42 FARMERS ASSISTANT. 



that one animal drawing by itself, in a car or cart, can as 

 easily draw eight hundred weight, as two can draw twelve 

 hundred weight, when put together in a wagon. The 

 leason of this is obvious : In a cart, the Horse carries a part 

 of the load on his back ; and, in drawing, his exertions are 

 Dot baffled by the jostling and unequal exertions of another. 

 Carts are, however, more easily upset in bad roads than 

 wagons. Another objection against them is, that they 

 press too heavily on the Horse or Oxen, when going down 

 hill, particularly when carrying a top-heavy load ; and they 

 incline to tilt up behind, when going up hill with such load, 

 These defects are, however, easily obviated by a contriv- 

 ance fixed in front of the box, for the purpose of raising 

 its fore-end when going down hill, and of sinking it when 

 going up ; so that, in either case, the centre of gravity of 

 the load will not be materially altered from what it is on 

 level ground. 



A cart contrived and used by Lord Somer-uille^ in Great- 

 britain, answers this purpose in part. Another contrivance 

 of that Nobleman is, a wooden bar placed on the outside of 

 each wheel, just above the hubs, so that when going down 

 hill the bars are drawn by each end against the sides of the 

 wheels, so strongly as to impede their motion, and thus 

 prevent the load pressing forward with more force than is 

 convenient. A description of the means by which these 

 several operations are performed is here omited, because 

 they are, perhaps, nearly as easily imagined as described. 

 Any one, wishing to test their efficacy, need not be long at 

 a loss for the means. 



The cart-wheels made use of by the above Nobleman and 

 others are of cast-iron, being about three feet in diameter, 

 with a rim about four inches broad : The spokes are flat, 

 and broadest where they join the hub and the rim, so as 

 to give them most strength where most is wanted. If 

 any part of the wheel happen to break, by a too violent 

 concussion, it can be mended again with wrought-iron, 

 when it will be as strong as ever. The axletree is of 

 wrought-iron. Such a cart may last an age, with good 

 usage, and the cost of them is not so great as that of carts 

 made of wood. Probably they would, however, be found 

 too brittle on stony lands; though their strength will be 

 found very great, if cast of the best metal to be had for the 

 purpose. 



In the construction of the body of the cart, the essential 

 points are tp^i it for the purposes for which it is mostly to 

 be used ; to place so much of it before the axletree as 

 that, when filled, about a fifth of the weight of its contents 

 will rest on the Horse ; and that it be so contrived as to be 

 tilted up to empty its load. 



