(398 Vieiu of the Sittuiicfi of Farmers ^ ^c. Nor. 



brain to ima;^lne what could fuggell a praclice that appears fo 

 abfurd as that of yoking ponitrs by the tail, which is at this 

 hour to be feen ii. many parts of Scotland, when Lord M* ******, 

 to whom I was then on a vifit at D*****, informed me, that as 

 the wild ponies upon the mountains are always cauj^ht by the 

 tail, it was not furprifing they thought of yoking them by that 

 member. Two mornings after, he carried me to Crieff" fair, 

 where I a£lually faw, what is no doubt familiar to many of your 

 readers, the Highdanders catch by the tail, any poney that a cuf- 

 tomer wanted to cheapen. In fome countries to the north of 

 India, they run to the other extreme, and yoke the oxen by the 

 nofe 



Without flopping longer at the praiflices of the heroic times, 

 I beg to recal to your own memory, the four fcare horfes you 

 mull have feen in every plough, their hair han^-lng over their 

 eyes, and flioed only in the fore feet, with hair tuggs^ rude 

 bra?2ksy 2iU(\ pab brechanis, exerting all their might to drag along 

 a heavy misfhapen inftrumcnt, with a mallet in its horn, and 

 a foam jingling among their feet at every turn ; or a couple of 

 ftarved rough creatures, refufing to carry 10 firlots or 3 bolls of 

 barley to market in a clumfy cart. Pray, good Sir, think of 

 thefe things, and compare them with a fober Heady horfe, de- 

 cently harnelTed, carrying, with eafe to himfelf, four times more 

 grain than the wild fcatter-brained brute of former days. 



Great numbers of cattle are yet put to the plough in many 

 parts of Scotland ; in Aberdeen and BanfFshires, ten or a dozen 

 are flill fometimes employed at it. It is now almoft 40 years 

 fince I faw Lord Aberdeen's overfeer fell a dozen fine large flout 

 animals, loofed from one plough, to a drover of the name of 

 Philips, for fixty guineas and a new gown to his wife : but 

 lands are every where getting up fo fafl to the two-horfe plough 

 price, that all others will probably foon difappear. This is not 

 a thought of mine, but methinks it the ftrongeft recommenda- 

 tion I have yet heard of that powerful inftrument. It is not 

 unconnected with my prefent fubjr£t, for me to fay, and it may 

 am>ife your clafhcal readers to be reminded, that in the days of 

 Homer, oxen, perhaps horfes or mules, were yoked four abreaft 

 in the plough, as is Itill the cafe in Galloway, Aberdeenlhire, 

 and other counties in the north. See Iliady X. 419. Ulyffes 

 and DiQined purfu'tng Dolen. 



My rcfpccled friend at H********* was among the laft in 

 Hadclingtonlhire to adopt th^ two-horfe plough. I blulh to 

 thir.k how long he perlevercd in the ufe of three horfes, lefs de- 

 fcnfibk, in my opinion, than that of four. 



The 



