376 FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 



Oxen have beaten Horses at the plough, in the deepest clay/ 

 They recommend the Hertfordshire and Devonshire Oxen, 

 as being the most speedy. 



See the description of the Devonshire breed of Oxen, 

 tinder NEAT-CATTLE 



The slowness of Oxen is partly natural and partly acquir- 

 ed by overloading them. This, therefore, should be avoided. 

 When their work is easy, they may be quickened without 

 hurting them, and their contracting a habit of moving so 

 slowly, as some do, may be thus prevented. They always 

 become slower as they grow older, and for that reason they 

 never should be kept longer than such age as they will 

 still imkc the best beef, which is probably about the age 

 of seven or eight years. 



In a team, of part Oxen and part Horses, either the gait 

 of the Oxen must become quickened, or that of the Horses 

 made slower; but, perhaps, a little of each would be the 

 consequence, and in this way the Oxen would be the better, 

 though prob'hly at the expense of injuring the Horses for 

 almost every kind of work, when worktd by themselves. 



Mr Livingston makes mention of a contrivance he had 

 seen in Italy, hat was attached to the noses of the Oxen, 

 which was principally used for governing them ; and by 

 means of it he thinks he had seen them drove with lines. 

 * It consists (says he) of two fl it pieces of iron that turned 

 at the lower ends, and formed a forceps ; these bars shut 

 over, and, when closed, the ends gently pressed upon the 

 cartilage of the nose of the Ox. They were kept close by 

 being tightly bound at the top, and straped aguinst the fore- 

 head of tte Oxen.' 



* If we ' n< A rirue the utility of a practice from its extent 

 (says Mr Livingston) we must prefer drawing by the horns 

 to uny other mode; nine tenths of Europe make their cattle 

 draw in this way, and. from what I have seen of their per- 

 formance, I am persuaded thai ic is to be prefrred to the 

 yoke. A Bull's strength appears to be plactd in his neck, 

 and in drawing in this way the whole of it is exerted; his 

 motion is not impeded, or his skin chafed as it is by the 

 yok ,.* 



In the mountains of Savoy (says Mr. Livingston) I saw 

 many cattle, chiefly Cows, drawing by the horns, not in 

 carts but in wagons. How far the working of Cows is ad- 

 vantageous, deserves consideration. It is observable, how- 

 ever, thut our Cows are in general much smaller than those 

 usually worked in Europe.' 



Yokes (he observes) are used in some parts of Italy, 

 but they differ from ours. Instead of bows, there are four 

 flat pieces of wood, which hang from each side of the yoke, 

 and are about ten inches long, and hollowed so as to fit the 



