214 Mr. Emerson on Horses and Oxen, 



lay down and rest. Compare the horses through the day and night, you will, I hope, 

 find, on such comparison, that my observations are well founded : observe, Sir, that 

 the horses, in a continued standing posture, require a great length of time before 

 they can sufficiently satisfy themselves with food; indeed the carter is wholly em- 

 ployed, before and after their work, in giving them small quantities at a time, in 

 order to induce them to eat quickly as much as possible, to enable them to have 

 time to take rest, that they should be able to perform their work : whereas the 

 ox-man, after foddering his oxen before and after work, milks, or any other work 

 he is ordered to do. The shoeing of horses and many other contingent expences 

 are very considerable : the ox requires no iron placed on his foot, but much better 

 without. In my opinion, from experience, oxen should be harnessed at two years 

 old, in order to make them gentle in their work, step quick, and harden the hoof, 

 to prevent the necessity of shoeing, and, after being properly broke, should be 

 turned out another year. 



R. Emerson* 

 To Thomas Estcourf, Esq. M. P. 



Skipton, May II, 1806. 



