SADDLERY AND HARNESS. 503 



tator. The carriage may be new, the liveries of the smartest kind, bui- 

 unless the harness be excellent, the general effect will be deteriorated 

 The pace of the horses is rendered uneven, the coachman becomes nerv- 

 ous, and the vehicle is not drawn smoothly onward when any sensible 

 defect exists. Gentlemen cannot imagine how much danger is hazarded 

 by the endeavors often made to procure an expensive article at less than 

 a fairly remunerative price. 



FULL SUIT OF BROUOHAU OR PHAETON HARNESS. 



Harness is thus expensive because its uses demand excellence in every 

 part. It is subject to daily trials ; it must be manufactured to sustain 

 perpetual tests as well as to endure constant supervision. A good set 

 of harness should wear eight or ten years, although during the length- 

 ened service repeated repairs must be expected. The mendings, or per- 

 haps the partial renewals, will of course grow heavier as the age of the 

 material increases. If done by piece-work, the repairs will average from 

 one pound to four pounds yearly ; but if a contract be entered into with 

 the maker, the terms usually are from thirty shillings to two pounds per 

 annum ; the agreement dating from the commencement of the wear. 



The endurance of such things, however, is greatly governed by the 

 uses to which they are subjected, and by the manner in which they are 

 treated. When harness is seldom at home, of course it wears faster than 

 when it is rarely or is moderately employed. The industry and habits 

 of the person who looks after the articles have also to be considered. 

 Some lazy men will ruthlessly wash the leather in a pail of water and 

 afterward hang it upon the most convenient paling to dry in the sun 

 shine. Such a proceedmg will prove quickly ruinous : harshness is in 



