binding. Thej' aiw easier to pitch to than wag- 

 ons, and not more difficult to unload ; and all the 

 advantages are gained of speed in traveling. 



The facility with which carts are set to a rick, 

 as compared with wagons, will effect a much 

 greater saving of time" than in working from a 

 heap of manure ; you can also draw the carts to 

 all sides of the rick, thereby avoiding the incon- 

 venience of drawing your rick aside by the 

 great treading there generally is on the side on 

 which you unload the wagons, the usual prac- 

 tice being to unload all on one side, from the 

 wagon being too unwieldy in turning to be set 

 at tlie other sides. My sj-stem in carrying a 

 field, what ^^•e call '• double handed " — that is, 

 with two pitchers and two loaders — is to com- 

 mence with one cart, having one pitcher and 

 loader, and when that is half loaded to start 

 another with the other pitcher and loader. — 

 When tlie first is filled it goes to the rick, and is 

 followed by the others in succession : by com- 

 mencing in this way we keep on regularly 

 through the day, having two carts loading in the 

 field and two unloading at tlie rick, and the 

 number of carts employed in going to and fro 

 must be regulated by the distance of the field 

 from the rick ; if very near, one will be suf- 

 ficient, and more than two are seldom required 

 on any farm of moderate dimensions. I conceive 

 it would not be generally useful to mention the 

 time occupied in securing a given number of 

 acres of corn with carts, as so much depends on 

 the bulk of the crop, as well as the power of 

 the men employed. I once accurately remark- 

 ed the time of such an operation : it was in 

 cai-rying a very heavy crop of 10 acres oimomn 

 wheat close to the homestead, which took with 

 five carts four hours and a quarter from the first 

 cart entering the field to the finishing off" the rick 

 with the last. The longer the distance of the 

 field from t'he rick the greater will be the ad- 

 vantage of carts. Supposing each wagon to be 

 drawn by two horses (three are frequently em- 

 ployed,) and that three carts will convey as 

 much as two wagons, which I am certain will 

 be more than bonie out in practice ; then three 

 horses will take as much in the carts as four in 

 the wagons, and they will perform the distance 



in little more than half the time. It is 



supp 



oscd 



that an additional expense attends carts m the 

 number of boys required to go with them : this 

 is not the case ; the boys are younger and less 

 expensive than those intrusted with wagons, 

 and the lior.ses do not need any boy in the field, 

 as when they become accustomed to their work 

 they will walk steadily beside the cocks without 

 being attended. There is an impression that 

 carls will not answer in hilly situations; we 

 find, however, they are employed, to the exclu- 

 sion of wagons, in some of the most hilly coun- 

 ties of England. I liave certainly nothing very 

 steep on my farm ; but 50 acres lie nearly two 

 miles from the rest of my land, on which road 

 there are two very sharp pitches, up and down 

 which I am constantly taking loads, and have 

 never found more inconvenience with carts tlian 

 I formerly did with wagons. But, to prevent 

 any possibility of accident, there is now to be 

 had the self-acting drag, which retards the 

 wheels in propertiou to the descent : there is 

 also a very simple method of moving the load 

 forward by means of a screw when going up 

 hill, and backward in descending a hill. But 

 I have found the carts I have answer so well 

 without these additions, that I shall not go to 

 the expense of either of these improvements at 

 (718) 



present. In taking out com in the sacks, carts 

 will be found far preferable to wagon.s, as in all 

 the other operations caiiying a greater weight 

 ^vith the same ease and in less time, each cart 

 carrying 5 quarters of wheat N early the whole 

 of my wheat goes to a mill seven miles distant, 

 on the road to which there are three steep hills. 

 I always send two carts, cairying five quarters 

 of -wheat each, with one lad of eighteen or 

 twenty, going twice a-day ; and in summer, 

 when the roads are very good. I have put sj 

 quarters behind each horse : thus two horses 

 would deliver 2'2 quarters in a day. 



I have endeavored to answer all the objec- 

 tions I have heard used against one-horse carts, 

 objections which I once strongly felt myself. — 

 My attention was first drawn seriously to the 

 subject from hiring a man to draw .some stones 

 for draining. He came ■with a horse only 14 

 hands high and a small cart, %then the work 

 he accomplished so surprised me, that I at once 

 decided to try two light carts, which, after suc- 

 ceeding well in all other operations. I employ- 

 ed in the harvest field : and being filllj' satisfied 

 with them in this capacitj", I soon discarded 

 every wagon from the farm. 



I have carefully endeavored to give a just es- 

 timate of the saving in horses and implements 

 by the u.se of carts ; since they were first em- 

 ployed bj' me I have eflected a greater reduc- 

 tion in the number of each than is here repre- 

 sented. When I kept wagons 1 had not so 

 much land by 20 acres in cultivation as at pres- 

 ent ; I then kept ten horses, four wagons, three 

 dung carts, and one light cart ; I now only keep 

 six carts and six horses. I, however, attribute 

 a portion of the saving to the use of the scarifi- 

 er in many instances instead of the [ilow, and 

 I now very rarely put more than two horses to 

 a plow, while at that time I frequently had three; 

 on the other hand, for two years past. I have 

 each year carted 150 loads of night-soil a dis- 

 tance of a mile and a half, and 300 loads of road- 

 scrapings, &c. half a mile, which is two-thirds 

 more than I did during tlie time I had wagons. 

 I have also done each j-ear the following extra 

 work :— carted 30 tons of potatoes two miles, 

 60 tons of roots half a mile, sub.soil plowed 6 or 

 7 acres, and carted stones for I.t acres of drain- 

 ing 30 feet distant. I have therefore taken all 

 these things into due consideration, and given 

 the fairest representation in my power. 



The description of carts I make use of are, 

 five common Scotch carts and one .skeleton cart ; 

 those of the fonner, ■with naiTOw wheels, cost 

 me 10 guineas each ; and with the 4-inch wheels 

 (which I recommend) £\% with harvest-frame, 

 &c. complete. The skeleton with naiTOW 

 wheels cost me £10 ; it will earn- tuore hay or 

 straw^ than the others, its loads being in propor- 

 tion of four carts to three wagons — it is more 

 convenient for conveying pole.«, hurdles, <Scc. ; 

 and one on a farm may be useful, but it will not 

 answer in dung-carting, and its advantages in har- 

 vesting are not sufficient to remunerate for tlie 

 additional outlay of a double set. 



In conclusion, I may remark that the princi- 

 ple of one-horse carts is quickness of motion, 

 therefore load according to the load to be pass- 

 ed over, but never reduce the pace of traveling ; 

 and I can assure those who aie timid abont 

 them, that they are much less liable to accitlents 

 of evei'y kind than wagons ; and that, however 

 prejudiced the workman may be against their 

 first introduction, when he becomes acquainted 

 with the system he will prefer it. 



