at the Salisbury Meeting^ 1857. 421 



right angle was in the -progression of the implement reduced, by the 

 relation of forces, into an acute angle, just as a ship sailing north 

 feels an east wind as though it were on the north-east quarter. 

 By the same law an obtuse angle would in progression act as 

 a right angle, and, being nearer by 45 degrees on the acute side 

 to the rectilinear line, wastes less power and friction. 



There is no part of the annual Exhibition that brings together 

 traces of the variety of local custom and fancy, verging perhaps 

 on prejudice, more than the stands of Carts and Wagons. Why 

 a vehicle used everywhere for the same purpose should wear 

 such different forms, is a question that seems to occur equally to 

 the learned and the unlearned in such matters. The difference 

 of hilly and flat countries might be expected to imprint itself in 

 some speciality of form ; but this does not seem to hold as the 

 governing principle of the variety, and any other it is difficult 

 to assign. The special prize for crank-axle carts is an evidence 

 of the interest awakened on the subject of these most important 

 articles of every day farm use. For the purpose of loading and 

 tipping (by far the most general purpose of all) the advantage 

 of leverage gained by length of shaft is scientifically true, but, 

 in practice, of secondary consideration, A lever is an article 

 with two arms, a long one and a short one ; and to move the 

 short arm a short way the long arm has to go a long way, 

 the power gained being the ratio of the difference. But in 

 farm-work, and especially in earthwork of almost every kind on 

 the farm, pliabilitg in close quarters (if I can so express it) sur- 

 passes for convenience of action almost every other advantage. 

 The cart and horse have continually to perform little feats of com- 

 pact 5to^i0?«, motion, turning, backing, and twisting, almost remind- 

 ing one of the goat with its four feet meeting on a pivot : the 

 illustration will at least convey the meaning it exaggerates : and 

 if the horse could speak it would generally be to ask for room 

 to exert his own power to the best advantage, and not for an 

 auxiliary, which required viore space for its application. Of 

 course, wherever leverage is the chief object, as in conveying 

 heavy well-balanced loads long distances over level roads (as in 

 the case of the enormous blocks of stone, that visitors to Paris in 

 1856 will remember moving along upon high wheels, behind 

 immense Flemish horses, in long shafts, with a perfect magazine 

 of housings on their shoulders), the construction will be adapted 

 to the use. For general farm work closeness and compactness 

 are of prime importance, not merely in order that " the horse may 

 be nearer his load," but that he and his load should be able to 

 perform together every evolution in the smallest compass. Much 

 ingenuity has been spent upon the different modes of loosing 

 and lifting the front of the cart for tipping the load; and it is 



VOL. XVIII. 2 F 



