YOKING. 



the bafe or bottom of the horns, and again fattened to the 

 yoke." It has been obferved by a writer in the ninth 

 Tolume of the Agricultural Magazine, that with refpeft to 

 the fecond method which has been noticed above, the 

 " ufual form of the yoke is a frame of wood fitted over the 

 necks of the oxen, by which they are coupled, and harnefled 

 to the plough. It confifts of feveral parts, as the yoke 

 properly fo called, which is a thick piece of wood, lying 

 over the neck ; the bow, which compafles the neck about ; 

 the ditchings and wreathings, which hold the bow faft in 

 the yoke, and the yoke-ring and ox-chain," which is fup- 

 pofed " a method which is evidently founded on a total 

 raillake in the anatomy of the ox." 



And that in the firll we have " imitated the gear ufed 

 with the horfe, without confidering that the llrength and 

 ai^ility of the ox are placed by nature in a different fituation. 

 The neck of the ox is a tower of ftrength ; if the foil 

 reiift, he projefts this part of his form with that prodigious 

 mufcular force with which nature has provided him for his 

 own defence ; but without attending to her operations, we 

 impofe a load of timber on his withers, we lacerate his 

 IK^lh, and prefs him down to the earth." 



The third or French mode of yoking is thus defcribed in 

 the words of Mr. Hughes. " The labourer pafTes a piece 

 of wood, of about one-fixth of the weight of the Enghdi 

 yoke, acrofs the forehead of his cattle, having previoufly 

 neatly hollowed out the extremities- of it to fit tlie mould of 

 the head, and hned thofe hollows with a piece of woolly 

 fheep-flvin, to anfwer the purpofe of a foft pad or cufhion. 

 This hght and eafy yoke he braces to the horns with a fmall 

 thong of leather, attaches the beam of his plough to the 

 middle part of it, and the animal is completely equipped for 

 his labour." 



It has been obferved by lord Somerville, in his Syftem of 

 the Board of Agriculture, that oxen, " whether worked in 

 harnefs, or in the yoke and bow, as in England, by the 

 joint power of the yoke and horn, as in Portugal, or by the 

 head, as in France, they cannot fail to benefit their employer. 

 As, however, the yoke and bow have prevailed for a con- 

 fiderable length of time, it is probable that the praftice 

 may ftill prevail, in which cafe the Portuguefe mode of 

 draught will apply with the utmoft eafe and fuccefs to our 

 yoke and bow, fo as gradually and imperceptibly to cheat 

 oxen into its ufe. This in itfelf is an obvious advantage, 

 becaufe it gives two points of draught infteaJ of one, and 

 I thereby reheving each admits of a lighter yoke, which in this 

 country has ever been far too heavy and oppreflive ; and if 

 hereafter the French method fhould be preferred, for which 

 there are not wanting advocates, it is the bed preparatory 

 rtep to its introduAion. It would be almoft fuperfluous to 

 ' remark that the Itrong points of an ox are in his head and 

 I neck. It is ordained by nature, that where the drength of 

 an animal lies, there he will refort for defence ; the horfe to 

 his heels, the man to his arms, and the ox to his head ; and 

 in cafes of the greateft exertion, the bead ever puts his nofe 

 clofe to the ground." 



In objeftion to the harnefGng of oxen, it has been obferved 

 in the paper noticed above, that " the article of gear is an 

 opprelTive annual charge, from the peridiable nature of the 

 commodity employed. The tackle there recommended for 

 tweWe oxen would not amount to fix-and-thirty ftiillings, 

 whereas the leathern harnefs for the fame number of animals, 

 according to the new method, would coft fix-and-thirty 

 pounds, and the annual expence of repairs would exceed 

 thrice the original cod of the former." And that " by 

 the French mode of yoking, at lead one-third more of the 

 power of the animal is obtained. In the common way, the 



fhoulder bemg bruifed by the unyielding bow, no vieour .»• 

 exerted, exceptmg what is imparted by the goad ; and the 

 iinews of the neck are not brought into employment : hence 

 the lubhme and gigantic force with which he is endowed is 

 not rendered fubfervient in the important duties he has to 

 pertorm for the fupply of human fubfidence. The cattle 

 proceed in the French team bold and ered : no pain op- 

 prelles them, and they chew the cud cheerfully as they pace 

 along the furrow. On the contrary, in this country the 

 painful preffure obdrufts the progrefs of the animals, they 

 lean againd each other, fcarcely capable of fupporting their 

 own weight, and the fine intelligent eye which nature has 

 given them to exprefs the generofity of their temper is 

 clouded with anxiety." That " the trial of this method 

 has at lead two recommendations ; it may be made at very 

 little expence, and under the fair expeftation of fuccefs." 

 See Team. 



The methods of yoking cattle in ploughs are alfo dif- 

 ferent in different places; but the only circumdance worthy 

 of being confidered is, whether the cattle fhould be yoked 

 in pairs, or in a line before each other. It may, therefore, 

 be ufeful to confider the advantages and difadvantages at- 

 tending each mode, and to compare them. 



The mod common way of yoking cattle in ploughs is in 

 pairs. There are fome difadvantages attending this way 

 that are obvious. In ploughing the furrows betwixt ridges, 

 the land-cattle go upon the ploughed land, and tread it 

 down with their feet : this, efpecially if the land be wet, 

 poaches and hurts it very much. And there is another 

 difadvantage vyhich is very obvious. When there is but as 

 much of the ridge unploughed as to allow the land-cattle to 

 go upon it with difficulty, they are frequently either going 

 into the oppofite furrow, and thereby giving the plough 

 too much land, or, which is worfe, they are jodling the 

 furrow-cattle upon the ploughed land. 



In order to remove the inconveniences which attend the 

 ploughing with cattle yoked in pairs, fome yoke them in a 

 line before each other. It is obvious, that cattle yoked in 

 this manner, going always in the furrow, neither tread upon 

 the ploughed land nor jodle one another. In thefe refpefts, 

 the yoking the cattle in a hne before each other feems to 

 have the advantage. It is to be obferved, however, that 

 this method is not quite free from inconveniences. When 

 examined, it may, perhaps, be found attended with as great 

 inconvenience as the other. Where cattle are yoked in a 

 line, they go all in the furrow. This makes it neceflary to 

 give the plough more land than ordinary, either by the fock 

 or the muzzle; for if this be not done, the head and fock 

 being in the fame direftion with the beam, and the cattle 

 yoked to the middle of it, the plough will direftly follow 

 the cattle without taking any thing off from the land. 

 Now it is inconvenient to be obliged to give the plough 

 land either by the fock or muzzle ; for when the fock is 

 turned out of the plane of the beam, it makes the plough 

 heavy to draw ; and when the muzzle puts the draught too 

 much to one fide of the beam, it prevents the plough from 

 going upright. The yoking of the cattle in pairs is attended 

 with none of thefe inconveniences ; for in this cafe, the 

 quantity of land which the plough has naturally, when 

 right made, is fufficient to make it take off a proper 

 furrow. 



There is another inconvenience that attends yoking 

 cattle in a line, arifing from the nature of the animals, 

 which is, that as they like their eafe, they are difpofed to 

 throw the burden upon their fellows. This they have a 

 better opportunity of doing w]ien yoked in a line before 

 each other than when yoked in pairs. When yoked in a 



line, 



