Xll TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PAET III. 



DRAUGHT AND HARNESS. 



CHAPTER I. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



The true principles of harnessing horses very unequally acted 

 on — What suits a town or city may be and often is inappli- 

 cable to rural districts, and vice I'crsa — The condition of the 

 loads, and the whole conformation of the country, must be 

 taken into consideration — The two main points to be at- 

 tended to are the size of the horse and the height of the 

 wheel, . . . . . . 211-214 



CHAPTER II. 



THE ANGLE OF. TRACTION — THE COLLAR — THE HAJVIES — 



THE TRACE— THE POLE AND POLE-CHAINS — 



THE HEIGHT OF THE WHEEL. 



The best direction for applying power to a common wheel is in 

 the horizontal line, supposing thepower itself to be capable 

 of being exerted in all directions with equal facility — This 

 is, however not the case with horses, whose draught-power 

 is best exerted at an angle with the horizon, on account 

 of the inclination of the shoulder-blade, from which the 

 draught is exerted through the collar, &c. — Experiments of 

 General Barge on this subject — The trace should be perpen- 

 dicular to the collar and shoulder-blade, and consequently 

 neither horizontal nor even parallel to the surface of the 

 road when inclined— The shoulder-blade of the horse is 

 fixed near its centre, but movable at both ends — The trace- 

 hook should be attached opposite to this fixed point, and 

 act at right angles to the collar-bone— This is the proper 

 angle of traction, and the line of the trace will then coincide 

 nearly with the line of propulsion of the hind legs — Both 



