82 On the Reduction of Horse Labour by single Carts. 



of pressure would be set at rest ? In answer to this it appears 

 to me that the compUcation of the parts of a waggon would render 

 it impossible that it could be made so light as a cart : therefore 

 that the constant misapplication of power by the drawing about 

 an unnecessary weight of material would of itself be a sufficient 

 objection. Beyond, however, the removal of pressure, together 

 with a greater stability when at rest, I am not aware of any 

 material advantage that a waggon possesses for farming objects 

 over a two-wheel carriage. For all purposes of motion, in the 

 field, in the stackyard, and in the interior of barns, I have found 

 it very much inferior. 



I found it advisable in parting with waggons and three-horse 

 dung carts, to dispose of the sets of harness with which they were 

 worked. Having already adopted two-horse ploughs there was 

 no farther occasion for trace-horse harness ; one set only was 

 reserved for timber drawing, and this was put out of the way ; for 

 much progress cannot be made in the system if opportunities are 

 afforded of occasionally adding a trace-horse. Such pretexts must 

 be firmly resisted ; and servants used to large implements have to 

 learn the habit of putting up only such a load as one horse can 

 conveniently draw. 



There seems a fair prima facie reason for having an extra 

 horse to wait upon a steep pitch and help up the single horse, 

 and return down again for the next ; but I believe it to be at 

 variance with the principle of chain work, in this as well as every 

 other system. It is not seen in the northern counties. This extra 

 horse should be put into another cart, and with the rest loaded 

 with just so much as will not prevent his surmounting the diffi- 

 culty in his way.* 



I retained but one trace for every purpose, viz., the chain trace 

 used in ploughing, rivetting it fast to the ''•'hames;" thus the 

 horse is equally ready at a moment's warning to shift to any kind 

 of work. In carting it is hooked at full length under the body 

 of the cart in a direct line with the shoulder and the axletree, and 

 is quite independent of the shaft : and this was adopted from a 

 belief that the common short ones, called tugs," are so attached 

 to the shafts as to feel the swinging of them in such a manner as 

 to operate materially against the draught. I have purposed ap- 

 plying the whipper, described in the structure of the skeleton 

 cart, to my dung-carts : the intention of it is to give free play to a 

 horse's shoulders as they alternately advance ; and also to obviate 

 a slight retrograde movement that takes place alternately in each 



* It appears, however, that it will he more economical to use the extra 

 horse for an extra pull, when otherwise each single horse must go with an 

 half load, on account of one steep pitch which may happen to occur in the 

 distance to be travelled over, — C. Lefroy, 



