*\ 



Y ) 



. 

 of Draught. 129 



space of time in the possession of the farmer, seldom above three or 

 four years from the time when they begin to be employed in the 

 draught. They must, of consequence, be frequently bought and sold, 

 which is attended with much trouble and expense ; whereas horses 

 will continue to work with the same farmer for several years, perhaps 

 ten or twelve years from the time that they are first employed ; and 

 when they become unfit for severe labour, they are not thrown away, 

 but can always be sold to higglers, petty carriers and others, to whom 

 cheap horses are an object : 4. The use of horses in agriculture 

 serves as a nursery for those wanted for the road, for pleasure, 

 luxury, and amusement ; and many farmers get their harrowing done 

 cheaply by training up young horses, and giving them but slight work, 

 until they are fit for the market *. 



Conclusion. 



We shall now proceed to state the results of the inquiry. 



The great object of a farmer ought to be, to obtain that species of 

 working stock, which is best calculated to perform all that routine of 

 labour, which the soil, situation, and other circumstances of the land 

 he occupies, may require f . 



In former times, oxen were almost exclusively employed in the 

 labours of agriculture, but they have long been gradually getting into 

 disuse ; and the custom not being re-established in this country, not- 

 withstanding a heavy tax having been at one period imposed on horses J, 

 from which oxen were exempted ; it would be absurd to suppose, 

 that there are not solid grounds for giving the preference to horses . 



It does not appear, that horses are superior to oxen in docility, or 

 ability for works of various kinds ; nor are they, in any respect, more 

 hardy ; but they are possessed of more general applicability to labour, 

 from their conformation, agility, and better feet ||. Hence, in all im- 

 proved countries, since the labours of agriculture have become, not, 

 as formerly, irregular and desultory, but uniform and constant, (more 

 especially on high- rented farms, where the operations of husbandry 

 are carried on with unceasing attention and industry), horses are pre- 

 ferred, as the best and principal resource, on which the farmer can 

 rely for labour. 



There are certain situations however, where a considerable profit 

 may be gained, by employing a proportion of oxen, instead of horses, 

 in agricultural labour. This profit principally arises from three 



* Communications to the Board of Agriculture, vol. v. p. 364. 



f Farmer's Magazine, vol. xiv. p. 275. 



| The tax on horses employed in agriculture, ought certainly not to be ex- 

 tended to breeding mares. Even that exception would be thankfully received 

 by the fanner. 



The late Lord Somerville was the great advocate for oxen. He calculat- 

 ed, there were 600,000 plough and cart horses in England, one-half of them 

 superfluous, while the land that would be required to feed a horse, he said, 

 would support seven or eight human beings. 



|| Coventry's Discourses, p. 171. 



