October 26
Mule Day

Today is Mule Day in commemoration of the delivery of Spanish jacks to the New World on October 26, 1785.

Since one of the goals of the Saint Report is to wipe out agricultural illiteracy, here is the recipe for making a mule: mix one male donkey and one female horse. Put in a warm place for 11 months.

Glossary

Ass - A member of the genus Equus with larger ears and smaller build than the horse. Group includes donkeys and burros but the term usually is used only for the wild versions.

Burro - Small donkey
Dam - Mother of any of these animals
Donkey - Either a male or female domesticated ass
Foal - Baby (either sex) horse or donkey
Gelding - Castrated male horse or donkey

Hinny - Sterile offspring of a stallion and a jennet. Now I'll bet you are wondering why you never see hinnies even though you can't walk ten feet without tripping over a mule. Gail Damerow probably has the answer in her groundbreaking essay "Why Not Hinnies?" And if she doesn't have it, Greg Sefton and Leah Patton have collaborated on the scholarly "Ponderings on Hinnies."

Horse - Means a horse, either a male or female
Jack - Uncastrated (intact) male donkey
Jennet - Female donkey (pronounced jenny)
Mammoth Jack - Exceptionally large uncastrated male donkey
Mare - Female horse
Mule - Sterile offspring of a jack and a mare
Sire - Father of any of these animals
Stallion - Uncastrated male horse

Sizes of donkeys:

Different breeds of donkeys are determined by measuring them at the withers. The withers are located where the donkey's cross and dorsal stripe meet. (or where the top side of the neck attaches to the donkey's back) Miniature Donkey -- an adult donkey 36" tall or less when measured at the withers; Small Standard Donkey -- 36.01" up to 40"; Standard Donkey -- 40.01" up to 48"; Large Standard Donkey -- Jennets: 48" up to 54"/Jacks: 48" up to 56"; Mammoth Donkey -- Jennets: 54" and over / Jacks: 56" and over.

OK...my job is done for today: you can now tell your ass from your elbow.

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Saints o' the Day include Saint Bean, Saint Cedd, and Saint Eata.

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Happy birthday to Hillary Rodham Clinton (1947) and Bob Hoskins (1942).

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On to October 27
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© Marilyn Jones 2000-2008