BULLOCKS V. HORSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19143, 8 October 1925, Page 16

BULLOCKS V. HORSES.

THE RELATIVE MERITS. Toward the end of the eighteenth century the relative merits of oxen and horses in the matter of agricultural labour were exercising the public mind. George 111. is credited with having experimented with oxen upon a larger scale than any other landowner, for he worked upwards of 180 oxen upon his different farms, parks and gardens, and found them to answer so well that he no longer employed a single horse for the work of the tillage. Upon thetwo farms and the park at Windsor 200 oxen were kept, " including those coming on and going off"; 40 were bought in every year, rising three years old, and were kept as succession oxen in the park; 120 were kept under work, and 400 every year were fattened off, rising seven years. The working oxen were mostly divided into teams of six, one of the number being every day rested, so that no animal worked more than five days out of the seven. This day of rest in each week —besides Sundays—was found to be very beneficial to the ox. He was found to do better with ordinary keep and moderate labour than he could do with high keep and harder work. The oxen were never allowed any corn, " as it would pervent their fatting so kiDdly afterwards." In summer they were given a few vetches and the run of a coarse meadow and rough pastures. In winter they had nothing bat cut food, consisting of two-thirds hay and one-third wheat straw. The quantity they consumed daily was about 241b. of hay and 121b. of straw. On rest days they were allowed to range as they like in the straw sheds They were not confined to hot stables, but housed in open fheds, under which they ate their provender. hour oxen generally ploughed an acre per daj, besides doing other work "in proportion."