Mule
a hybrid animal produced by a jackass and a mare. The foal of a stallion and a she-ass is called a hinny. A mule may be of either sex, but does not ordinarily produce young. Designed to be facetious, the statement is literally true that "the mule is without pride of ancestry or hope of posterity." In the same strain it may be said the mule is reviled by fashion, abused by army teamsters, abhorred by musicians, and ridiculed by humorists.
The mule has the large head, long ears, stiff, upright mane, slim, narrow tail, and narrow, pointed hoofs of the ass. It inherits in part the size, shape, disposition, and strength of the mare. The mule is a type of obstinacy. It is an exceedingly tough, strong, long-enduring animal, able to live on rough food and to endure a degree of heat to which a horse would succumb. Portions of France and Spain are noted for mules of superior quality. American flour is carried on the backs of mules over the ranges to the mountain villages of Spain. An account of Spanish smuggling would be quite incomplete without a description of a mule train. The mule is a surefooted pack animal, treading mountain trails in single file with great intelligence and docility. In medieval times it was a mark of dignity to ride a mule richly decked in gold-embroidered trappings and decorative bridle. Wealthy merchants and dignitaries vied with each other in the expensive riding equipment of their mules.
Kentucky and Missouri are prominent mule-raising states. The mule is the principal beast of burden and of agriculture in the cotton belt. The Southern mule of caricature is a dejected, sorry looking scarecrow, driven by a single line in the hand of a shiftless colored driver having one suspender and little else. The actual mule is a trim, easy-gaited, efficient fellow, ready for work, and ready for fodder, an indispensable work animal in a large extent of rich, hot, agricultural territory. The mule steps off before the plow uncomplainingly under conditions of heat that the magnificent but sweating farm horse cannot endure.
According to the last agricultural report there were in the United States, 4,240,000 mules on farms and ranges, as against about 24,000,000 horses. A careful estimate made January 1, 1909, places the number as above and the average value at $97.70 per head. Texas heads the list with 625,000 mules, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Kentucky follow in the order named. Kansas City is regarded as the greatest mule market in the world. The total number of mules in the world is only 7,500,000, of which, as stated, over half are found in the United States. Spain comes second with 800,000; Argentina has 465,000 mules; Italy 388,000, and Colombia 257,000. No doubt the chief reason the number is no greater is that mules do not raise colts.