4-12 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
Bulls in Harness. 
It seems rather strange that the various modes 
of using the labor of bovine animals—oxen. 
Fig. 1.— BULL IX CART HARNESS. 
cows, and bulls—in all times and in all countries, 
should so universally have contemplated yoking 
or harnessing them in pairs. Horses have been 
used singly, both for light and heavy draft, but 
only now and then some zealous utilitarian or 
some poverty-stricken peasant has applied the 
strength, the one of his bull, the other of his 
Fig. 3.—-BULL IN WAGON HARNESS. 
lone cow, to tillage of the soil or other agricul¬ 
tural labor. We have long had our own no¬ 
tions as to how bulls might best be harnessed, 
but some time ago set about finding out what 
other plans were in vogue. To this end we 
proposed the question in the Agriculturist, 
and have heard from several of our readers. 
One who studies the form of the bull, ox, and 
cow, especially when they are walking, will see 
clearly, wo think, that there are but two points 
from which they can draw a. load. One is where 
the yoke rests ordinarily as cattle are worked in 
this country,—the top of the neck in front of 
the shoulders; the other is the forehead, where 
the yoke is generally placed in Europe and 
Spanish America. When oxen are yoked in the 
common way, they draw chiefly by the yoke, 
the traces are attached. It would draw across 
the points of the shoulders, or below them upon 
the brisket, and in either case would cramp the 
motions of the fore legs and pain the animal— 
we all know how quickly 
a tight ox-bow will gall 
the throat; and besides, it 
would, we presume, inter¬ 
fere with breathing and 
rumination. The natural 
and only way for an ox or 
bull in a state of freedom 
to exert all its power is, by 
the horns or forehead, so 
that the animal can push, as 
when fighting. The objec- 
tions to this mode of yok¬ 
ing oxen are, that t heir 
heads are uncomfortably 
confined when drawing, 
that a separate ncck-voke 
or harness must be used if cattle are work¬ 
ed in a cart or wagon, and (which has not 
yet been proved) that they draw no easier. 
These objections, however, apply with less 
force to yoking single bulls by the head. 
The different methods we are now able to 
suggest arc illustrated with con¬ 
siderable minute¬ 
ness to make them 
clearer. Figure 5 
represents a bull in 
the single 'wooden 
yoke, made like, or, 
in some cases per¬ 
haps, of half a com¬ 
mon yoke, than 
which the ends 
ought to be longer 
and more pointed. 
They should have 
strong bolts passing 
through them, with rings or hooks attached, 
to which traces may be fastened. This is an 
awkward contrivance, but strong, convenient, 
wagon harness, and figure 4 a plow harness, 
with collars. The neck-band collar (sec fig. 2) 
would work equally well for plowing. 
American preferences condemn the use of 
■BULL HARNESSED WITH A NECK-BAND. 
the head-yoke, which is represented by figures 
G and 7. Figure 8 represents the head of a bull 
with the yoke attached. This yoke is made of 
hickory or ash, the wood being 20 inches long, 
somewhat curved, 3 inches wide, and l 1 ] 2 inches 
thick, tapering to the tips. The ends are ironed, 
Fig. 5.—BULL IN SINGLE YOKfi. 
and not very much by the bows, as might be 
supposed. The ox cannot draw comfortably in 
a breast collar, that is, by a strap passing 
around under the neck horizontally, to which 
Fig. 7.— BOTTOM OF HEAD-YOKE. 
and easily made. It may be used with either 
the cart or wagon harness, as shown in figures 
1 and 3, and is not unfrequently seen in New 
England. Figure 2 is a bull harnessed to draw 
mainly by a neck-band, connected with breech¬ 
ing straps and traces. The harness goes in 
front of the brisket, but comparatively little draft 
comes upon it. When cattle are thus harnessed 
in pairs, a hold-back chain goes from the breast- 
piece to the pole. We have the sketch from a 
friend who has seen it used in the Middle States. 
Figure 1 shows a bull in a regular horse-cart 
harness, the collar being simply inverted. A 
young bull may usually bo harnessed in this 
way, but most old ones would need to have the 
collar widened. The shape of a bull’s neck 
is such that a large horse collar, that may bo 
opened, will often fit very well. The rings or 
hooks in the liames for attaching the traces are- 
in just the right places, but, unfortunately, some 
bulls cannot be harnessed with an ordinary col¬ 
lar; for such collars must be made, or some 
.other plan adopted* Figure 3 shows a common 
Fig. 4.— -BULL IN FLOW HARNESS. « 
and have strong hooks attached. A leathern 
cushion is on the inner side of the curve, well 
padded with hair or moss. Straps passing 
through holes 4 inches from each end serve to 
attach the yoke to the horns, so that it hangs 
free upon the forehead. 
Coupling for [Double Harrow's. 
It is often a disappointment to the purchasers 
of double harrows to find that they are not 
usually made so as to turn one upon the other 
without uncoupling. Were this possible, they . 
would be more conveniently handled in loading 
them upon wagons or sleds. For a special pur¬ 
pose now and then, where a heavily weighted 
BULL WITH HEAD-YOKF.. 
harrow is desirable, as where a spot filled with 
quack grass exists in the centre of a field, it 
would often be very convenient to turn one half 
upon the oilier, and if more weight were want- 
