JtCt. III. THE COUNTY OF FIFE. 265 



has been improved, the use of cattle has gra- 

 dually declined ; to which we may add another 

 fact equally remarkable, that those, who have 

 quitted oxen for horses, have never given up 

 the horses and returned to the oxen again. 



This matter, I should apprehend, might be 

 easily compromised. It will be granted, that, 

 in. no instance, the use of oxen in agriculture, 

 to the total exclusion of horses, would be pro- 

 per. On every farm, some necessary services 

 will be found, which horses can perform to 

 much better purpose than oxen. When the 

 farms are small, and can be wrought with one 

 plough, horses only should be kept. When two 

 ploughs are requisite, the labour may be divid- 

 ed between the horses and the cattle. And on 

 all extensive farms, consisting of four, five, or 

 fix plough-gates, and upwards, two, or at least 

 one yoke of oxen, may be kept solely for the 

 plough, and as many more as may be necessary 

 to take the chief burden of the carriages, for 

 which they are allowed to be, in general, as fit 

 as the horses. As this last mentioned service 

 may not require the whole time and labour of 

 the oxen, the farmer will have it in his power 

 to apply them occasionally to the plough, when 

 bad weather or other unfavourable circumstances, 

 may have thrown that part of his work behind. 

 Besides, having both horses' and cattle at his 

 command, he can always employ the oxen 

 where the land is capable of the. easiest tillage, 

 and consequently, need never be under the ne- 

 cessity of yoking more than a single pair in one 

 plough at a time. In this way, the farmer will 

 be enabled to carry on his operations with sur 

 L 1 



