MANAGEMENT 257 



mechanical power, and, so far as we are yet able to see into 

 the future, will continue to demand it. 1 Since it is necessary to 

 have a certain amount of animal power for these purposes on 

 every well-equipped farm, it is sometimes economical to use it 

 for other tasks where mechanical power might otherwise prove 

 more efficient and more economical. 



Animal power. Taking the world over, a great variety of 

 animals have been used for this purpose. They include the 

 elephant, the camel, the buffalo, the reindeer, the dog, the ox, 

 the horse, the ass, and the mule. We in America, as well as 

 the nations in western Europe, make use of the last four only. 

 In all probability we shall continue to restrict ourselves to 

 these four, though there are reasons for believing that the 

 camel would prove a useful addition on some of the farms of 

 the arid Southwest, from Texas to southern California, if we 

 could only become accustomed to it and skillful in its manage- 

 ment. However, the advantage is by no means certain, and 

 the difficulty of getting used to the camel would be consider- 

 able'; therefore it is not probable that it will ever come into 

 general use on this continent. In southeastern Europe, how- 

 ever, one frequently sees camels harnessed to plows, harrows, 

 and even to twine binders imported from America. 



While the ass is in common use as a draft animal in some 

 parts of southern Europe, particularly on very small farms, 

 its use for such purposes is almost unknown in this country. 

 The ox was formerly found at work on almost every farm, 

 but its use has very greatly declined, particularly since about 

 the period of the Civil War, when farm machinery came into 

 general use. In very recent years, however, there has been 

 a slight renewal of interest in the ox, partly as a result of 



1 Prophecy is, however, always hazardous. Since it is not only hazardous 

 but unnecessary, we shall content ourselves with the undoubted fact that at 

 the present time mechanical power has not displaced animal power. 



