THE RURAL SOCRATES. 185 



of Benie, a pair of oxen of three years old, that have 

 been in good paflure, commonly fell from ten to fifteen 

 iouis," will not be furprifed at what I have advan- 

 ced. 



It is far otherwife with horfes. Befides that their 

 price is iabje^Sl to very great and frequent variations^ 

 there is great danger in ufing young horfes for heavy, 

 and .conftant labor. The ilightcft accident to a draught 

 liorfe may be a very fenfible lofs to, the farmer, whilPc 

 a lame ox is not at all the vv.orfe when fatted for mar- 

 ket. Add to all this, if the farmer ploughs with hor- 

 fes in their full vigor, he has no other advantage to ex- 

 pect than during the time they can work : He finks a 

 large capital, which, indead of proving beneficial^ 

 waftes every day, and is reduced to nothing at the end 

 of a few years. All thefe confiderations induce our 

 mod judicious cultivators to rate the advantage of 

 drawing with oxen inflead of horfes at 81. ijs. one 

 year with anotherto 



Farther 



X "^I'i^is re.-t{jn;ng is fenfible ; and as it coincides with cur experience 

 in England, on this comparifon, there is the greater reafun to acknow- 

 ledge its juftnefs. The arguments here ufed, are the iswi^ as we hear 

 itioft commonly ufed among ourfelves in thofe counties uhere oxen ar^ 

 3'et worked. — Upon the whole, this comparifon of horfes and oxen high- 

 ly deferves farther attention. — The Marquis de Mirabeau, in a preceding; 

 paper, quotes the Encyclopedic on this fuhjedi : I have read the rDemoira 

 of that work on the fubjeft of agricuhure ; they are extren^ely fenfible, 

 And call aloud for a travjlatkn into Englijh. Among oiher articles, they 

 contain an elabor^ite comparifon between horfes and oxen 3 decided in fa- 

 vor of the former. This comparifon abounds with many circumrtances 

 very curious, and throws much light on the fubjed^, and at the fame tim?; 

 explains, in a good meafurc, the leafon why the French prefer horfe* fa» 

 much. y. 



N. B. The Marquis de Mirabeau not only refers in hi^ letters to the ar- 

 riclc Culture des terres, but to the article Ferm:(^ ; both of xh^m in th? 

 old French Encyclopedia. E. 



.Z 



