332 



FARMERS' REGISTER— DRAUGHT OXEN. 



discussion, and is even yet undetermined. The 

 prejudice tlirougliout Great Britain is, generally 

 speaking, decidedly in favor of the collar; but 

 throughout Spain and Portugal, where oxen are 

 the only animals employed in agricultural labor, 

 whether of road or field draught, they are invaria- 

 bly yoked by the head. The streng{h of the ani- 

 mal, indeed^ lies in his neck, of the power of which, 

 the 3-oke affords him all the advantage, while the 

 collar deprives him of it, as he does not draw by 

 the shoulders. The far greater cost and trouble ol 

 harness, than of yokes and bows, are also conside- 

 rations of moment; and in summer, harness has 

 been found an incumbrance, the ox requiring all 

 the reliel' and liberty that can be given in hot wea- 

 ther. 



In Portugal, these animals are harnessed in the 

 following manner; a long leather strap is wrapped 

 round the yoke, whence it passes round the lower 

 part of the horns, and is again fastened to the 

 yoke. By this contrivance, the heads of the oxen 

 become more steady while performing their work, 

 and these useful animals are rendered more tracta- 

 ble. In France, and in the Penmsula, oxen are 

 yoked in a manner which is better expressed by 

 the aid of figures than by description. Plate I, 

 figure 1, therefore, represents a view of the hinder 

 part of the head and neck of these animals in the 

 yoke, as they appear to a spectator; and figure 2 

 exhibits a front view of the upper part of their 

 heads, in order to convey a more accurate idea of 

 the mode in which the French oxen are fastened 

 to the bow. We understand that the Earf of 

 Shannon introduced this n)ethod of yoking oxen 

 into Ireland, and that two oxen thus harnessed 

 were enabled, with great ease, to draw the enor- 

 mous weight of three tons. 



The advocates for the collar insist upon the ad- 

 vantages of single-ox-carts; and of ploughing with 

 the team at length, by which, as they walk in the 

 furrow, the land is not so much subject to be 

 poached as when they are yoked abreast. They 

 affirm, also, that the pace is quicker in harness; 

 and that the animal works with greater ease. But 

 their opponents allege, that oxen are more advan- 

 tageously worked in couples than singly, inasmuch 

 as that, being nearer to the draught, they pos.sess 

 greater power over it than when drawing at 

 length: they consider the additional expense occa- 



sioned by a double number of one-ox-carts and 

 drivers, as more than counterbalanced by any ad- 

 vantage, even if any were admitted, in their usej 

 and they deny that the animal works either quick- 

 er or with greater ease. 



It would be endless to detail the various com- 

 parative trials that have been published on this 

 long contested subject; and it may be deemed suf- 

 ficient to state the result of two, made, some j^ears 

 ago, in Sussex; where, from oxen being exten- 

 sively used, the dispute has excited more than 

 common interest. 



In order to decide the respective merits of the 

 two methods, it was agreed^ that an acre of land 

 should be ploughed by two teams, the one of six 

 oxen in double yokes, the other of four oxen in 

 collars; and then, again, with four oxen in single 

 yoke.'j, against four in collars. In the first trial^ 

 the six in yt^ke beat the four in collar easily; and 

 in the second, there were only three minutes dif- 

 ference. The woi'k was equally well performed; 

 but the ploughing must have been very liglit, aw 

 the last match was completed in four Iiours and 

 ten minutes.* 



So far as this experiment may be considered 

 decisive, it re-established tlie equality of the teams; 

 but had it been tried by more severe labor, or on 

 hilly ground, it might have proved different; and 

 in steep ascents, more particularly, the yoke would 

 probably have been found best adapted to the ani- 

 mal. It is a prevalent idea in England, that oxen 

 are unfit (or draught in hilly countries; but a large 

 portion of the Peninsula is mountainous, and there 

 they draw heavy weights in carts of a very rude 

 construction. Being worked in yokes, they pos- 

 sess the power of preserving the line of draughty 

 by lowering the head according to the inclination 

 of the ground, an advantage which is lost in the 

 application of the collar; and their chief strength 

 is, besides, supposed to depend on the jointJ.power 

 of the neck and the base of the horn. 



Lord Egremont has also worked his cattle each 

 way, at Petworth, in both road and field labor, 

 and his Lordship's experience confirms the opin- 

 ion in favor of the old Sussex yoke, of whicli the 

 following is a fiffure. 



See Agricultural Survey of Sussex, p. 243. 



