No. 11. 



Oxen in Harness. 



333 



For tile Farmers' Cabinet. 



Oxen in Harness. 



Mr. Editor, — Is there any reason why 

 oxen should not be made to work in harness 

 as well as in yokes'? I have repnatedly asked 

 this question, but have never yet met with a 

 valid objection to the imwvation, as it is 

 termed, although much has been urged and 

 strenuously insisted upon, on the ground that 

 it would be found impracticable and impossi- 

 ble. I am not, however, convinced that it is 

 60, but rather, I feel quite certain that the 

 substitution of collars for yokes would be ad- 

 vantageous in every way, both to man and 

 beast. The subject has of late been impressed 

 upon my mind, by witnessing the extreme 

 awkwardness of the adaptation of the yoke to 

 the plough, as well as to several other labours 

 to which the ox is devoted ; but in which his 

 motions and freedom of action are reduced 

 almost to a piece of machinery, by the ever- 

 lasting yoke upon his neck, oftentimes a 

 weight of itself sufficient for a load for a sin- 

 gle beast; and to which it is customary to 

 add half a hundred weight of iron — merely, 1 

 presume, to ascertain how much the poor 

 brutes can be made to bear up against. I 

 was present a few days ago at a discu.«sion 

 of the subject, and would place the arguments 

 for and against the yoke on record, so far as 

 I can remember them. 



C. I wonder why oxen cannot be used in 

 collars as well as yokes'! 



D. Oh, they would not be found to do at 

 all. 



C. Did you ever see the trial made? 



D. No, but I know it would never do. 



C Well, I have seen it tried, and it was 

 found to do exceedingly well. I wonder who 

 first thought of putting a yoke, the size of a 

 tree, upon the poor animals' necks for them 

 to push up against 1 



D. Don't you see it is an ordination of 

 nature] — the hump of the neck being made 

 on purpose to receive the pressure, like a na- 

 tural pad. 



C. Exactly the argument which is nsed by 

 the inhabitants of the inlands of the Hebrides, 

 for hitching their horses to the plough by 

 their tails! " What else," ask they. '°is the 

 tail made for T It is an ordination of nature ; 

 there can be no question about it." But I 

 cannot see that nature or reason has any- 

 thing to do with a practice so cruel and so 

 bungling. 



D. Oh, I have no doubt that upon trial it 

 will be found the beet and easiest method of 

 fixing it; however, I have never seen or heard 

 of any other until now. 



C. At page 1.52 of the Cabinet, vol. 2, it is 

 said, the French method — that of drawing 

 from a board strapped across the forehead, 



has been found far preferable to the yoke, the 

 cattle being easily broke to the method ; step- 

 ping out very light and free; and although 

 sorely pressed by way of experiment on a 

 broiling summer's day, they worked quite 

 easily, in a labour that would have sorely 

 distressed them if in yoke, each ox working 

 separately. 



D. But that is not in collar, as you recom- 

 mend. 



C. True, and is not near so complete ; for 

 there, too, each animal would be separate, 

 after which it would enjoy the freedom of its 

 head as well as its neck. Only think for a 

 moment, of the weight of a broad, thick piece 

 of wood, the length of the thickness of its 

 carcase, the stuffing and strapping, besides 

 the iron hooks for the traces to be hitched to, 

 all hanging at the forehead of the poor beast, 

 for ten hours a day ! 



D. Oh, they don't mind the yoke when 

 they get used to it. 



C. No more do eels mind skinning when 

 they get used to it. But who told you they 

 do not mind iti I guess that custom would 

 never enable us to bear anything so fright- 

 fully painful, wearisome and inconvenient, as 

 a yoke on our necks for so many hours with- 

 out complaining, if we had the power to ex- 

 press ourselves. 



D. Well, did you ever see oxen work in 

 collars'? 



C Repeatedly ; a great many teams, both 

 single and double, come daily into London 

 from the surrounding country, and traverse 

 the streets, both in carts and vi'agons, with 

 the greatest ease and convenience, exhibiting 

 all the tractability of the horse, and the same 

 power of putting back the load and of going 

 forward; with blind bridles, but without bits 

 in their mouths, and collars, stuffijd in a dif- 

 ferent manner from those of the horse ; open- 

 ing on the top and confined with a strap and 

 buckle, and their feet shod with double shoes; 

 in which state they are equal to horses in all 

 but pace; as easily guided and in every way 

 as convenient. And at plough, they are a 

 thousand times more convenient in collars 

 than in yokes; turning at the ends of the 

 lands in half the time and with half the la- 

 bour, and going through a day's work with 

 half the exertion. 



D. Well, I don't see the need of changing 

 what has been in use for so many years. 



C Then, of course, you still adhere to the 

 tinder-box and flint and steel, and have not 

 " changed " them for a box of Lucifer matches. 



D. Oh, but that change for the better waa 

 so apparent. 



C. To me, not half so apparent as the 

 change from the yoke to the collar, because, 

 of so much more importance in the saving of 

 expense and suffering. 



