120 



DOMESTIC AXIMALS. 



[CnAi-. I. 



sition, the collar being made of braided coru-shucks, the liaines of natural 

 crooked sticks, tlie traces of raw hide, fastened to the hames by a hole and 

 a knot, and to the wliifiletreo by a loop around the end. Rude as this gear- 

 ing is, it answers a good jiurpose, and does not gall or sweat the horse like 

 the great English collars, or like those known in our boyhood as the "old 

 Dutch collar," wliicli was so much like the Ijrecching of the same harness 

 that it was ratlier dithcult to tellwhicii belonged forward and which behind. 



The old English collar, specimens of which may be seen occasionally in 

 this country, was a most cumbersome piece of horse-gearing which a sensible 

 man will not be likely to copy. It is made like our American collars, only 

 very much heavier, and has attached to its upper end as an ornament two 

 ]ncces of stift' sole leather as big as the skirts of a saddle, with a great dt>al 

 of ornamental stitching around its edge. Some of these collars M-eigh 12 to 

 15 lbs., and the hames are furnished with two brass horns that stick up sev- 

 eral inches above the flap. 



The Scotch collars are also made with a great superfluity of leather, and 

 are very heavy, though ditl'ering in form from the English collars. 



The weight of a Scotch jilow harness is given in Stephens' book of "The 

 Farm" at 38 lbs. "We have often seen a horse equally well harnessed to a 

 ])low in this country when the whole gearing would not weigh half as much, 

 nor cost half as n^ueh, as an English collar. These English collars are often 

 ornamented with red worsted fringe and tassels, and give a six-horse team, 

 wearing bells, a very formidable appearance. 



AVe recommeinl as an imiirovenient upon our own light, easy, and, we 

 think, handsome collars — handsome, because fitting for their purpose — that 

 they should be made open at the bottom. We drove one pair of horses from 

 Chicago to New Orleans, and from Kew Orleans to New York, making 

 inany detours, and in all driving some five thousand miles in one journey, 

 with a pair of collars open at the bottom ; and although out in all sorts of 

 weather, never had a sore shoulder or even chafed ofl' the hair. Is either did 

 we use breeching in all that journey, yet we traveled over some very rough 

 and mountainous roads. We are satisfied that a horse will hold back a light 

 carriage wiili a good strong padded girt as well as with breeching. Our plan 

 of a harness is exactly the contrast of an English one. Theirs is, to use up 

 all the leather and labor possible, and ours to nse just as little as possilile. 

 We do not believe in blinders, check-reins, breeching, nor heavy collars. 

 Tiie harness should be made as light as it can be and be strong. Strength is 

 an important particular. For a tarm-wagon or plow harness we recommend 

 short leather tugs and chains as preferable to long tugs or long chains. 



170. Working? Three llorsfs Abreast.— In the north part of this country it 

 is not very common to see three horses worked abreast. It is quite common 

 in Louisiana, particularl}- in working, horses to carts. It is much practiced 

 in England, and perhaps would be more so here if farmers had proper gear- 

 ing. We have seen it practiced sometimes by liitching the middle horse to 

 the center of the swing-bar. This gives no chance of equalizing the draft 



