350 THE HORSE 



effort bad to be made, the driver leaped on to the little 

 horse, when, for a short time, by reason of his added 

 weight, he was nearly equal in draft power to the larger 

 horse. 



Low-wheeled wagons are becoming somewhat com- 

 mon on the farm; they should become more common, 

 although they run harder, other things being equal, 

 than wagons with wheels of standard size. However, 

 the length of haul on the farm is so short that the 

 increase of draft due to the small wheels may be 

 ignored, especially since human physical energy is far 

 more expensive than horse energy. It is not economical 

 to lift heavy material unnecessarily high for the pur- 

 pose of easing the horses, or for the fun of throwing 

 the material down again. Farm -wagons should have, 

 as a rule, wide tires, although, under some circum- 

 stances, they increase the draft over narrow -tired ones 

 seriously. Wagons with wide tires run easier on hard 

 pavements, be they smooth, as of brick or asphalt, or 

 roughish, as when constructed of stone. But on dirt 

 roads covered with two or three inches of stiff mud, 

 the wide -tired wagon is a "horse -killer," or so pro- 

 nounced to be by good teamsters. The use of wide- 

 tired wagons tends to prolong the life of the good 

 road; but this is no reason why wide -tired wagons 

 should be used at the expense of horse-flesh to improve 

 dirt roads which become "villainous" every spring and 

 fall. Narrow tires push away and cut through the mud 

 and find a hard bottom. Wide tires push down and 

 climb over the mud, and by so doing the draft is 

 increased. 



