1 it would be a great saving to import ,mexicans1 accustomed to the work1 to perform the labor1 and ,americans to take charge of the trains4 ,packing is a very laborious business1 and very few ,americans either care about doing it1 or have the patience necessary to it4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,physical ,,construction ,,of ,,the ,,mule4 ,i now propose to say something on the mule's limbs and feet4 ,it will be observed that the mule has a jack's leg from the knee down1 and in this part of the leg he is weak2 and with these he frequently has to carry a horse's body4 ,it stands to reason1 then1 that if you feed him until he gets two or three hundred pounds of extra flesh on him1 as many persons do1 he will break down for want of leg-strength4 ,indeed1 the mule is weakest where the horse is strongest4 ,his feet1 too1 are a singular formation1 differing very materially from those of the horse4 ,the mule's feet grow very slow1 and the grain or pores of the hoof are much closer and harder than those of the horse4 ,it is not so liable1 however1 to break or crumble4 ,and yet they are not so well adapted for work on macadamized or stony roads1 and the more flesh you put on his body1 after a reasonable weight1 the more you add to the means of his destruction4 ,observe1 for instance1 a farmer's mule1 or a poor man's mule working in the city4 ,these persons1 with rare exceptions1 feed their mules very little grain1 and they are generally in low flesh4 ,and yet they last a very long time1 notwithstanding the rough treatment they get4 ,when you feed a mule1 you must adjust the proportions of his body to the strength of his limbs and the kind of service he is required to perform4 ,experience has taught me1 that the less you feed a mule below what he will eat clean1 just that amount of value and life is kept out of him4 ,in relation to feeding animals4 ,some persons boast of having horses and mules that eat but little1 and are therefore easily kept4 ,now1 when ,i want to get a horse or a mule1 these small eaters are the last ones ,i would think of purchasing4 ,in nine cases out of ten1 you will find such animals out of condition4 ,when ,i find animals in the ,government's possession1 that cannot eat the amount necessary to sustain them and give them proper strength1 ,i invariably throw them out1 to be nursed until they will eat their rations4 ,animals1 to be kept in good condition1 and fit for proper service1 should eat their ten and twelve quarts of grain per head per day1 with hay in proportion--say1 twelve pounds4 ,i wish here again to correct a popular error1 that the mule does not eat1 and requires much less food than the horse4 ,my experience has been1 that a mule1 twelve hands high1 and weighing eight hundred pounds1 will eat and1 indeed1 requires just as much as a horse of similar dimensions4 ,give them similar work1 keep then in a stable1 or camp them out during the winter months1 and the mule will eat more than the horse will or can4 ,a mule1 however1 will eat almost any thing rather than starve4 ,straw1 pine boards1 the bark of trees1 grain sacks1 pieces of old leather1 do not come amiss with him when he is hungry4 ,there were many instances1 during the late war1 where a team of mules were found1 of a morning1 standing over the remains of what had1 the evening before1 been a ,government wagon4 ,when two or more have been kept tied to a wagon1 they have been known to eat each other's tail off to the bone1 ,and yet the animal1 thus deprived of his caudal appendage1 did not evince much pain4 ,in the ,south1 many of the plantations are worked with mules1 driven by negroes4 ,the mule seems to understand and appreciate the negro2 and the negro has a sort of fellow-feeling for the mule4 ,both are sluggish and stubborn1 and yet they get along well together4 ,the mule1 too1 is well suited to plantation labor1 and will outlast a horse at it4 ,the soil is also light and sandy1 and better suited to the mule's feet4 ,a negro has not much sympathy for a work-horse1 and in a short time will ruin him with abuse1 whereas he will share his corn with the mule4 ,nor does the working of the soil on southern plantations overtax the power of the mule4 ,the ,value of ,harnessing properly4--,in working any animal1 and more especially the mule1 it is both humane and economical to have him harnessed properly1 ,unless he be1 the animal cannot perform the labor he is capable of with ease and comfort1 ,and you cannot watch too closely to see that every thing works in its right place4 ,begin with the bridle1 and see that it does not chafe or cut him1 ,the army blind-bridle1 with the bit alteration attached1 is the very best bridle that can be used on either horse or mule4 ,be careful1 however1 that the crown-piece is not attached too tight4 ,be careful1 also1 that it does not draw the sides of the animal's mouth up into wrinkles1 for the bit1 working against these1 is sure to make the animal's mouth sore4 ,the mule's mouth is a very difficult part to heal1 and once it gets sore he becomes unfit for work4 ,your bridle should be fitted well to the mule's head before you attempt to work him in it4 ,leave your bearing-line slack1 so as to allow the mule the privilege of learning to walk easy with harness on4 ,it is too frequently the case1 that the eyes of mules that are worked in the ,government's service are injured by the blinds being allowed to work too close to the eyes4 ,this is caused by the blind-stay being too tight1 or perhaps not split far enough up between the eyes and ears4 ,this stay should always be split high enough up to allow the blinds to stand at least one inch and a half from the eye4 ,another1 and even more essential part of the harness is the collar4 ,more mules are maimed and even ruined altogether by improperly fitting collars1 than is generally believed by quartermasters4 ,it requires more judgment to fit a collar properly on a mule than it does to fit any other part of the harness4 ,get your collar long enough to buckle the strap close up to the last hole4 ,then examine the bottom1 and see that there be room enough between the mule's neck or wind-pipe to lay your open hand in easily4 ,this will leave a space between the collar and the mule's neck of nearly two inches4 ,aside from the creased neck1 mules' necks are nearly all alike in shape1 ,they indeed vary as little in neck as they do in feet2 and what ,i say on the collar will apply to them all1 ,the teamster has always the means in his own hands of remedying a bad fitting collar4 ,if the animal does not work easy in it1 if it pinch him somewhere1 let it remain in water over night1 put it on the animal wet the next morning1 and in a few minutes it will take the exact formation of the animal's neck4 ,see that it is properly fitted above and below to the hames1 then the impression which the collar takes in a natural form will be superior to the best mechanical skill of the best harness-maker4 ,there is another thing about collars1 which1 in my opinion1 is very important4 ,when you are pursuing a journey with teams of mules1 where hay and grain are scarce1 the animals will naturally become poor1 and their necks get thin and small4 ,if once the collar becomes too large1 and you have no way of exchanging it for a smaller one1 of course you must do the next best thing you can4 ,now1 first take the collar off the animal1 lay it on a level1 and cut about one inch out of the centre4 ,when you have done this1 try it on the animal again2 and if it still continues too large take a little more from each side of the centre until you get it right4 ,in this way you can effect the remedy you need4 ,in performing a long journey1 the animals will1 if driven hard1 soon show you where the collar ought to be cut1 ,they generally get sore on the outer part of the shoulder1 and this on account of the muscle wasting away4 ,teamsters on the plains and in the ,western ,territories cut all the collars when starting on a trip4 ,it takes less time afterward to fit them to the teams1 and to harness and unharness4 ,when you find out where the collar has injured the shoulder1 cut it and take out enough of the stuffing to prevent the leather from touching the sore4 ,in this way the animal will soon get sound-shouldered again4 ,let the part of the leather you cut hang loose1 so that when you take the stuffing out you may put it back and prevent any more than is actually necessary from coming out4 ,see that your hames fit well1 for they are a matter of great importance in a mule's drawing4 ,unless your hames fit your collar well1 you are sure to have trouble with your harness1 and your mule will work badly4 ,some persons think1 because a mule can be accustomed to work with almost any thing for a harness1 that money is saved in letting him do it4 ,this is a great mistake4 ,you serve the best economy when you harness him well and make his working comfortable4 ,indeed1 a mule can do more work with a bad-fitting collar and harness than a man can walk with a bad-fitting boot4 ,try your hames on1 and draw them tight enough at the top of the mule's neck1 so that they will not work or roll round4 ,they should be tight enough to fit well without pinching the neck or shoulder1 and in fine1 fit as neatly as a man's shirt-collar4 ,do not get the bulge part of your collar down too low4 ,if you do1 you interfere with the machinery that propels the mule's fore legs4 ,again1 if you raise it too high1 you at once interfere with his wind4 ,there is an exact place for the bulge of the collar1 and it is on the point of the mule's shoulder4 ,some persons use a pad made of sheepskin on the toe of the collar4 ,take it off1 for it does no good1 and get a piece of thick leather1 free from wrinkles1 ten or twelve inches long and seven wide2 slit it crosswise an inch or so from each end1 leaving about an inch in the centre4 ,fit this in1 in place of the pad of sheepskin1 and you will have a cheaper1 more durable1 and cooler neck-gear for the animal4 ,you cannot keep a mule's neck in good condition with heating and quilted pads4 ,the same is true of padded saddles4 ,i have perhaps ridden as much as any other man in the service1 of my age1 and yet ,i never could keep a horse's back in good condition with a padded saddle when ,i rode over twenty-five or thirty miles a day4 ,there is another evil which ought to be remedied4 ,i refer now to the throat-latch4 ,hundreds of mules are in a measure ruined by allowing the throat-latch to be worked too tight4 ,a tight throat-latch invariably makes his head sore4 ,besides1 it interferes with a part which1 if it were not for1 you would not have the mule--his wind4 ,i have frequently known mules' heads so injured by the throat-latch that they would not allow you to bridle them1 or indeed touch their heads4 ,and to bridle a mule with a sore head requires a little more patience than nature generally supplies man with4 ,let a mule's ears alone4 ,it is very common with teamsters and others1 when they want to harness mules1 to catch them by the ears1 put twitches on their ears4 ,even blacksmiths1 who certainly ought to know better1 are in the habit of putting tongs and twitches in their ears when they shoe them4 ,now1 against all these barbarous and inhuman practices1 ,i here1 in the name of humanity1 enter my protest4 ,the animal becomes almost worthless by the injuries caused by such practices4 ,there are extreme cases in which the twitch may be resorted to1 but it should in all cases be applied to the nose1 and only then when all milder means have failed4 ,but there is another1 and much better1 method of handling and overcoming the vices of refractory mules4 ,i refer to the lariat4 ,throw the noose over the head of the unruly mule1 then draw him carefully up to a wagon1 as if for the purpose of bridling him4 ,in case he is extremely hard to bridle1 or vicious1 throw an additional lariat or rope over his head1 fixing it precisely as represented in the drawing4 ,by this method you can hold any mule4 ,but even this method had better be avoided unless where it is absolutely necessary4 ,it is now ,august1 #ahff4 ,we are working five hundred and fifty-eight animals1 from six o'clock in the morning until seven o'clock at night1 and out of this number we have not got ten sore or galled animals4 ,the reason is1 because we do not use a single padded saddle or collar4 ,also1 that the part of the harness that the heaviest strain comes on is kept as smooth and pliable as it is possible for it to be4 ,look well to your drawing-chains1 too1 and see that they are kept of an even length4 ,if your collar gets gummy or dirty1 don't scrape it with a knife2 wash it1 and preserve the smooth surface4 ,your breeching1 or wheel harness1 is also another very important part2 see that it does not cut and chafe the animal so as to wear the hair off1 or injure the skin4 ,if you get this too tight1 it is impossible for the animal to stretch out and walk free4 ,besides obstructing the animal's gait1 however1 the straps will hold the collar and hames so tight to his shoulder as to make him sore on the top of his neck4 ,these straps should always be slack enough to allow the mule perfect freedom when at his best walk4 ,and now ,i have a few words to say on ,government wagons4 ,government wagons1 as now made1 can be used for other purposes besides the army4 ,the large-sized ,government wagon is1 it has been proved1 too heavy for four horses4 ,the smaller sized one is nearer right2 but whenever you take an ordinary load on it 7the smaller one7 and have a rough country to move through1 it will give out4 ,it is too heavy for two horses and a light load1 and yet not heavy enough to carry twenty-five hundred or three thousand pounds1 a four-horse load1 when the roads are in any way bad4 ,they do tolerably well about cities1 established posts1 and indeed anywhere where the roads are good1 and they are not subject to much strain4 ,improvements on the ,government wagon have been attempted1 but the result has been failure4 ,the more simple you can get such wagons1 the better1 and this is why the original yet stands as the best4 ,there is1 however1 great difference in the material used1 and some makers make better wagons than others4 ,the six and eight-mule wagon1 the largest size used for road and field purposes1 is1 in my humble opinion1 the very best adapted to the uses of our ,american army4 ,during the rebellion there were a great many wagons used that were not of the army pattern4 ,one of these1 ,i remember1 was called the ,wheeling wagon1 and used to a great extent for light work1 and did well4 ,on this account many persons recommended them4 ,i could not1 and for this reason3 they are too complicated1 and they are much too light to carry the ordinary load of a six-mule team4 ,at the end of the war it was shown that the army pattern wagon had been worked more1 had been repaired less1 and was in better condition than any other wagon used4 ,i refer now to those made in ,philadelphia1 by ,wilson ,childs1 or ,wilson1 ,childs ,co4 ,they are known in the army as the ,wilson wagon4 ,the very best place to test the durability of a wagon is on the plains4 ,run it there1 one summer1 when there is but little wet weather1 where there are all kinds of roads to travel on and loads to carry1 and if it stands that it will stand any thing4 ,the wagon-brake1 instead of the lock-chain1 is a great and very valuable improvement made during the ,war4 ,having a brake on the wagon saves the time and trouble of stopping at the top of every hill to lock the wheels1 and again at the bottom to unlock them4 ,officers of the army know how much trouble this used to cause1 how it used to block up the roads1 and delay the movements of troops impatient to get ahead4 ,the lock-chain ground out the wagon tire in one spot4 ,the brake saves that2 and it also saves the animal's neck from that bruising and chafing incident to the dead strain that was required when dragging the locked wheel4 ,there is another difficulty that has been overcome by the wagon-brake4 ,in stopping to lock wheels on the top of a hill1 your train get into disorder4 ,in most cases1 when trains are moving on the road1 there is a space of ten or fifteen feet between the wagons4 ,each team1 then1 will naturally close up that space as it comes to the place for halting to lock4 ,now1 about the time the first teamster gets his wheel locked1 the one in the rear of him is dismounting for the same purpose4 ,this being repeated along the train1 it is not difficult to see how the space must increase1 and irregularity follow4 ,the more wagons you have to lock with the drag-chain1 the further you get the teams apart4 ,when you have a large body of wagons moving together1 it naturally follows that1 with such a halt as this1 the teams in the rear must make twenty-five halts1 or stops1 and starts1 for everyone that the head team makes4 ,when the teamster driving the second team gets ready to lock1 the first1 or head team1 starts up4 ,this excites the mule of the second to do the same1 and so all along the train4 ,this irritates the teamster1 and he is compelled to run up and catch the wheel-mules by the head1 to make them stop1 so that he can lock his wheels4 ,in nine cases out of ten he will waste time in punishing his animals for what they do not understand4 ,he never thinks for a moment that the mule is accustomed to start up when the wagon ahead of him moves1 and supposes he is doing his duty4 ,in many cases1 when he had got his wheels locked1 he had so excited his mules that they would run down the hill1 cripple some of the men1 break the wagon1 cause a smash-up in the train1 and perhaps destroy the very rations and clothes on which some poor soldier's life depended4 ,we all know what delay and disaster have resulted from the roads being blocked up in this manner4 ,the brake1 thanks to the inventor1 offers a remedy for all this4 ,it also saves the neck and shoulders of every animal in the train2 it saves the feet of the wheelers2 it saves the harness2 it saves the lead and swing mules from being stopped so quick that they cut themselves2 and it saves the wheels at least twenty per cent4 ,those who have had wagons thrown over precipices1 or labored and struggled in mud and water two and three hours at a time1 can easily understand how time and trouble could have been saved if the wagon could have been locked in any way after it started over those places4 ,the best brake by all odds1 is that which fastens with a lever chain to the brake-bar4 ,i do not like those which attach with a rope1 and for the reason that the lazy teamster can sit on the saddle-mule and lock and unlock1 while1 with the chain and lever1 he must get off4 ,in this way he relieves the saddle-mule's back4 ,we all know that1 in riding mules down steep or long hills1 you do much to stiffen them up and wear them out4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,something ,,more ,,about ,,breeding ,,mules4 ,before ,i close this work1 ,i desire to say something more about breeding mules4 ,it has long been a popular error that to get a good mule colt you must breed from large mares4 ,the average sized1 compact mare1 is by all odds the superior animal to breed mules from4 ,experience has satisfied me that very large mules are about as useless for army service as very large men are for troopers4 ,you can get no great amount of service out of either4 ,one is good at destroying rations2 the other at lowering haystacks and corn-bins4 ,of all the number we had in the army1 ,i never saw six of these large1 overgrown mules that were of much service4 ,indeed1 ,i have yet to see the value in any animal that runs or rushes to an overgrowth4 ,the same is true with man1 beast1 or vegetable4 ,i will get the average size of either of them1 and you will acknowledge the superiority4 ,the only advantage these large mares may give to the mule is in the size of the feet and bone that they may impart4 ,the heavier you can get the bone and feet1 the better4 ,and yet you can rarely get even this1 and for the reason that ,i have before given1 that the mare1 in nineteen cases out of twenty1 breeds close after the jack1 more especially in the feet and legs4 ,it makes little difference how you cross mares and jacks1 the result is almost certain to be a horse's body1 a jack's legs and feet1 a jack's ears1 and1 in most cases1 a jack's marks4 ,nature has directed this crossing for the best1 since the closer the mare breeds after the jack the better the mule4 ,the highest marked mules1 and the deepest of the different colors1 ,i have invariably found to be the best4 ,what is it1 let us inquire1 that makes the ,mexican mule hardy1 trim1 robust1 well-marked after the jack1 and so serviceable8 ,it is nothing more nor less than breeding from sound1 serviceable1 compact1 and spirited ,mexican or mustang mares4 ,you must1 in fact1 use the same judgment in crossing these animals as you would if you wanted to produce a good race or trotting horse4 ,we are told1 in ,mason and ,skinner's ,stud ,book1 that in breeding mules the mares should be large barrelled small limbed1 with a moderate-sized head and a good forehead4 ,this1 it seems to me1 will strike our officers as a very novel recommendation4 ,the mule's limbs and feet are the identical parts you want as large as possible1 as everyone that has had much to do with the animal knows4 ,you rarely find a mule that has legs as large as a horse4 ,but the mule1 from having a horse's body1 will fatten and fill up1 and become just as heavy as the body of an average-sized horse4 ,having1 then1 to carry this extra amount of fat and flesh on the slender legs and feet of a jackass1 you can easily see what the result must be4 ,no2 you will be perfectly safe in getting your mule as large-legged as you can4 ,and by all means let the mare you breed from have a good1 sound1 healthy block of a foot4 ,then the colt will stand some chance of inheriting a portion of it4 ,it is natural that the larger you get his feet the steadier he will travel4 ,some persons will tell you that these small feet are natural1 and are best adapted to the animal4 ,but they forget that the mule is not a natural animal1 only an invention of man4 ,let your mare and jack be each of the average size1 the jack well marked1 and ,no4 #a of his kind1 and ,i will take the product and wear out any other style of breed4 ,indeed1 you have only to appeal to your better judgment to convince you as to what would result from putting a jack1 seven or eight hands high1 to a mare of sixteen or more4 ,i have witnessed some curious results in mule breeding1 and which it may be well enough to mention here4 ,i have seen frequent instances where one of the very best jacks in the country had been put to mares of good quality and spirit4 ,putting them to such contemptible animals seemed to degrade them1 to destroy their natural will and temper4 ,the result was a sort of bastard mule1 a small-legged1 small-footed1 cowardly animal1 inheriting all the vices of the mule and none of the horse's virtues-- the very meanest of his kind4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,ancient ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,mule4 ,the mule seems to have been used by the ancients in a great variety of ways2 but what should have prompted his production must for ever remain a mystery4 ,that they early discovered his great usefulness in making long journeys1 climbing mountains1 and crossing deserts of burnings and1 when subsistence and water were scarce1 and horses would have perished1 is well established4 ,that he would soon recover from the severe effects of these long and trying journeys must also have been of great value in their eyes4 ,but however much they valued him for his usefulness1 they seem not to have had the slightest veneration for him1 as they had for some other animals4 ,i am led to believe1 then1 that it was his great usefulness in crossing the sandy deserts that led to his production4 ,it is a proof1 also1 that where the ass was at hand there also was the horse1 or the mule could not have been produced4 ,any people with sufficient knowledge to produce the mule would also have had sufficient knowledge to discover the difference between him and the horse1 and would have given the preference to the horse in all service except that ,i have just described4 ,and yet1 in the early history of the world1 we find men of rank1 and even rulers1 using them on state and similar occasions2 and this when it might have been supposed that the horse1 being the nobler animal1 would have made more display4 ,the ,scriptures tell us that ,absalom1 when he led the rebel hosts against his father ,david1 rode on a mule1 that he rode under an oak1 and hung himself by the hair of his head4 ,then1 again1 we hear of the mule at the inauguration of ,king ,solomon4 ,it is but reasonable to suppose that the horse would have been used on that great occasion1 had he been present4 ,on the other hand1 it is not reasonable to suppose that the ass1 or any thing pertaining to him1 was held in high esteem by a nation that believed they were commanded by ,god1 through their prophet ,moses1 not to work the ox and the ass together4 ,it must be inferred from this that the ass was not held in very high esteem1 and that the prohibition was for the purpose of not degrading the ox1 he being of that family of which the perfect males were used for sacrifice4 ,the ass1 of course1 was never allowed to appear on the sacred altar4 ,and yet ,he who came to save our fallen race1 and open the gates of heaven1 and fulfil the words of the prophet1 rode a female of this apparently degraded race of animals when ,he made his triumphal march into the city of the temple of the living ,god4 ,list of ,mules ,received1 died1 and ,shot1 at the ,depot of ,washington1 ,d4,c41 from #ast ,february1 #ahfc4 to #cast ,july1 #ahff4 #ahfc #ahfd #ahfe ,month ,received ,died ,shot ,received ,died ,shot ,received ,died ,shot ,jan4 44 44 44 #fbd #ad #gf #c1fgg #ff #bbf ,feb4 #ace #if #g #cbi #af #fb #a1fjc #hd #aej ,mar4 #b1eeb #aej #d #ddh #aj #fd #b1hbc #gg #afi ,apr4 #b1ijf #aah #fa #a1cje #ae #dg #f1ajb #ajf #bbc ,may4 #a1jhg #ef #df #b1ddj #ah #eb #aa1ghj #fh #baa ,jun4 #c1hdh #abj #aah #d1daj #gf #dh #ai1cjd #agh #di ,jul4 #a1gca #id #cce #d1gjb #gd #abe #ac1cih #dfb #fh ,aug4 #e1bej #ea #aei #e1dca #hh #bca #a1bge #bhd #bc ,sep4 #b1hcd #gb #bdh #a1aih #fd #agf #a1ecf #c #ah ,oct4 #a1aff #cf #bjb #a1dfh #ha #acd #hgf 44 44 ,nov4 #b1icd #cj #bjd #c1jcf #ce #abc #beb #c 44 ,dec4 #b1hcb #ad #aac #c1ibc #ff #aeh #cbd #d 44 ,total #bg1bge #hcg #a1dig #bi1dad #eeg #a1bif #fb1iej #a1cce #a1acg #ahff ,received ,died ,shot #afi 44 44 #cd #b #a #ac 44 44 #bi #a 44 #bj #a 44 #b 44 44 #fb 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 #cbi #d #a ,,date ,,received ,,died ,,shot #ahfc4444444444444 #bg1bge #hcg #a1dig #ahfd4444444444444 #bi1dad #eeg #a1bif #ahfe44444444444444 #fb1iej #a1cce #a1acg #ahff44444444444444 #cbi #d #a ,total44444444444 #aai1ifh #b1gcc #c1ica ,,pictures ,,of ,,some ,,of ,,our ,,most ,,celebrated ,,army ,,mules4 ,i have had photographs taken of some of our mules4 ,a number of these animals performed extraordinary service in connection with the ,army of the ,potomac and the ,western ,army4 ,one of them1 a remarkable animal1 made the great circuit of ,sherman's campaign1 and has an historical interest4 ,i propose to give you these illustrations according to their numbers4 ,no4#a1 then1 is a very remarkable six-mule team4 ,it was fitted out at ,berryville1 ,maryland1 early in the spring of #ahfa1 under the directions of ,captain ,sawtelle1 ,a4 ,q4 ,m4 ,they are all small1 compact mules1 and ,i had them photographed in order to show them together4 ,the leaders and swing1 or1 as some call them1 the middle leaders1 have been worked steadily together in the same team since ,december #ca1 #ahfa4 ,they have also been driven by the same driver1 a colored man1 of the name of ,edward ,wesley ,williams4 ,he was with ,captain ,sawtelle until the #ast of ,march1 #ahfb2 was then transferred1 with his team1 to the ,city of ,washington1 and placed under a wagon-master of the name of ,horn1 who belonged to ,harrisburg1 ,pa4 ,wesley took good care of his team1 and was kept at constant work with it in ,washington1 until ,may #ad1 #ahfb4 ,he was then transferred1 with his team1 to a train that was ordered to join ,general ,mc,clellan at ,fort ,monroe4 ,he then followed the fortunes of the ,army of the ,potomac up the ,peninsula2 was at the siege of ,yorktown1 the battle of ,williamsburg1 and in the swamps of the ,chickahominy4 ,he was also in the seven days' battles1 and brought up at ,harrison's ,landing with the ,army of the ,potomac4 ,he then drove his team back to ,fort ,monroe1 where they were shipped1 with the animals of the ,army of the ,potomac1 for ,washington4 ,he was set to work as soon as he reached a landing1 and participated in hauling ammunition at the second battle of ,bull ,run4 ,he then followed the army to ,antietam1 and from that battle-field to ,fredericksburg1 where he hauled ammunition during the terrible disaster under ,general ,burnside4 ,the team then belonged to a train of which ,john ,dorny was wagon-master4 ,when ,general ,hooker took command of the army this team followed him through the ,chancellorville and ,chantilly fights4 ,it also followed the ,army of the ,potomac until ,general ,grant took command1 when the train it belonged to was sent to ,city ,point4 ,this brings us up to #ahfd4 ,it was with the army in front of ,petersburg1 and1 during that winter1 the saddle mule was killed by the enemy's shot while the team was going for a load of wood4 ,in short1 they were worked every day until ,richmond was taken4 ,in ,june1 #ahfe1 they were transferred back to the ,city of ,washington4 ,it is now ,august1 #ahff1 and they are still working in the train1 and make one of the very best teams we have4 ,i refer now to the leaders and swing mules1 as they are the only four that are together1 and that followed the ,army of the ,potomac through all its campaigns4 ,there is not a mule of the four that is over fourteen and a half hands high1 and not one that weighs over nine hundred pounds4 ,this team1 ,i ought to add here1 has frequently been without a bite of hay or grain for four or five days1 and nothing to eat but what they could pick up along the road4 ,and there are instances when they have been twenty-four hours without a sup of water4 ,the experienced eye will see that they have round1 compact bodies1 and stand well on their feet4 ,no4 #b is the leader of the team1 and for light work on the prairies1 packing1 or any similar work1 is a model mule4 ,indeed1 she cannot be surpassed4 ,her bone and muscle is full1 and she is not inclined to run to flesh4 ,no4 #c is the off-leader of the same team4 ,she is a good eater1 tough1 hardy1 and a good worker1--in every way a first-class mule4 ,i would advise persons purchasing mules to notice her form4 ,she is a little sprung in the knees2 but this has in no way interfered with her working4 ,this was occasioned by allowing the heels on her fore-feet to grow out too much4 ,during1 and for some time after1 the second battle of ,bull ,run1 the train to which she belonged was kept at very hard work4 ,the shoes that were on her at that time1 to use the driver's own language1 were put on to stay4 ,indeed1 he informed me that they were on so long1 that he concluded they had grown to the feet4 ,and in this case1 as in many others1 for want of a little knowledge of the peculiarities of a mule's feet1 and the injury that results from over-growth1 the animal had to suffer1 and was permanently injured4 ,no4 #d is the off-swing1 or middle-leader mule4 ,she is perfectly sound1 of good height1 a good eater1 and a great worker4 ,she is also well adapted for packing1 and a tolerably good rider4 ,her ears and eyes are of the very finest kind1 and her whole head indicates intelligence4 ,her front parts are perfection itself4 ,she is also remarkably kind4 ,,illustration #a ,,illustration #b ,,illustration #c ,,illustration #d ,,illustration #e ,,illustration #f ,,illustration #g ,,illustration #h ,,illustration #i ,,illustration #aj ,,illustration #aa ,,illustration #ab ,,illustration #ac ,,illustration #ad ,no4 #e is the near swing mule1 or middle leader4 ,she is what is called a mouse-color1 and is the fattest mule in the team4 ,she underwent the entire campaigns of the ,army of the ,potomac1 and is to-day without a blemish1 and capable of doing as much work as any mule in the pack4 ,her powers of endurance1 as well as her ability to withstand starvation and abuse1 are beyond description4 ,i have had mules of her build with me in trains1 in the ,western ,territories1 that endured hardship and starvation to an extent almost incredible2 and yet they were remarkably kind when well treated1 and would follow me like dogs1 and1 indeed1 try to show me how much they could endure without flinching4 ,no4 #f is an off-wheel mule1 of ordinary quality4 ,i had to take the spotted mules from the wheels of this team1 as they were not equal to the work required of them1 and got very sore in front4 ,no4 #g is a spotted1 or1 as the4 ,mexicans call them1 a calico mule4 ,he and his mate were sent to the ,army of the ,potomac about the time ,general ,grant took command of it4 ,they were worked as wheel mules in the team until #ahff1 when this one1 like nearly all spotted animals1 showed his weak parts by letting up in his fore-feet1 which became contracted to such an extent that the surgeon had to cut them nearly off4 ,we were compelled to let him go barefoot until they grew out4 ,this is one of the spotted mules ,i have referred to before4 ,you never can rely on them4 ,no4 #h is the mate of ,no4 #g4 ,his bead1 ears1 and front shoulder indicate him to be of ,canadian stock4 ,his neck and front shoulder1 as you will see1 are faultless4 ,but on looking closely at his eyes you will find them to be sore1 and running water continually4 ,i have noticed that nearly all animals in the army that are marked in this way have weak and inflamed eyes4 ,a farmer should never purchase them4 ,no4 #i is a swing mule that has undergone a great deal of hardship4 ,she is tolerably well formed but inclined to kick4 ,she is also hard to keep in good condition1 and unless great care is taken with her she would give out in the hind feet1 where she now shows considerable fullness4 ,when a mule's neck lacks the ordinary thickness there must be some direct cause for it1 and you should set about finding out what it is4 ,lack of food is sometimes the cause4 ,but in my opinion creased neck very frequently so affects the passages to and from the head1 that the organs that should work in depositing flesh1 fat1 or muscle become deranged1 and the neck becomes weak and in a disordered state4 ,purchasers would do well to discard these creased-neck mules4 ,no4 #aj is an animal of an entirely different character from ,no4 #i4 ,she is remarkably gentle and tractable1 of good form1 and great endurance1 and will work in any way4 ,she is fifteen hands and one inch high1 weighs ten hundred and fifty pounds1 and is seven years old4 ,this celebrated animal went through all of ,general ,sherman's campaigns1 and is as sound and active to-day as a four-year old4 ,no4 #aa is one of those peculiar animals ,i have described elsewhere4 ,he is all bones and belly4 ,his legs are long1 and of little use as legs4 ,he is five years old1 sixteen and a half hands high1 and weighs thirteen hundred and ninety pounds4 ,one of his hind legs shows a thorough pin4 ,his hocks are all out of shape1 and his legs are stuck into his hoofs on nearly the same principle that you stick a post into the ground4 ,the reason why his pastern-joints show so straight is1 that the heels on the hind feet have been badly trimmed when shaving4 ,they too have been permitted to grow too long1 and thus he is thrown into the position you now see him4 ,this mule belongs to a class that is raised to a considerable extent1 and prized very highly in ,pennsylvania4 ,in the army they were of very little use except to devour forage4 ,no4 #ab is what may be called a pack mule of the first class4 ,he is seven years old1 fifteen and a half hands high1 and weighs eleven hundred and fifty-six pounds4 ,this animal has endured almost incredible hardships4 ,he is made for it1 as you will readily see4 ,he is what is called a portly mule1 but is not inclined to run to belly unless over-fed and not worked4 ,he has a remarkably kind disposition1 is healthy1 and a good feeder4 ,this animal has but one evil to contend with4 ,his off hind foot has grown too long1 and plainly shows how much too far back it throws the pastern-joint4 ,this is in a measure the effect of bad shoeing4 ,it is very rare to find a blacksmith who discovers this fact until it is too late4 ,now there is nothing more easy than to ruin a mule by letting his toes grow too long4 ,doctor ,l4,h4 ,braley1 chief veterinary surgeon of the army1 is now developing a plan for shoeing mules1 which ,i consider the very best that has been suggested4 ,his treatment of the foot when well1 and how to keep it so2 and how to treat the foot by shoeing when it becomes injured1 is the best that can be adopted4 ,no4 #ac is a mule that has been worked in a two-mule train which has been in my charge for about a year4 ,she was previously worked in a six-mule train1 as the off-wheel mule4 ,she is five years old1 rising2 size1 fifteen hands and three inches high1 and weighs fourteen hundred and twenty-two pounds4 ,she was received into the ,government service at ,wheeling1 ,virginia1 and when shipped or transferred to this depot1 with four hundred others1 was but two years old1 rising three4 ,she was worked1 at least a year or more1 too young2 and to this cause ,i attribute certain injuries which ,i shall speak of hereafter4 ,this mule1 with two hundred others1 was transferred to the ,army of the ,potomac1 and went through its campaigns from #ahfd up to the fall of ,richmond4 ,she is an excellent worker1 and her neck1 head1 and fore shoulders are as fine as can be4 ,indeed1 they are a perfect development of the horse4 ,but her hips or flank joints are very deficient4 ,owing to her being worked too young1 the muscles of the hind legs have given way1 and they have become crooked4 ,this is done frequently by the animal being placed as a wheeler when too young1 and holding back under a heavy load4 ,if you want to see how quick you can ruin young mules1 place them in the wheels4 ,no4 #ad is the off-wheel mule of a six-mule team4 ,i had this mule photographed for the purpose of showing the effects of hitching animals so short to the team that the swingle-tree will strike or rest on their hocks4 ,i referred to this great evil in another place4 ,this mule is but six years old1 sixteen hands high1 and weighs nearly sixteen hundred pounds4 ,aside from the hocks1 she is the best made and the best looking mule in the park2 and is also a remarkably good worker4 ,you will notice1 however1 that the caps of her hocks are so swollen and calloused by the action of the swingle-tree as to make them permanently disfigured4 ,the position ,i have placed this mule in1 as relates to the wagon wheel1 is the proper position to put all wild1 green1 contrary or stubborn mules in when they are hard to bridle4 ,this is the severest use to which a lariat can be put on mule or horse4 ,the person using it1 however1 should be careful to see that it sets well back to the shoulder of the animal4 ,i refer now to the part of the loop that is around the neck4 ,the end of the lariat should always be held by a man1 and not made fast to any part of the wagon1 so that if the animal falls or throws himself1 you can slack up the lariat and save him from injury4 ,three applications of the buck will conquer them so thoroughly that you will have little trouble afterwards4 ,be careful to keep the lariat1 in front1 as high as the mule's breast2 and see also that they are pulled up close to the front wheel before pulling it through the hind wheel4 ,,diseases ,,common ,,to ,,the ,,mule1 ,,and ,,how ,,they ,,should ,,be ,,treated4 ,the mule does not differ materially from the horse in the diseases he is afflicted with4 ,he however suffers less from them1 owing to lack of sensibility4 ,it may be useful here to make a few remarks on the various diseases he is subject to1 and to recommend a course of treatment which ,i have practiced and seen practiced1 and which ,i believe is the best that can be applied4 ,,distemper ,,in ,,colts4 ,this disease is peculiar to young mules4 ,its symptoms develop with soreness and swelling of the glands of the throat1 a cough1 difficulty of swallowing1 discharging at the nostrils1 and general prostration4 ,if not properly treated it is surely fatal4 ,,treatment3--,give light bran mashes1 plenty of common salt1 and keep the animal in a warm and dry stable4 ,you need not clothe1 for the mule1 unlike the horse1 is not used to clothing4 ,if the swelling under the throat shows a disposition to ulcerate1 which it generally does1 do nothing to prevent it4 ,encourage the ulcer1 and let it come to a head gradually1 for this is the easiest and most natural way that the trouble1 which at first seems to pervade the whole system1 can be got rid of4 ,when the ulcer appears soft enough to lance1 do so1 and be careful to avoid the glands and veins4 ,lance through the skin in the soft spot1 which appears almost ready to break4 ,if the throat is at any time so swollen as to render swallowing difficult1 give water frequently1 about milk warm1 with nourishing feed of oats1 corn1 or rye meal--the last is the best4 ,if this treatment1 which is very simple1 be carefully carried out1 few animals will fail to recover4 ,,catarrh ,,or ,,colds4 ,this disease seldom attacks the mule4 ,we have had many thousands of them in camp1 and out of the whole number1 ,i do not recollect of a case where it either destroyed or disabled a single animal4 ,in fact1 it is a question with me whether mules will take cold when kept as the ,government keeps them--camped out1 or standing in sheds where the temperature is the same as outdoors4 ,,glanders4 ,this is one of the most destructive of diseases with which the horse family is afflicted1 and one that has set the best veterinary skill of the world at defiance4 ,a remedy for it has yet to be discovered4 ,i have deemed it proper here1 however1 to carefully describe its symptoms1 and to recommend that all animals showing symptoms of it be kept by themselves until their case be definitely ascertained4 ,when you have ascertained to a certainty that they are afflicted with the disease1 destroy them as quick as possible4 ,see1 too1 that the place where they have been kept is thoroughly cleansed and sprinkled with lime1 for the disease is contagious and the slightest particle of virus will spread it anew4 ,farcy is but one stage of this terrible disease1 but is not necessarily fatal while in this stage4 ,it should1 however1 be treated with great care and caution4 ,farcy can also be conveyed to others by inoculation4 ,any one who has had the field for observation the author has for the last four years1 would become convinced that the recommendations ,i am about to make describe the only course to be taken with this contagious disease4 ,the number of its victims under my observation were counted by thousands4 ,all that can be done is to prevent1 if possible1 the disease taking place1 and to destroy when ascertained to a certainty that the animal has contracted it4 ,i would say here1 however1 that this subject will soon be thoroughly handled in a work soon to be published by ,doctor ,braley1 head veterinary surgeon of the army4 ,he will undoubtedly throw some light on the subject that has not yet appeared in print4 ,,symptoms4 ,first3--,when it appears in a natural form1 without the agency of contagion or inoculation1 dryness of the skin1 entire omission of insensible perspiration1 starring of the coat4 ,sometimes slight discoloring can be observed about the forehead and lower part of the ears4 ,drowsiness1 want of lustre in the eye1 slight swelling on the inside of the hind legs1 extending up to the bu-boa4 ,this condition of things may continue for several days1 and will be followed by enlargement between the legs4 ,the inflammation incident to this may entirely subside1 or it may continue to enlarge1 and break out in ulcers on the lactiles of the lymphatic1 which accompanies the large veins4 ,in the last case it has appeared in the form of ,farcy4 ,this being the case1 the countenance assumes a more cheerful look1 and the animal otherwise shows signs of relief from the discharges of poisonous matter4 ,if it remain in this state1 death is not generally the result4 ,if the system be toned up it will sometimes heal1 and the animal will seem to be in a recovering state of health4 ,yet1 from watching the symptoms and general health of the animal afterwards1 you will be convinced that the disease is only checked1 not eradicated4 ,acting in the system1 it only waits a favorable opportunity to act as a secondary agent in colds1 general debility1 or exposure1 when it will make its appearance and produce death4 ,but in the first case1 as shown by the swelling in the hind legs1 if the swelling disappear1 and general debility of the system continues2 if the eyes grow more drowsy1 and discharge from the lower corners2 and if this is followed by discharge from the nostrils1 slight swelling and hardening of the sub-maxillary glands1 which are between the under jaws1 then it is clearly developed glanders4 ,all the glands in the body have now become involved or poisoned1 and death must follow in the course of ten or fifteen days1 as the constitution of the animal may not be in a condition to combat the disease4 ,if this disease be annoyed by inoculation from the farcy heads of farcied animals into suppurating sores on other animals1 it will be very slow in its progress1 especially if it attack the other in a region remote from the lymphatic4 ,if in a saddle-gall1 it will make sores very difficult to heal4 ,if there is any such thing as checking the disease in its progress1 it is in these three cases4 ,i have observed that when it has been taken in a sore mouth it has followed down the cheek to the sub-maxillary gland1 and ended in a clear case of glanders or farcy4 ,there is another form in which this disease can be taken1 and which is1 of all others1 the most treacherous and dangerous1 yet never producing death without the agency of other diseases--always carrying with it the germs of infection1 and ready to convey it to debilitated subjects and cause their death4 ,the animal will still live himself1 and show no sign of disease further than ,i am about to describe in the position4 ,it is that which is taken in at the nostrils and attacks the sub-maxillary glands1 which become enlarged and will remain so4 ,when these become overloaded there will be a discharge at the nose4 ,that being thrown off1 it may be some time before any further discharge will be seen from the same source4 ,in some cases1 when the discharge is constant1 this can be easily distinguished from gleet or ozena1 from the healthy and natural appearance of the membranes of the nose1 which at first are pale1 then become fiery red or purple4 ,in gleet the discharges from the nostrils1 as in ozena1 are of a very light color4 ,in glanders they are first of a deep yellow1 then of a dirty gray--almost slate color4 ,mules affected with glanders of this kind1 although it may seem hard from their otherwise healthy appearance1 should be destroyed4 ,they indeed carry with them the germs of infection and death1 without any visible marks in their appearance to warn those who have the care of animals against their danger4 ,,teething4 ,as mules seldom change hands to any great extent until two or three years old1 it is not deemed necessary here to say any thing of their age until they have reached two years1 so as to give the inexperienced a wider scope4 ,the mule's mouth undergoes exactly the same changes as the horse's4 ,between the ages of two and three these changes begin to take place in the mule's mouth4 ,the front incisor teeth1 two above and two below1 are replaced by the horse for permanent teeth4 ,these teeth are larger than the others1 have two grooves in the outer converse surface1 and the mark is long1 narrow1 deep1 and black4 ,not having attained their full growth1 they are somewhat lower than the others1 the mark in the two next nippers being nearly worn out1 and is also wearing away in the corner nippers4 ,a mule at three years old ought to have the central permanent nippers growing1 the other two pairs uniting1 six grinders in each jaw1 above and below1 the first and fifth level with the others1 and the sixth protruding4 ,as the permanent nippers wear and continue to grow1 a narrow portion of the cone-shaped tooth is exposed to the attrition2 and they look as if they had been compressed4 ,this is not so1 however2 the mark of some gradually disappears as the pit is worn away4 ,at the age of three and a half or four years the next pair of nippers will be changed1 and the mouth at that time cannot be mistaken4 ,the central nippers will have nearly attained their full growth1 and a vacuity will be left where the second stood2 or1 they will begin to peep above the gum1 and the corner ones will be diminished in breadth and worn down1 the mark becoming small and faint4 ,at this period also the second pair of grinders will be shed4 ,at four years the central nippers will be fully developed1 the sharp edges somewhat worn off1 and the marks shorter1 wider1 and fainter4 ,the next pair will be up1 but they will be small1 with the mark deep and extending quite across4 ,their corner nippers will be larger than the inside ones1 yet smaller than they were1 and flat1 and nearly worn out4 ,the sixth grinder will have risen to a level with the others2 and the tushes will begin to appear in the male animal4 ,the female seldom has them1 although the germ is always present in the jaw4 ,at four years and a half1 or between that and five1 the last important change takes place in the mouth of the mule4 ,the corner nippers are shed1 and the permanent ones begin to appear4 ,when the central nippers are considerably worn1 and the next pair are showing marks of wear1 the tush will have protruded1 and will generally be a full half inch in height4 ,externally it has a rounded prominence1 with a groove on either side1 and is evidently hollow within4 ,at six years old the mark on the central nippers is worn out4 ,there will1 however1 still be a difference of color in the center of the tooth4 ,the cement filling up the hole made by the dipping in of the enamel1 will present a browner hue than the other part of the tooth4 ,it will be surrounded by an edge of enamel1 and there will remain a little depression in the center1 and also a depression around the case of the enamel4 ,but the deep hole in the center of the enamel1 with the blackened surface it presents1 and the elevated edge of the enamel1 will have disappeared4 ,the mule may now be said to have a perfect mouth1 all the teeth being produced and fully grown4 ,what ,i have said above must not be taken as a positive guide in all cases1 for mules' mouths are frequently torn1 twisted1 smashed1 and knocked into all kinds of shapes by cruel treatment1 and the inexperience1 to use no harsher term1 of those who have charge of them4 ,indeed1 ,i have known cases of cruelty so severe that it were impossible to tell the age of the animal from his teeth4 ,at seven years old the mark1 in the way in which ,i have described it1 is worn out in the four central nippers1 and is also fast wearing away in the corner teeth4 ,i refer now to a natural mouth that has not been subjected to injuries4 ,at eight years old the mark is gone from all the bottom nippers1 and may be said to be quite out of the mouth4 ,there is nothing remaining in the bottom nippers by which the age of the mule can be positively ascertained4 ,the tushes are a poor guide at any time in the life of the animal to ascertain his age by2 they1 more than any other of the teeth1 being most exposed to the injuries ,i have referred to4 ,from this time forward1 the changes that take place in the teeth may be of some assistance in forming an opinion2 but there are no marks in the teeth by which a year1 more or less1 can be positively ascertained4 ,you can ascertain almost as much from the general appearance of the animal as from an examination of the mouth4 ,the mule1 if he be long-lived1 has the same effect in changing his general appearance from youth to old age as is shown on the rest of the animal creation4 ,,diseases ,,of ,,the ,,teeth4 ,there are few if any diseases to which the mule's teeth are subject1 after the permanent teeth are developed2 but during the time of their changes ,i have been led to believe that he suffers more inconvenience1 or at least as much as any other animal--not so much on account of the suffering that nature inflicts upon him1 as through the inexperience and cruelty of those who are generally intrusted with his care4 ,i will here speak first of lampass4 ,the animal's mouth is made sore and sensitive by teething2 and this irritation and soreness is increased by the use of improper bits4 ,as if this were not enough1 resort is had to that barbarous and inhuman practice of burning out lampass4 ,this ,i do1 and always have protested against4 ,if the gums are swollen from the cutting of teeth1 which is about all the cause for their inflamed and enlarged appearance1 a light stroke of a lancet or sharp knife over the gums1 at a point where the teeth are forcing their way through1 and a little regard to the animal's diet1 will be all that is necessary4 ,it must not be forgotten1 that at this time the animal's mouth is too sore and sensitive to masticate hard food1 such as corn4 ,with the development of the teeth1 however1 the lampass will generally disappear4 ,,the ,,eye4 ,mules are remarkable for having good eyes4 ,occasionally they become inflamed and sore4 ,in such cases the application of cold water1 and the removing of the cause1 whether it be from chafing of the blinders1 forcing the blood to the head through the influence of badly fitting collars1 or any other cause known1 is all ,i can recommend in their case4 ,,the ,,tongue4 ,mules suffer much from injury to the tongue1 caused by the bad treatment of those who have charge of them1 and also from sore month1 produced in the same manner4 ,the best thing for this is a light decoction of white-oak bark1 applied with a sponge to the sore parts4 ,charcoal1 mixed in water1 and applied in the same manner1 is good4 ,any quantity of this can be used1 as it is not dangerous4 ,if possible1 give the animal nourishing gruels1 or bran mashes2 and1 above all1 keep the bit out of the mouth until it is perfectly healed4 ,,poll-,,evil4 ,this is a disease the mule more than all other animals is subject to4 ,this is more particularly so with those brought into the service of the ,government unbroken4 ,it will be very easily seen that the necessary course of training1 halter-breaking1 c41 will expose them to many of the causes of this disease4 ,aside from this1 the inhuman treatment of teamsters1 and others who have charge of them1 frequently produces it in its worst form4 ,it begins with an ulcer or sore at the junction where the head and neck join2 and from its position1 more than any other cause1 is very difficult to heal4 ,the first thing to be done1 when the swelling appears1 is to use hot fomentations4 ,if these are not at hand1 use cold water frequently4 ,keep the bridle and halter from the parts4 ,in case inflammation cannot be abated1 and ulceration takes place1 the only means to effect a cure1 with safety and certainty1 is by the use of the seton4 ,this should be applied only by a hand well skilled in the use of it4 ,the person should also well understand the anatomy of the parts1 as injuries committed with the seton-needle1 in those parts1 are often more serious and more difficult of cure than the disease caused by the first injury4 ,,fistula4 ,this is a disease the mule is more subject to than any other animal in ,government use4 ,and this1 on account of his being used as a beast of burden by almost all nations and classes of people1 and because he is the worst cared for4 ,fistula is the result of a bruise4 ,some animals have been known to produce it by rolling on stones and other hard substances4 ,it generally makes its appearance first in the way of a rise or swelling where the saddle has been allowed to press too hard on the withers1 and especially when the animal has high and lean ones4 ,as the animal becomes reduced in flesh1 the withers1 as a matter of course1 are more exposed and appear higher1 on account of the muscle wasting from each side of the back-bone4 ,this1 under the saddle1 can be remedied to a great extent1 by adding an additional fold to the saddle blanket1 or in making the pad of the saddle high enough to keep it from the withers4 ,in packing with the pack-saddle this is more difficult1 as the weight is generally a dead1 heavy substance1 and as the animal steps low or high1 the pack does the same4 ,much1 however1 might be done by care in packing1 to prevent injury to the withers and bruising of the back-bone4 ,when the withers begin to swell and inflammation sets in1 or a tumor begins to form1 the whole may be driven away and the fistula scattered or avoided by frequent or almost constant applications of cold water--the same as is recommended in poll-evil4 ,but if1 in despite of this1 the swelling should continue or become larger1 warm fomentations1 poultices1 and stimulating embrocations should be applied1 in order to bring the protuberance to its full formation as soon as possible4 ,when full1 a seton should be passed1 by a skillful hand1 from the top to the bottom of the tumor1 so that all the pus may have free access of escape4 ,the incision should be kept free until all the matter has escaped and the wound shows signs of healing4 ,the after treatment must be similar to that recommended in the case of poll-evil4 ,the above treatment1 if properly administered1 will in nearly all cases of fistula effect a cure4 ,,collar-,,galls4 ,sore necks1 saddle-galls1 and stilfasts1 are a species of injury and sore1 which are in many cases very difficult of cure1 especially saddle-galls on mules that have to be ridden every day4 ,one of the best remedies for saddle gall is to heighten the saddle up as much as possible1 and bathe the back with cold water as often as an opportunity affords4 ,in many cases this will drive the fever away and scatter the trouble that is about to take place4 ,this1 however1 does not always scatter1 for the trouble will often continue1 a root forming in the center of what we call the saddle-gall4 ,the edges of this will be clear1 and the stilfast hold only by the root4 ,i have had many cases of this kind occur with the mule1 both on his back and neck1 mostly caused on the latter part by the collar being too loose4 ,and ,i have found but one way to effectually cure them4 ,some persons advise cutting1 which ,i think is too tedious and painful to the animal4 ,my advice is to take a pair of pincers1 or forceps of any kind1 and pull it out4 ,this done1 bathe frequently with cold water1 and keep the collar or saddle as much free of the sore as possible4 ,this will do more towards relieving the animal and healing the injury than all the medicine you can give4 ,a little soothing oil1 or grease free from salt1 may be rubbed lightly on the parts as they begin to heal4 ,this is a very simple but effective remedy4 ,,thrush4 ,this is another trouble with which the mule is afflicted4 ,cut away the parts of the frog that seem to be destroyed1 clean the parts well with castile-soap1 and apply muriatic acid4 ,if you have not this at hand1 a little tar mixed with salt1 and placed on oakum or tow1 and applied1 will do nearly as well4 ,apply this every day1 keeping the parts well dressed1 and the feet according to directions in shoeing1 and the trouble will soon disappear4 ,,chest ,,founders4 ,mules are not subject to this disease4 ,some persons assert that they are1 but it is a mistake4 ,these persons mistake for founder in the chest what is nothing more than a case of contraction of the feet4 ,i have repeatedly seen veterinary surgeons connected with the army1 on being asked what was the trouble with a mule1 look wise1 and declare the complaint chest founder1 swelling of the shoulders1 c4 ,i was inclined to put some faith in the wisdom of these gentlemen1 until ,doctor ,braley1 chief veterinary surgeon of the department of ,washington1 produced the most convincing proofs that it was almost an impossibility for these animals to become injured in the shoulder4 ,when mules become sore in front1 look well to their feet1 and in nine cases out of ten1 you will find the cause of the trouble there4 ,in very many cases a good practical shoer can remove the trouble by proper paring and shoeing4 ,,bleeding4 ,it was always a subject of inquiry with me1 who originated the system of bleeding2 and why it was that all kinds of doctors and physicians persist in taking the stream of life itself from the system in order to preserve life4 ,in the case of ,general ,washington1 which ,i copy from the ,independent ,chronicle of ,boston1 ,january #f1 #ahjj1 the editor1 using ,james ,craik1 physician1 and ,elisha ,c4 ,dick1 physician1 as authority1 states that a bleeder was procured in the neighborhood1 who took from the ,general's arm from twelve to fourteen ounces of blood1 in the morning2 and in the afternoon of the same day was bled copiously twice4 ,more than that1 it was agreed upon by these same enlightened doctors1 to try the result of another blood-letting1 by which thirty two ounces more was drawn4 ,and1 wonderful as it may seem to the intelligent mind at this day1 they state that all this was done without the slightest alleviation of the disease4 ,the world has become more wise now1 and experience has shown how ridiculous this system of bleeding was4 ,what is true in regard to the human system is also true in regard to the animal4 ,there are some extreme cases in which ,i have no doubt moderate bleeding might render relief4 ,but these cases are so few that it should only be suffered to be done by an experienced1 careful1 and skillful person4 ,my advice is1 avoid it in all cases where you can4 ,,colic4 ,the mule is quite subject to this complaint4 ,it is what is commonly known as belly-ache4 ,over doses of cold water will produce it4 ,there is nothing1 however1 so likely to produce it in the mule as changes of grain4 ,musty corn will also produce it1 and should never be given to animals4 ,i recollect1 in #ahef1 when ,i was in ,new ,mexico1 at ,fort ,union1 we had several mules die from eating what is termed ,spanish or ,mexican corn1 a small blue and purplish grain4 ,it was exceedingly hard and flinty1 and1 in fact1 more like buckshot than grain4 ,we fed about four quarts of this to the mule1 at the first feed4 ,the result was1 they swelled up1 began to pant1 look round at their sides1 sweat above the eyes and at the flanks4 ,then they commenced to roll1 spring up suddenly1 lie down again1 roll and try to lie on their backs4 ,then they would spring up1 and after standing a few seconds1 fall down1 and groan1 and pant4 ,at length they would resign themselves to what they apparently knew to be their fate1 and die4 ,and yet1 singular as it may seem1 the animal could be accustomed to this grain by judicious feeding at first4 ,we did not know at that time what to give the animal to relieve or cure him2 and the ,government lost hundreds of valuable animals through our want of knowledge4 ,whenever these violent cases appear1 get some common soap1 make a strong suds and drench the mule with it4 ,i have found in every case where ,i used it that the mule got well4 ,it is the alkali in the soap that neutralizes the gases4 ,there is another good receipt1 and it is generally to be found in camp4 ,take two ounces of saleratus1 put it into a pint of water1 shake well1 and then drench with the same4 ,above all things1 keep whisky and other stimulants away1 as they only serve to aggravate the disease4 ,,physicking4 ,this is another of those imaginary cures resorted to by persons having charge of mules4 ,very many of these persons honestly believe that it is necessary to clean the animal out every spring with large doses of poisonous and other truck4 ,this1 they say1 ought to be given to loosen the hide1 soften the hair1 c4 ,in my opinion it does very little good4 ,if his dung gets dry1 and his hair hard and crispy1 give him bran mashes mixed with his grain1 and a teaspoonful of salt at each feed4 ,if there is grass1 let him graze a few hours every day4 ,this will do more towards softening his coat and loosening his bowels than any thing else4 ,when real disease makes its appearance1 it is time to use medicines2 but they should be applied by some one who thoroughly understands them4 ,,stringhalt4 ,this sometimes occurs in the mule4 ,it is a sudden1 nervous1 quick jerk of either or both of the hind legs4 ,in the mule it frequently shows but little after being worked an hour or so4 ,it is what ,i regard as unsoundness1 and a mule badly affected with it is generally of but little use4 ,it is often the result of strains1 caused by backing1 pulling and twisting1 and heavy falls4 ,you can detect it in its slightest form by turning the animal short around to the right or to the left4 ,turn him in the track he stands in1 as near as possible1 and then back him4 ,if he has it1 one of these three ways will develop its symptoms4 ,there are a great many opinions as to the soundness or unsoundness of an animal afflicted with this complaint4 ,if ,i had now a good animal afflicted with it1 the pain caused to my feelings by looking at it would be a serious drawback4 ,,cramp4 ,i have now under my charge several mules that are subject to this complaint4 ,it does not really injure them for service1 but it is very disagreeable to those having them in charge4 ,it frequently requires from half an hour to two hours to get them rubbed so as the blood gets to its proper circulation1 and to get them to walk without dragging their legs4 ,in cases where they are attacked violently1 they will appear to lose all use of their legs4 ,i have known cases when a sudden stroke with a light piece of board1 so as to cause a surprise1 would drive it away4 ,in other cases sudden application of the whip would have the same effect4 ,,spavin4 ,it is generally believed that the mule does not inherit this disease4 ,but this is not altogether true4 ,small1 compact mules1 bred after the jack1 are indeed not subject to it4 ,on the contrary1 large mules1 bred from large1 coarse mares1 are very frequently afflicted with it4 ,the author has under his charge at the present time quite a number of those kind of mules1 in which this disease is visible4 ,at times1 when worked hard1 they are sore and lame4 ,the only thing to be recommended in this case is careful treatment1 and as much rest at intervals as it is possible to give them4 ,hand rubbing and application of stimulant liniments1 or tincture of arnica1 is about all that can be done4 ,the old method of firing and blistering only puts the animal to torture and the owner to expense4 ,a cure can never be effected through it1 and therefore should never be tried4 ,,ringbone4 ,these appear on the same kind of large1 bony mules as referred to in cases of spavin1 and are incurable4 ,they can1 however1 be relieved by the same process as recommended in spavin4 ,relief can also be afforded by letting the heels of the affected feet grow down to considerable length1 or shoeing with a high-heeled shoe1 and thus taking the weight or strain off the injured parts4 ,the only way to make the best use or an animal afflicted with this disease1 is to abandon experiments to effect a cure1 as they will only be attended with expense and disappointment4 ,,mange4 ,mules are subject to this disease when kept in large numbers1 as in the army4 ,this is peculiarly a cuticle disease1 like the itch in the human system1 and yields to the same course of treatment4 ,a mixture of sulphur and hog's lard1 one pint of the latter to two of the former4 ,rub the animal all over1 then cover with a blanket4 ,after standing two days1 wash him clean with soft-soap and water4 ,after this process has been gone through1 keep the animal blanketed for a few days1 as he will be liable to take cold4 ,feed with bran mashes1 plenty of common salt1 and water4 ,this will relieve the bowels all that is necessary1 and can scarcely fail of effecting a cure4 ,another method1 but not so certain in its effect1 is to make a decoction of tobacco1 say about one pound of the stems to two gallons of water1 boiled until the strength is extracted from the weed1 and when cool enough1 bathe the mule well with it from head to foot1 let him dry off1 and do not curry him for a day or two4 ,then curry him well1 and if the itching appear again1 repeat the bathing two or three times1 and it will produce a cure4 ,the same treatment will apply in case of lice1 which frequently occurs where mules are kept in large numbers4 ,mercury should never be used in any form1 internally or externally1 on an animal so much exposed as the mule4 ,,grease-,,heel4 ,clean the parts well with castile-soap and warm water4 ,as soon as you have discovered the disease1 stop wetting the legs1 as that only aggravates it1 and use ointment made from the following substances3 ,powdered charcoal1 two ounces2 lard or tallow1 four ounces2 sulphur1 two ounces4 ,mix them well together1 then rub the ointment in well with your hand on the affected parts4 ,if the above is not at hand1 get gunpowder1 some lard or tallow1 in equal parts1 and apply in the same manner4 ,if the animal be poor1 and his system need toning up1 give him plenty of nourishing food1 with bran mash mixed plentifully with the grain4 ,add a teaspoonful of salt two or three times a day1 as it will aid in keeping the bowels open4 ,if the stable bottoms1 or floors1 or yards are filthy1 see that they are properly cleaned1 as filthiness is one of the causes of this disease4 ,the same treatment will apply to scratches1 as they are the same disease in a different form4 ,to avoid scratches and grease-heel during the winter1 or indeed at any other season1 the hair on the mule's heels should never be cut4 ,nor should the mud1 in winter season1 be washed off1 but allowed to dry on the animal's legs1 and then rubbed off with hay or straw4 ,this washing1 and cutting the hair off the legs1 leave them without any protection1 and is1 in many cases1 the cause of grease-heel and scratches4 ,,shoes1 ,,shoeing1 ,,and ,,the ,,foot4 ,the foot1 its diseases1 and how to shoe it properly1 is a subject much discussed among horsemen4 ,nearly every farrier and blacksmith has a way of his own for curing diseased feet1 and shoeing4 ,no matter how absurd it may be1 he will insist that it has merits superior to all others1 and it would be next to impossible to convince him of his error4 ,skillful veterinarians now understand perfectly all the diseases peculiar to the foot1 and the means of effecting a cure4 ,they understand1 also1 what sort of shoe is needed for the feet of different animals4 ,latterly number of shoes have been invented and patented1 all professing to be exactly what is wanted to relieve and cure diseased feet of all kinds4 ,one man has a shoe he calls concave1 and says it will cure contraction1 corns1 thrush1 quarter-crack1 toe-crack1 c41 c4 ,but when you come to examine it closely1 you will find it nothing more than a nicely dressed piece of iron1 made almost in the shape of a half moon4 ,after a fair trial1 however1 it will be found of no more virtue in curing diseases or relieving the animal than the ordinary shoe used by a country smithy4 ,another inventive genius springs up and asserts that he has discovered a shoe that will cure all sorts of diseased feet2 and brings at least a bushel basket full of letters from persons he declares to be interested in the horse1 confirming what he has said of the virtues of his shoe4 ,but a short trial of this wonderful shoe only goes to show how little these persons understand the whole subject1 and how easy a matter it is to procure letters recommending what they have invented4 ,another has a specific method for shoeing1 which is to cut away the toe right in the center of the foot1 cut away the bars on the inside of the foot1 cut and clean away all around on the inside of the hoof1 then to let the animal stand on a board floor1 so that his feet would be in the position a saucer would represent with one piece broken out at the front and two at the back4 ,this ,i consider the most inhuman method in the art of shoeing4 ,turn this saucer upside down and see how little pressure it would bear1 and you will have some idea of the cruelty of applying this specific method4 ,sometimes bar-shoes and other contrivances are used1 to keep the inside of the foot from coming down4 ,but why do this8 ,why not get at once a shoe adapted to the spreading of the foot4 ,tyrell's shoe for this purpose is the best ,i have yet seen4 ,we have used it in the ,government service for two years1 and experience has taught me that it has advantages that ought not to be overlooked4 ,but even this shoe may be used to disadvantage by ignorant hands4 ,indeed1 in the hands of a blacksmith who prefers his own way1 some kinds of feet may be just as badly injured by it as others are benefited4 ,the ,united ,states ,army affords the largest field for gaining practical knowledge concerning the diseases1 especially of the feet1 with which horses and mules are afflicted4 ,during the late war1 when so little care was given to animals in the field1 when they were injured in every conceivable manner1 and by all sorts of accidents1 the veterinary found a field for study such as has never been opened before4 ,experience has taught me1 that common sense is one of the most essential things in the treatment of a horse's foot4 ,you must remember that horses' feet differ as well as men's1 and require different treatment1 especially in shoeing4 ,you must shoe the foot according to its peculiarity and demands1 not according to any specific system of shoe4 ,give the ground surface a level bearing1 let the frog come to the ground1 and the weight of the mule rest on the frog as much as any other part of the foot4 ,if it project beyond the shoe1 so much the better4 ,that is what it was made for1 and to catch the weight on an elastic principle4 ,never1 under any circumstances1 cut it away4 ,put two nails in the shoe on each side1 and both forward of the quarters1 and one in the toe1 directly in front of the foot4 ,let those on the sides be an inch apart1 then you will be sure not to cut and tear the foot4 ,let the nails and nail-holes be small1 for they will then aid in saving the foot4 ,it will still further aid in saving it by letting the nails run well up into the hoof1 for that keeps the shoe steadier on the foot4 ,the hoof is just as thick to within an inch of the top1 and is generally sounder1 and of a better substance1 than it is at the bottom4 ,keep the first reason for shoeing apparent in your mind always--that you only shoe your mule because his feet will not stand the roads without it4 ,and whenever you can1 shoe him with a shoe exactly the shape of his foot4 ,some blacksmiths will insist on a shoe1 and then cutting and shaping the foot to it4 ,the first or central surface of the hoof1 made hard by the animal's own peculiar way of traveling1 indicates the manner in which he should be shod4 ,all the art in the world cannot improve this1 for it is the model prepared by nature4 ,let the shoes be as light as possible1 and without calks if it can be afforded1 as the mule always travels unsteady on them4 ,the ,goodenough shoe is far superior to the old calked shoe1 and will answer every purpose where holding is necessary4 ,it is also good in mountainous countries1 and there is no danger of the animal calking himself with it4 ,i have carefully observed the different effect of shoes1 while with troops on the march4 ,i accompanied the ,seventh ,infantry1 in #aheh1 in its march to ,cedar ,valley1 in ,utah1 a distance of fourteen hundred miles1 and noticed that scarcely a man who wore regulation shoes had a blister on his feet1 while the civilians1 who did not1 were continually falling out1 and dropping to the rear1 from the effects of narrow and improper shoes and boots4 ,the same is the case with the animal4 ,the foot must have something flat and broad to bear on4 ,the first care of those having charge of mules1 should be to see that their feet are kept in as near a natural state as possible4 ,then1 if all the laws of nature be observed1 and strictly obeyed1 the animal's feet will last as long1 and be as sound in his domestic state as he would be in a state of nature4 ,the most ordinary observer will soon find that the outer portion or covering of the mule's foot possesses very little animal life1 and has no sensibility1 like the hair or covering of the body4 ,indeed1 the foot of the horse and mule is a dense block of horn1 and must therefore be influenced and governed by certain chemical laws1 which control the elements that come in contact with it4 ,hence it was that the feet of these animals was made to bear on the hard ground1 and to be wet naturally every time the horse drank4 ,drought and heat will contract and make hard and brittle the substance of which the feet is composed2 while on the other hand cooling and moisture will expand it1 and render it pliable and soft4 ,nature has provided everything necessary to preserve and protect this foot1 while the animal is in a natural state2 but when brought into domestic use1 it requires the good sense of man1 whose servant he is1 to artificially employ those means which nature has provided1 to keep it perfectly healthy4 ,when1 then1 the foot is in a healthy state1 wet it at least twice a day2 and do not be content with merely throwing cold water on the outside1 for the foot takes in very little if any moisture through the wall4 ,in short1 it absorbs moisture most through the frog and sole1 particularly in the region where the sole joins the wall4 ,this1 if covered by a tight shoe1 closes the medium1 and prevents the proper supply4 ,horses that are shod should be allowed to stand in moist places as much as possible4 ,use clay or loam floors1 especially if the horse has to stand much of his time4 ,stone or brick is the next best1 as the foot of the animal will absorb moisture from either of these4 ,dry pine planks are the very worst1 because they attract moisture from the horse's foot4 ,where animals have to stand idle much of the time1 keep their feet well stuffed with cow manure at night4 ,that is the best and cheapest preservative of the feet that you can use4 ,,advice ,,to ,,blacksmiths4 ,let me enjoin you1 for humanity's sake1 that when you first undertake to shoe a young animal1 you will not forget the value of kind treatment4 ,keep its head turned away from the glaring fire1 the clinking anvil1 c41 c4 ,let the man whom he has been accustomed to1 the groom or owner1 stand at his head1 and talk to him kindly4 ,when you approach him for the first time1 let it be without those implements you are to use in his shoeing4 ,speak to him gently1 then take up his foot4 ,if he refuse to let you do this1 let the person having him in charge do it4 ,a young animal will allow this with a person he is accustomed to1 when he will repel a stranger4 ,by treating him kindly you can make him understand what is wanted2 by abusing him you will only frighten him into obstinacy4 ,when you have got the animal under perfect subjection1 examine the foot carefully1 and you will find the heels1 at the back part of the frog1 entirely free from that member1 which is soft and spongy4 ,when the foot is down1 resting on the ground1 grasp the heels in your strong hand1 press them inwards towards the frog1 and you will immediately find that they will yield4 ,you will then see that what yields so easily to the mere pressure of the hand will expand and spread out when the weight of the body is thrown on it4 ,this should give you an idea of what you have to do in shoeing that foot1 and your practical knowledge should stand you well in an argument with any of those learned professors1 who declare the foot of the mule does not expand or contract4 ,in truth it is one of its necessary conditions4 ,after being a long time badly shod1 nearly or all of this necessary principle of the foot will be lost4 ,you should therefore study to preserve it4 ,and here let me give you what little aid experience has enabled me to do4 ,you will observe the ground surface of the foot1 no matter how high the arch may be1 to be at least half an inch wide1 and sometimes more than an inch1 with the heels spread out at the outside quarter4 ,do not cut away this important brace4 ,it is as necessary to the heel of the animal1 to guard him against lateral motion1 on which the whole of the above structure depends1 as the toes are to the human being4 ,curve the outside of the shoe nearly to fit the foot1 and you will find the inside heel a little straighter1 especially if the animal be narrow-breasted1 and the feet stand close together4 ,nature has provided this safeguard to prevent its striking the opposite leg4 ,after the shoe is prepared to fit the foot1 as ,i have before described1 rasp the bottom level--it will be found nearly so4 ,do not put a knife to the sole or the frog4 ,the sole of the foot1 remember1 is its life1 and the frog its defender4 ,in punching the shoe1 two nail-holes on a side1 on a foot like this1 are sufficient to hold on a shoe4 ,three may be used1 if set in their proper places1 without injury to the foot4 ,practice will teach you that any more nailing than this is unnecessary4 ,i have used two nails on a side on an animal with not the best of a foot1 and very high action1 and he has worn them entirely out without throwing either of them off4 ,previous to punching the shoe1 observe the grain of the foot4 ,it will be seen that the fibres of the hoof run from the top of the foot1 or coronary border1 towards the toe1 in most feet1 at an angle of about forty-five degrees4 ,it will be plain1 then1 that if the nails are driven with the grain of the horn1 they will drive much easier1 and hold better1 and be less liable to cut and crack the fibers4 ,another benefit can be derived from this process of nailing4 ,when the foot comes to the ground1 the nails act as a brace to keep the foot from slipping forward off the shoe4 ,this renders that very ingenious foot destroyer1 the toe-clip1 unnecessary4 ,then1 in punching the shoe1 hold the top of the pritchell toward the heel of the shoe1 so as to get the hole in the shoe on an angle with the grain of the hoof4 ,punch the holes large enough1 so that the nails will not bind in the shoe1 nor require unnecessary hammering or bruising of the foot to get them up to their proper place4 ,prepare the nails well1 point them thin and narrow2 and1 as ,i have said before1 use as small a nail as possible4 ,when you proceed to nail on the shoe1 take a slight hold at the bottom1 so as to be sure that the nail starts in the wall of the foot instead of the sole4 ,let it come out as high up as possible4 ,you need not be afraid of pricking with nails set in this way1 as the wall of the foot is as thick1 until you get within half an inch of the top1 as it is where you set the nail4 ,nails driven in this way injure the feet less1 hold on longer1 and are stronger than when driven in any other way4 ,if you have any doubt of this1 test it in this manner3 when you take off an old shoe to set a new one1 and cut the clinches 7which should be done in all cases71 you will find the old nail and the clinches not started up2 and in drawing the nail out you will also find the foot not slipped or cracked2 and that the horn binds the nail until it is entirely drawn out4 ,indeed1 ,i have known the hole to almost close as the nail left it4 ,set the two front nails well towards the toe1 so as not to be more than two inches apart when measured across the bottom of the foot4 ,let the next two divide the distance from that to the heel1 so as to leave from two to two and a half inches free of nails1 as the form of the foot may allow4 ,lastly1 before nailing on the shoe1 and while it is cold on the anvil1 strike the surface that comes next to the foot on the outside1 a few blows with the hammer1 right across the heels1 and see also that the outside of the heels is a shade lowest1 so that the animal in throwing his weight upon them will spread out1 and not pinch in his feet4