I So Ccfupayatnte Utility of Hcrfiis and Oxen fo^' Draught, Ma^ 



great farmers are wont to fay It fhoukl be, viz. divided into a 

 great majority of finall farms, viith a moft unrealbnable flock 

 upon them, of half-worked fat heavy cart horfes, it is not diffi- 

 cult to prove that the country at large muR lofe millions per aft- 

 num^ on a fair comparative ftatement of th? expcnce, 8:c. of both:. 

 For unlefs we could bring the hovfe, at the end of his term, into 

 the (hambles, he mull enter tlie account as an article of nxjear and 

 tear^ or carrion in lieu of good ox beef. Could we furmount our 

 jprcjudice againll the ufe of horfe-fiefn, as hinted by another of 

 your correfpondents, the whole matter would certainly Hand on 

 different ground j. and undoubtedly it is deemed good for eat- 

 ing by fonie nations ; yet I confef^ there is a fairitnefs, and parti- 

 cular diiagreeablepcfs of flavour in tliis flt-fii, that will probably 

 render it for ever unfavoury to the palates of Englifhmen. 



Many perfons who have been at the Cape of Good Hope, fpeak 

 much of the oxen generally ufed there, not only for ploughing 

 the ground, but for travelling, and that at fome ipeed ; nay they 

 ulually reprefent the ho^-fc^ as totally unable to cope with that 

 burning cHmate, and fandy foil. There is certainly fomething in 

 this circumiftance, in favour of a prelumption of the fuperior 

 ufefulnefs of the ox ; he undoubtedly is a patient labourer, and 

 one capable of being made equally docile and tractable with the 

 horfe, when proper methods are reforted to, and when proper 

 animals of the fort are chofen for the purpofe, which is feldom 

 the cafe, I muft own ; for he is certainly out of fajhion^ and nothing 

 fliort of extreme necefhty will bring him into it again. 



In order to reduce the argument into fmail compafs, this appears 

 to me to be a fair way of flating it. There is in England a great 

 majority of fanris under kso acres,, on which the horfes kept arc 

 not fully employed ; they can pay for their keep by nothing but 

 their labour \ tiierefore there is a certain lofs occafioned by idle 

 and unprofitable horfe- flefh. llie ox can perform all the work 

 neceffary on thefe fmall farms ; he is extremely valuable for fome- 

 thing more than his labour, therefore there is no lofs occafioned 

 fey idle ox-ilcfh. 



I have a farm of 250 acres, long fmce let to a fubftantial te- 

 nant, which I know has been worked by eight oxen. I have 

 alfo a number of fmall farms,, comprifmg together nearly the 

 fame quantity of land, let to feven or eight tenants, on which 

 from 25 to 30 horfes are ufually kept. What is the balance 

 againfl the public ? Certainly, were all thefe wt^rked by cxeit^ 

 the public muit be a gainer. But conlumption is the life and 

 foul of trade ; — fo fays the farmer. Here is confumption with a 

 ▼engeance ; but not a confumption tlrat can pofFibly benefit man- 

 kind, on any enlarged fcak of population. — No, no \ confumption 



thougl:^ 



