In handling this large number of animals, I aimed to ascertain which was
the best, the hardest, and the most durable color for a mule. I did this
because great importance has been attached by many to the color of these
animals. Indeed, some of our officers have made it a distinguishing
feature. But color, I am satisfied, is no criterion to judge by. There
is an exception to this, perhaps, in the cream-colored mule. In most
cases, these cream-colored mules are apt to be soft, and they also lack
strength. This is particularly so with those that take after the mare,
and have manes and tails of the same color. Those that take after the
jack generally have black stripes round their legs, black manes and
tails, and black stripes down their backs and across their shoulders,
and are more hardy and better animals. I have frequently seen men, in
purchasing a lot of mules, select those of a certain color, fancying
that they were the hardiest, and yet the animals would be widely
different in their working qualities. You may take a black mule, black
mane, black hair in his ears, black at the flank, between the hips or
thighs, and black under the belly, and put him alongside of a similar
sized mule, marked as I have described above, say light, or what is
called mealy-colored, on each of the above-mentioned parts, put them in
the same condition and flesh, of similar age and soundness, and, in many
cases, the mule with the light-colored parts will wear the other out.

It is very different with the white mule. He is generally soft, and can
stand but little hardship. I refer particularly to those that have a
white skin. Next to the white and cream, we have the iron-grey mule.
This color generally indicates a hardy mule. We have now twelve teams of
iron-gray mules in the park, which have been doing hard work every day
since July, 1865; it is now January, 1866. Only one of these mules has
become unfit for service, and that one was injured by being kicked by
his mate. All our other teams have had more or less animals made unfit