156 ESSAY ON THE 



of corn-meal and three and a half pounds of meat for a week, besides 

 salt fish and vegetables; not enough, supposing the meat to be con- 

 verted into hay, to keep the horse he drives for a single day. 



Another view which must not be overlooked is, that the ox makes 

 much more and better manure than the horse. He is, in fact, a much 

 better machine for grinding down by liis ruminating process into 

 manure, all the provender which cannot be taken for sale from the 

 farm. It is in few cases economical, often not even with hogs, to 

 consume the ^ra/n on the farm; and of all things that eat it, not 

 excepting poultry and pigeons, the horse is the most expensive, as 

 he gives it back in no way but by his labour, and therefore is the last 

 animal that should be kept when it can he avoided. 



We proceed to the practical suggestions which it is believed will 

 be useful to those who may feel persuaded to adopt our recommend- 

 ations. 



Breaking. — The sooner this is commenced, the more complete 

 will be the command of the teamster. It would be well, if conve- 

 nient, to have them named and haltered, and taught to stand and to 

 start, to " gee" and to " haw," when not more than a year old, and 

 slightly worked in the summer and autumn after they are two. Gee 

 and haw are the terms used in most parts of the country. The first 

 indicates that the yoke is to incline off to the right, or from the near 

 side on which the driver should always take his stand. The yoke, 

 however, should not be put on their necks until they are to be work- 

 ed, as they might acquire a habit of running off in it, which it will 

 be found very difficult to correct. 



The directions which follow are taken principally from practical 

 observations by T. P. Stabler, of Montgomery county, who has per- 

 formed in Maryland all the requisite labour on a farm of one hundred 

 and sixty acres, with but one horse in addition to his oxen, and of 

 Mr. Gilman, then of Alexandria. " The proper time," says Mr. Sta- 

 bler, "for putting them to work, is at three years old; and such as 

 have not been handled, as above recommended, while growing, should 

 be driven round the field for a day or two, before being yoked, so as 

 to tire them." The propriety of this is proved by the greater ease 

 with which they are broken, when taken and yoked directly out 

 of a drove, before they have time to recruit from the fatigue of tra- 

 velling. Instead, then, of being yoked two together, they should be 

 tied by the horns (with a rope slipped over and resting on the top of 

 the head) to the side of a house, taking care that there be no place 

 for the horns to become entangled, and stand tied in this manner till 

 they cease to pull by the cord, which will in most cases be in a day 

 or two. They may then be led very readily, and taught to turn, stop, 

 or start, singly, just as a colt may be, instead of coupling two toge- 

 ther at first, which any man in the care of horses would condemn, as 

 being most likely to end in the destruction of one or both, which has 

 not unfrequently happened with young steers when forcibly yoked 

 together in the first instance. 



