242 
DRAUGHT HORSES, &C. 
quantity they will eat as much hay and corn as though 
they had none; they would thus, perhaps, improve a 
horse’s condition so used, but there is no economy in 
them thus applied ; their highest value is for human 
food ; but they are generally reckoned here of more 
value for cattle and sheep, than for horses. 
Horses (Mr. Carpenter says) are so very useful, 
that, for various purposes, they cannot be dispensed 
with, such as for stage waggons, and drawing the heavy 
loads in London, and other great trading towns, as 
well as the heavy loads of farmers over the bad roads 
of clay countries; and for these uses they must be 
strong and of some weight. There is also a second 
sort, of a lighter make, very useful in agriculture upon 
lighter lands, as well as for coaching and the saddle; 
but those calculated for the road, have, of late years, 
been too much mixed with the race breed, on account 
of superior speed ; but, for general use, they ought to 
have a suitable proportion of bone and strength. 
He thinks, that if a less number of horses v r ere kept 
for agriculture, and more oxen were employed, it 
would be a national benefit; oxen, he says, have been 
long generally disused in these parts, though tradition 
informs us, they were formerly generally made use of 
for the purposes of agriculture. 
In the year 179 b he says, he introduced a valuable 
team of oxen of the Gloucester and Hereford breed, 
and hired a man of that country to v r ork them ; since 
which, a few more farmers have used oxen at the 
plough. 
I saw very few ox-teams in use, though some are 
kept, on the west of Severn principally. Mr. Smith, 
of Erdiston, had an ox-team at work when I was there, 
and occasionally uses two ox-teams at the plough; upon 
the Lechmere estate, several plough teams of oxen 
are 
i 
