Amateur Farming, 345 



had been destined for the yoke. According to the manage- 

 ment described by Young, they were separated out into lots 

 as follows : — 



There were 40 beasts actually in work, divided as far as 

 possible into teams of six, one of which was rested every day so 

 that no ox had more than five days' work out of the seven ; 

 40 three-year-olds were bought yearly and kept as "succes- 

 sion " oxen in the park, and 40 seven-year-olds which were 

 past work were summered on the best pastures and fattened 

 off during the winter with turnips. Those actively employed 

 on the farms and park were given during the summer a few 

 vetches by way of a bait, and were run at night on to the 

 coarse leasows. In winter they were fed with about twenty- 

 four pounds of hay and twelve pounds of straw daily, but they 

 were never allowed corn because it prevented their fatten- 

 ing so kindly afterwards. During the days of rest they 

 ranged over the straw-yards, and sheltered themselves in 

 open sheds, being advisedly kept free of hot, badly ventilated 

 stables.^ 



Turning once more to Mr. Pearce's account we find that 

 on the Flemish farm there were 18 store oxen, two-thirds 

 of which were annually stall fed, and on the Norfolk farm 

 90, out of which one-third was stalled. But as we have said, 

 Pearce tells us of four horses on the Flemish farm and eighteen 

 on the Norfolk farm, two of which were employed with two 

 of the oxen to draw the ploughs.^ On the lighter land of 

 the Norfolk farm it would be only natural to find a preference 

 for horses, as the slow and ponderous ox did not adapt his 

 pace to the mechanical variations of soil. It is to be regretted 

 that the accounts of King George's practice are so irreconcile- 

 able, especially as we cannot feel entirely satisfied that 



* There are incongruities in the statement of the correspondent to the 

 Gentleman\<> Magazine, which somewhat shake our reliance on the trust- 

 worthiness of his facts. Thus he says in one place that 180 oxen were in 

 actual work on the King's diilferent farms, parks, and gardens out of the 

 200 kept, and in another place he states that 120 were in actual work. 

 — GentlemarVs Magazine, December, 1799. 



^ Report to the Board of Agriculture, sub voc. " Berkshire," 1704. 



