mistaken opinion as to what a young mule could do, and how he ought to
be fed. Employers and others, who had young mules under their charge
during the war, had, as a general thing, surplus forage on hand. When
they were in a place where nine pounds of grain could be procured, and
fourteen of hay, the full allowance was purchased. The surplus resulting
from this attracted notice, and many wondered why it was that the
Government did not reduce the forage on the mule. These persons did not
for a moment suspect, or imagine, that a three year old mule has so many
loose teeth in his mouth as to be hardly able to crack a grain of corn,
or masticate his oats.

Another point in that case is this: at three years old, a mule is in a
worse condition, generally, than he is at any other period in life. At
three, he is more subject to distemper, sore eyes, and inflammation of
all parts of the head and body. He becomes quite weak from not being
able to eat, gets loose and gaunt, and is at that time more subject and
more apt to take contagious diseases than at any other change he may go
through. There is but one sure way to remedy this evil. Do not buy three
year old mules to put to work that it requires a five or six year old
mule to perform. Six three year old mules are just about as fit to
travel fifteen miles per day, with an army wagon loaded with twenty-five
hundred and their forage, as a boy, six years of age, is fit to do a
man's work. During the first twelve months of the war, I had charge of
one hundred and six mule-teams, and I noticed in particular, that not
one solitary mule as high as six years old gave out on the trips that I
made with the teams. I also noticed that, on most occasions, the three
year olds gave out, or became so leg-weary that they could scarce walk
out of the way of the swingle-tree, whereas those of four and upward
would be bright and brisk, and able to eat their forage when they came
to camp. The three year old mules would lie down and not eat a bite,