[fae J 
the public roads, on account of the diftantce of many 
farms from a market, the fteepnefs of the hills, 
and the flintinefs of the roads. This laft reafon 
neceflarily obliging every farmer, who carries corn 
to market, to keep at leaf? fix borfes, the ufe of oxen 
is, in a great meafure, fuperfeded among the /mall 
farmers; and the large ones are, unfortunately, not 
only in Wiltfhire, but in moft other counties, too 
fond of large fine borfes, and their men too fond of 
fhewing them, to give them up readily for oxen. 
There are, however, fome exceptions to this re- 
mark. Some of the moft intelligent farmers per- 
fevere in the ufe of oxen, and find them (efpecially 
fince they have exchanged the yoke for the collar) 
to anfwer a very good purpofe. Asa fhifting ftock, 
where a farmer wants more ftrength at one time of 
the year than another, oxen are peculiarly proper, 
being more eafily bought and fold, and that at a 
lefs lofs or rifque than horfes. And where a far- 
mer has a quantity of rough down land, I am 
clearly of opinion, that the treading of a few oxen 
will increafe the fheep-feed more than their eat- 
ing will diminifh it. I have feen fo many in- 
ftances of downs decreafing in goodnefs, when 
changed from cow-downs to fheep-downs, as ta 
convince me fully of this fact. 
REMARKS 
