OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 263 



the poor may bid defiance to the wealthy farmer, or 

 more wealthy monopolift; for the one muft fell, and the 

 other dares not purchafe what he could not hoard; and 

 it is to be feared that, if the benevolent intentions of the 

 London Society were fulfilled, in difcovering a method 

 of preferving potatoes fit for ufe for fome years, it 

 might be productive of more harm than good, by ena- 

 bling the perfons above mentioned alfo to get poffeffioa 

 of this fupply. 



SECT. 15. Harneffing Oxen. 



THIS Is done in the ufual manner, by buckling a col- 

 lar on the neck. The ufe of oxen is not general; nor 

 do I believe any accurate trial of their comparative 

 value in tillage has ever been made in this county; they 

 are certainly much flower than horfes, and not fo* well 

 fitted for long journeys on hard roads; they, however, 

 undoubtedly have this advantage, that, whilft they are 

 worked and fed, they are growing more valuable; 

 horfes, on the contrary, are declining. But the length 

 of way our principal manure is drawn, feems an infu- 

 perable objection to the general introduction of oxen, 

 the limeftone quarries lying at fourteen miles diflance 

 from many parts of the county, where it is the only 

 manure, except the dunghill. This journey, which is 



ufually 



