BREEDING HORSES AND MULES.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1704, 7 June 1883, Page 3

BREEDING HORSES AND MULES.

(Con dual.) A "light liorso drawing a heavy load lnubt* expend greit inusuiikr force, whi|o the heavy horse dialing the same load docs it lai'gcly by the moincntimi of his/Wdy. ' The monvntnm of a heavy team tends to keep a lo.id in motion ; whefeng a light team must <lo it with their muscles, which is very exhausting. As for marcs or geldings for teams, a recent writer states that >\ hen he had a few acres of land to plousrh he found a team of good mares the most profit ihle He had them drop their foals before they were needed for spnng labour, or else .after then spring labour had been done, and thus got two colts anninlly, which in good p.irt paid the expense of keeping the team. We should say that such a team should only be in the lrmds of a most careful and reliable voikman. In ciiso a farmer keeps two teams, oneof mares and one of geldings, lie can give the latter the heavy woik and the mares the light woik, usually to good advantage. .Says S. K. Todd • <l Hor.-cs can turn the grindstone, do the churning, pitch our hay, hoe our com, dig our potatoes, and do almost oreij thing else, and do it with ease, and keep fat, too, if we will only think for them and gnc them the woid to go ahead and to stop. Our bn-incss is to think, and it is, theiisto work. When I &co a little man lifting and tugging, hour after houi, to load a few tons of hay and get it on the mow, while he has. two fat horses standing idle Avhich could do it in a few minute-., I always think what a dunce you arc to make such a beast of Imiden of youiself when the Cicatoi has given you such strong animals to peifonn your haul labour."' It is undoubtedly tine that with a little c\cici*c of ingenuity, and a small outlay for taeUe, ncaily all this hard labo.s'r can be done bv lionet Everything that c.xn les-cn the li.nd labour of the f.uiu is -woithyof consideiation, and especially cve 1 ytlnng thar. Mill save time dining the busy season of liaivcst.

\\ \tomv or Tin iioiim . The skeleton h composed of 2i7 separate bones, thiity one of which aie in the spine, thirty seven in the tlioi ax, three in the pehis, seventeen in the tail, the foic extiemitics, forty : the hmd extremities, thirty-eight ; the eianuun, ten ; face and jaws, eighteen; teeth, fo'ty; ear.s, eight; tongue, fhe The hoofs ate the foundation, and hold the coflin-bone : r<^jyof)n this is the lower pastern liuno, Hi^^iii opening in the back 1 olding tlio imvicular bone. Next is the uppei pas tcin bone, upon which tests the shank bone. The knop-joint his sometimes eight bones ; back, in-1 just bc'ou the knee, is a °mall tlnn bone, o\t(ndmg the fiont bliaiik neaily its full length, called tlie splint bone of the foie !e«. Alxnethe knee is the main hone ot tinlog, called tlie radius, or the aim ; above the arm the elbow, and still higher the huiiioius 01 .sliouldoi bone. In tlie hind leg the bones aie the same until we leach the hock joint which has m\ bone. ThN shank has two splint bones Above the hock joint is tibia, the Lime-it of all the bones. The stifle is foim< dby the tibia, and the femur or thigh bone, which is Jievt above. It is co\eied m front by the knee pan 01 patch. Thesis bones of the hip-, eomp'otcs the bone-, of the legs. The bones ol the bead and neck aie easily compiehcnded by an examination of the skeleton. Tiic bones of the skull are thin plates locked 01 dovetailed together to pievent displacement. Tlie head and neck .no joined by the ligament as white leathci, and it is lieie th.it Poll E\il and Fistula have theii origin. Tlie bones of the spine ate linked together by lock-joints The scapula 01 shoulder blade unites in the foteleg to the frame. Some ot the abo\ c lion- sme solid, others hollow, while the ends 01 heads of all tlie bones that form the joints, and all the small bones of which the joints aie composed aie spongy, as aie also the nbs, sliouldei blades, and back poitions of the jaw bones, [t is in these spongy bones that diseases in. ike tlieii appeal iine<\ 'Hie ino\emei,t- of all these bones .11 c go\eiucd by ihum !cs all ending 111 tendon^, and being joined to the bones by caitihiges. The stieiiL'th of the hoi^e is in the muscles, and lhe\ should be lull and haul. They an- compos dot iibine and albumen, tlie l.ittei sluathing laeh muscle, pi e\entmj4 fnction, loosens and lubneates the libics, a^si^ts tbcii giowth, and remleis them elastic and fle\il)le ; and the food should be Mich as to give the laigest amount of imibcle. The hoi so is lined with membranes. They foun a fine coating over the bones, the biains, bowel", kidneys, heait, lungs, and line all the cavities of the body

MU,ls. The usefulness of tlio mule as a faun labouier lias been fully appieuated in some of tlie middle nnd bonier Stales of America, hut there seems to be an un accountable piejudicc against them in the Eastern and Western States We rceard tliom as moic dcshable than hoi so* or" oven on the faun. They aic much quickei in tlieir movements than the o\. and aie as tractable when lightly ti .lined. Mules on an aveiag-j aie niorc valuable than horses-, are easier uvm-d, aie not so sulijccfc to disease nnd accident, and aie longer li\ 01 s ; but to make them thus valuable, just as niucli eaie must be taken in breeding them, foi any Kind of a jack, or any Kind ot a niaie is not good enough to biecd a mule fiom The wunu point* in breeding must be ob served as in bi coding hoise* The fol lowing compaiison instituted by a \\iit< i in the Af/t tixHmiil Annual is in the mam true : -" Cost ot getting hoiso, inulo ot colt, the same; cost of nuking the (list tuo years, a little against the mule. The third year the mule will do light woiU enough about the farm to pay for his keep, and aftei he is tlnce jears old will do any oidinaiy f.n m woik. Hut the horse colt must be kept until he is foui years old betoic ho is woiked at all, and when he is foui veus old must be a good colt to bring as much as the mule at two yeais old." But assume the animals aie both required for the faim woik, see what a (lifFeicMieo there is in favour of the mule. The uotkmcr life of the mule can be estimated at thuty yeais, and that of the hoi se at ten yeais, &o while a mule is winking its life out three horses will be requiied to do equal service. But these are not the only items, the saving of feed is at least one-fomth, or not less than rive hundred and foity seven bushels of corn, and twenty seven and a half tons of hay. The amounts added to tho original saving in pin chase of animals show the advantage m favour of the mule over the horse of over one thousand dollars, during the ordinary life ot the animal. There are still other advantages, the mule seldom tuna away, break{jMuwaggons, harness, &c, and when one f^Hhc ia not likely to mn again. He is Mmhicr, and less dainty about food, unground grain, and diy feed being just the thing for him." The so-called vices of the mule are jumping, kicking, and obstinacy, "As obstinate as a mule" has become a proveib, and like many other proverbs conveys only half the truth. The faults are all in training. The mule will not -jump if when a young colt he is kept where he cannot get over the fences. Most people \v ill let down one or two of the top liars, anc| }et the jflule colfc jiinip over the lower qnes. He then learns to jump. It would be much better to leavo tho top bar and let him go under. Kicking comes a little more naturally to the mule than the horse, but the habit can be broken up in colthood, and they will not kick thereafter. We have the word of Mr Riley, superintendent of Government mules, who has had over five thousand under his care at one time, that by kind treatment to the colt lie ie readily broken of his vice. The mule colt should be handled and gentled, just as directed fpr the horse colt, and taught not to fear the presence and handling of man. It is fear that makes him kick. Most trainers, fully believing in the natural " devilishnesa" of the mule, leave them alone just as long as they can, ftpd thon go at them with a club., and las.li, with Jiarah words, and harsher actions,

and soon break the nuile into an invoter ate kicker. As to the obstinacy, train a mule colt as we directed for training colts, and we venture that there will bo no more obstinate mules than there an- baulky hoiscs. The good points of a mule aie short stout limbs, lather than long slim ones ; a compact body, rather than a Luge fiatno. The best coloui seoirs to be the bl.ick and dai k colours. Ab we have said, the diseases of the mule aic fewer than those of the horse, but orhcMMbc aic the name, and the tieatment is the same also. The mule wab introduced into Ameiica by Washington, and is a univeis.il favourite wheicvei lie has hnd a fair tii.il. (If a maie discontinues bunging foith to the hoisc bbc will still biing foith to the male a&s. Thib is the mode in which mules aie piodiiced, and the jennet is fiom the female ass, and geneially small ponies.). — AX.

Pn<>i j ssor (angry at inattention) to child* "Another minute, mecs, and 1 shall go ppcak to youi mammii. ' I'upd : " Well, take caie 'pa don't catch you at it, that's all ' He's awfully jealous- !" Winrj, Sir L<"i diicis Jiuller wa& pupil to Mr Coulthaid, he pin chased a fiddle : w him the special pleadei thus addiessed him :— " I would ndsisc you, young man, inuncdiately to p.ii't w llh your kit, foi music is so untieing, that if you taUc to it, you ■will ne\ er put youisclf to much panib to endeavour to comprehended 1 Coke upon Littleton.' " Mr Bullor took the hint, and became a Judifc. Ax A:«.ky Am.lliv,— Tlkmc is a stoiy told of a gentleman who obtained a day's lishiug on borne neighbouring Mater, Mho, after picpaiing himself liberally for thespoit with anew rod, K'i'l, eieel, fly-book, fee, all of the best, wuit g.nly with the keeper to the fiay. On that paiticuhu piece ot water vhich he had to fish, tlieie weicagood many ticca, and, in fact, the bestwatei had to bo fished fiom a com eit which, having been cut. down two yoais befoie, was now all shoots andgiow-is at least as Inuhasvoui waist. Atfhsttho gentle111,111 lost, a few flirs and laughed ; then he lost luoiu.ind .swoic— he was a hot tunpoicd man ; and in time he glow piupk and ab^olutJy ia\cd with unholy wiat'i, until a sudden cold calm came o\ei him, dining winch, with an evil Minle on his face, hodclibeiati'ly smashed hi-, new lod o\ci' liis knee, and chuck mi; it, Ins fly-book and everything else, into tlie mil, with .) "Tln.ic'' d.ish you, take our choici 1 ," to the fish, and a uui uoa. tip to the kocpei. tinned on his heel and abjinneil h'bliing for ever.— Ttwplt Bm foi Apiil. Tnr following |„ntieulars of a painful incident in high life, to winch icfuencc lias bicn wi-lily made in the Colonies latch, aie given b> tlie Sydney Jimfi/ Ti lii/mpli — "I'livate lcttei s h.no been iceencd by the mill pist an wed winch cannot but fail to mve pain to the \eiy numeious fi lends ot his Excellency Sn Ifei cult's Robinson who was for six >cais one of oin most populai Govunois. It appeals that some tv.o months piiorto the dcpaitnu'oi Su llciculcs fiom the f ',•■•)<• ot (!ood Jlope, Lady Kobinson and hei daiightu. Mis St. John, left lot Fiiiglind m advance of their Inisbands. Sn Jleieules and Majoi Sfc John, his son-in-law and aide do camp, followed in due couihc, but thejoung lady w.ib fickle tow aids hei spouse, and w hen she lii'did ot his dep.utinc tiom the Cape thought fit to elope with a Majoi Sleplit'U t -oii, who had been paying hei eonsidei able attention. "When Sir lieieules and Majoi St. John had auhed m London the guilty pair had flown. The unfoituiute allair caused consideiable excitement in London." Tin, Si n. or Ai'M.i v Hoi <v., so m my yeais the lesnlencc ot the late, and still the icbidence ot the picsi-nt Duke of Wellington, is said to ha\ c been a piesent from (Jmrgc TI. to a dischaiged solihei, named Alien, who had fought undei the king at Dettingen Ifis wito hei e kept an apple stall, which by the thiifty couple was tinned by degices into a sni.ill cottage. The sfcoiy of this picsent has been often told, but it will beat telling once Mgam : —^ hen London did not exist so f,n as Kni^htt-btidgc, (ieoigo 11, as he w.isiidnig out one morning, met Allen, who doubtless showed by his <.'ai incuts that he had one 1 " lx longed to tne amiy: the King accosted h.m, ami found that he made hi- living by selling apples in a small hut. " What can I do f'M xon ''" sud the Knig "Plci^e join Mnjest) to gi\e me a giant of the bit of giouud my hut stinds on, and f shall be hippy" "Ho hipnv," said the King, and ordered him his request. Years lolled on ; the apple-man died, and left a son, who fiom dint of industiv,, became a respectable attorney. The then Chancellor gave a lease of tin 1 giound to a nobleman, as tin 1 apple-stall had fallen to the giouud. It being conceived the giound had fallen to the" Crown, a stately mansion was soon lai&ed, when the young attorney put in claims : a Mnall sum was ofTeicd as ,\ eompiomw, and refused ; finally the sum of Z !.")() per annum, ground lent, w is settled upon. — Old <m>l JS'cii London, published by C'assoll and Co. P\id ins Kirn, in Advance. — A young miii came into Justice Cny's Com t-ioom in Caison City, Nevada, with the nm of his hat over Ins eyes, and icmaiked, "Do you know me-" "I think,"' replied the couit meekly, "that you'ie the chap I sentouced foi stealing about a year ago. ' "That's the h.iiipinl am,' replied the other, "and thor is twenty dollars for my fine." "That's light, old boy, but I'm about to commence an assult and batteiy, and I guess I'll begin now. You'io the man I piopo&c to lick." "Oh! that's it," lpjoined the couit, pocketing the coin, " then yon can start in and we'll call it squaie." The young man advanced to the judge, and let out his left The iutlgc ducked his head, and, lisingnp, lifted the intrndei in the eye with a right-hander, and s-cnt him ovei against tho wall. In a moment the court was climbing all o\ov tho man, and in about three minutes his face was hardly recognisable. The man begged the couit to let him up, which he finally did. As the fellow was about to go out Caiy went affor him with —"See hcie young mm, I don't think the fighting you did ought to be assessed at more than 2 ~>Q dollars— here is 17.50 in change. I ain't chaigmg you anything for the fighting, but just foriny time. Nexttimel won't chaigeyou a cent." The rough took tho change and the next train for Virginia city. —On "60/( Citi) Appeal, Tun Uno'j hehh L vw kl\ck in t Inmii \.— The difficulties and annoyances ot John's public duties at Lahore were not lessened by tho presence of auy extra contorts in his domestic life. Neither at that nor at any other peiiod of their lives did the Lawience brothers care much for the luxuries or refinements of civilization At the Residency house there were very few of the comfoits, and not an abundant supply even of what are commonly considered to be the necessaries, of life. Henry was as careless as John of appearances, and was even more unconscious of his surroundings, The one candle that lighted, or failed to light, the tout in which he and his wife and an assistant would be working at night was, as 1 have been told by an eye-witness, placed, not in a candlestick, bqt in the neck of an empty beer battle ; and on ouo ocoasion, when tho soeond. candle was wanted for the variety of oooupationa which weie going on, Henry with the utmost simplicity, remaiked that someone must first drink another bottle of beer ! A curious commentary this on the 'gorgeous East,' but one which .peradevonture the great Puritan poet himself would have been among the first to appreciate. In his lavish hospitally Henry Lawrence would often ask more people te dinner than by any possibility he had room for, and trhen, as likely as not, would forget to order the dinner for them. And sometimes a provident friend, who made it his business,- to look after the chief's interest, jwould inquire privately whether the dinner had been ordei'ed, or en. deavouv ( tQ ( SUppJy, „a»y deficiencies, surreptitiously,' from- his 1 owti table. - Lip of I9H Umw\ fry A B..Sraith, .L'J TT Jf& % iSlit If. i>< #