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THESIS
. Four and Six Horse Teams On The Farn,

° Ay . BY,
‘ . poe OE

a. -
E.D.A.True- Class of ’78,

My object in this paper,is to propose a reduction
ofexpemse to the farmer of Michigan, by increasing the
number of horses in a team, from two or three, to
four or six, and correspondingly reducing the numper
of men eiployed in cultivating the soil and hauling
loads.
What I shall say on tnis subject, is based on a
growing experience of fifteen years, it oeing about
that length of time, since we began using four horse
teams on the farm. Since that time we have gradue
ally passed from the occasional use of a four horse
team to the almost constant use of four,five or six
horse téans, for plowing, harrowing,rolling, and so
forth, and the frequent use of four horses, for hauling
loads, especially on the road.

Our first systematic use of four horses, began
before the ;eneral introduction of the springtooth
harrow,when the wheel cultivator was almost universally
used in tae spring, for working up 7alli plowing.

Cultivating was such heavy work, that when the
ground was at all aard, one of tnree evils generally
followed; either the horses were overworked, the work
was poorly done, or the cul€ivator and man had to
stand idle one third of tne time, while the horses
were resting. This we observed and undertook to
remedy, by putting a span of horses on e@ch side of
the pole of our cultivator, and found as @ result,
that doing the work thoroughly,one man, one cultivator
and four horses would, cultivate as mich as two men,
two cultivators, and four horses.

From that time forward we wlways did our cultivating
with four horses.

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After cultivating with four,our next step was

coupling two harrows together,and trying four on them.

Two harrows however when coupled together, proved to
draw much harder than when seperate, consequently though
with grave missgivings as to whether we were not over-
stepping the bounds of prudence, we applied six horses
abreast, and with such satisfactory results tuat six
abreast became a regular institution with us, for
though two harrows together, drew harder than when
seperate, the work done was so much more effective that
we considered it no waste of energy.

After using two harrows together we soon coupled
two rollers together, and also used various combina-
tions of tools as for isstance, a roller or a Randall
dise with a harrow hitched behind,

A arrow with a roller behind it, a spring tooth
with a spdke tooth behind it, and occassionally 4
train of three tools together; ast of all we added
a gang plow, which turns two large furrows and requires
six horses to draw it, and with which one man plows
four acres 4 day, so that at present nearly all our
cultivating operations, are done to a greater or less
extent, in a wholesale manner.

We have been advancing along these lines, year
after year, because byxxgaxdakxg we believe we receive
benefits by so doing.- What are they?

First, and most directly, we save wages and board
of one or two men in the most hurrying time of the
year, agregating perhaps there are four months for
one man, in the course of the year. This is not a
vast saving, but is good as far as it goes, but the
benefits do not stop with wages and board, for when
we lesses our gang of men, we lessen tne cost of super
vision.

If I send three men into a field, with two horses
each, I know that they are almost certain either
intentionally, or unintentionally, to waste each others
time, and experience has taught me, that it pays to
keep near enough to know what ig going.on thegge Jf I
eombine the six horses into one team, with one driver,

I am practically care free for I find by experience
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that there is only the slightest danger that he will
not work and work faithfully, Basponsibility has a
good e@fect on men in any circumstances, and I believe
that the responsibility of driving six horses, makes

@ man work better than when driving two. Again, I may
drive the team myself, fe®ling that I am earning tie
waces of boss and all hands,.

I have ridden iany a week after six horses, feelsg
ing taat I was doing work worthy of a graduate of M.A,
C., when I might otherwise have been plodding wearily
after two, feeling myself in more than one sense, on
a level with my horses.

We often get considerable help in the hurrying
season, by using colts and other horses which for any
reason are not fit to do the full work of a horse, and
would scarcely be worth driving, if we had to furnish
a driver for every two, or even three.

For instance, last spring we made five colts do
the work of about three old horses by working them into
large teams, when otherwise, they would not have been
us ed. After tne corn was planted, they were turned
out, and have not been hitched up since, and perhaps
will not be till next spring.

We often get the use of our horses by making one
man drive six, when taey would otherwise be idle for
want of a driver, when work not requiring horses, calls
off the men, |

Horses, will do whatever you set them at,
without jealousy or dissatisfaction. If you want
to change them from one job to another, or from one
team to another, you may do so with impunity, as far
as the horses are concerned.

Men are more sensitive , about the way they are
handled, and a man who hag eight or ten norses, and
only two teamsters, can maniputate them inuch more
easily, than tiie same number of horses witn four or
five teamsters,

Reducing the number of men out of doors, reduces
the work in the house, and in fact, the farmer who can
successfully work his gorses with half the usual
number of teamsters, will gain advantage upon advan.
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A large factory is not an aggr®gation of smll
shops under aone management. Instead of half a dozen
small engines with half a dozen engineers , one large
one with one engineer, furnishes the power,

Instead of small machines we find barge ones,
with which the same number of men, do tens or hundreds
of times the amount of work. A large farm should not
be an aggregation of smll ones, but large fields,
large tools,large teams and wholesale methods should
correspond with broadened opportunities,

Though it is my Object in this Paper to advise
the farmer to drive more horses in one team, I would
not advocate hitching two or three span of horses to-
gether, without carefully considering the safety of
the plan, with reference to ones own particular horses.

One man cannot manage two runwway horses, much
less half a dozen, and the danger, in case of a general
runaway, of course increases with the number of horses
involved, therefore, be careful how you take chances
by hitching up fractious horses,

Farm horses are however as a rule very docile and
if properly fed and managed, may be safely hitched
together by the dozen, if requ red.

If I have to hitch in a horse that I think is
inclined torun, I ut him on for an outside horse,
and hitch him to the next horses hame by his tie-strap
then I put my safest horse on the opposite side of
the team, and if the fractious horse starts to run,
and I can’t hold him, I hold back the safe side of ny
team, and the result is a circle.

I have never had but one runwway in all my exper-
ience with wide teams, and that, I stopped by the
above tactics, making a circle, probably not more than
three or four rods in diameter, and quickly subduing
the runners.

My manner of hitching four horses abreast, is to
hitch up two span of horses as if they were to work
seperately, drive them side by side, and fasten the
two inside horses loosely together, by a strap three
or four feet long, passing between the two inside
breast strap rings.
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If I use & neckyoke, tnois strap is not needed, as
its only use is to keep the two teams from straying
apart.

Then I take the four reins in my hands 4nd cross
the two inside oneg, bringing the right hand rein of
each span into my right hand, and the left hand rein
of each span into my-left -hand,. Tem 1 start the four,
and if necessary let the reins slip in my hands till
they all draw evenly, and then without allowing them
to slip out of place, I tie a single knot in each pair,
just forward of where I wish to take hold in driving,
thus converting the two reins in my right hand into
one, and the same witn those in my left hand, the knots
being within reach, so that I can shift them if necess-
ary, and also reach forward of them, as is often
convienent in turming .

In hitching six abreast I follow the same Pian,
Witching up two independent threeshorge teams, I place
them side by side and tie the inside horses together
by their breaststrap rings, unless neckyoked,- cross
the reing as before,- start my team to see that the
reins are all even, and tie, as vefore, witnin reach
of tae drivers hand.

For five abreast of course I place : a two uorse
team beside a three horse team,cross tie reing and tie
as before,

The object in fasteniny, the two inside horses to-
gether, either by a strap or by a neckyoke, is simply
to keep the two teams from straying -apart, The reins
will generally do this, in fact I used*to drive with
nothing to hold my horses together, but the guidance of
tiie reins,

Tuis is unsafe however, as the driver is liable
to accidentally pull the wrong rein and rive to two
teams 4@part, or a line may become foul and produce the
same result, and when the component teams bein to
diverge, the driver soon Looses all controll, and the
tangle becomes serious.

Hired men are apt to want to tie the inside
horses together by their heads as it relieves then of

sometrouble in driving ,but this I never allow.
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After the reins are crossed and tied, tneir
direction is changed, enough to cause considerable
loosening of some of the cross-reins, and tighteniny
of others. This must be corrected before they will
work satisfactorily.

This is explained by figures 1 and 2.

This arrangement of reins is somewhat imperfect,
but has the advantage of allowing the teams to be
aliiost instantly changed from two or three abreast, to
four or six, and vice versa, without tiie use of extra
straps, which for my own use I consider an essential
consideration,

I have no doubt that for use exclusively on four
or six horse teams, reins might be contrived, that
would de more satisfactory, but the advantage just
mentioned is of such paramount importance for my own
use, tnat I nave.mewerattempted to make a chanye.

The imperfection just mentioned in tne working of
this system of reins will be explained by Figures 5,4
and 5 more easily than I can explainit otherywise,Bn
these Figures tae position of the horses is represented
by the position of the bits, a straight pull on B
figure one and Zoosining of A makes the horses take
the position shown in Figure @, thereas they should
take the position indicated in Figure 5, which is done
by stepping to the left and making A. & B, take the
position A* & B" or by reaching forward of K. on the
right hand branch of tne rein B.,loosening the rein
A. This makes the right hand horse act as a pivot
for the whole team to revolve upon.

‘In actual practice after horses become used to
working together they will generally turn almost
without guidance, one horse standing nearly still
sometimes even backing a Little, while the rest
swing around him. The time and space required for
turning not being nearly so great as a novice would
naturally soppose.

On my own harness I ia e adopted a style of rein
which I consider superior for any purpose, to taht
generally in use, put which is especially adapted to
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Figure l. Figure 2,

Figure 1. Represents by means of reins and bits,
two span of horses side by side, ready to have reins
crossed and tied.

a.b.c.d. Reins.
e.f.g.h. Cross reins.

Figure 2, Represents the same with reiyns crossed
and tied.

It is evident that the cross-reins f.and g. will
be loosened 4and also that e.and h. tightened.

This tightening and Loosening must be corrected
or the horses will not drive properly.

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Figure &, Figure 4,
use on wide teans, as 1t allows of unlimited change in
the leny;th of tue two forks of the rein in either
direction without the need of buckle holes and also
allows the long and snort branch of the rein to cnany
places without turning the rein over or changing tie
distance o? tue fork froin tiie bits.

I can explain the comparative workings of the two
reins more easily, by referrin,; to Figure 6 and figure
7, Whe ordinary form of rein is siown at Figure 6
and consists of two peices, the ¢tem A.B.C. and the
cross rein d.D..sliding on the stem by means of the
buckel B. Bd. is supposedto oe longer than b.C.

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B C

, Fijsure 7.

but in ease of driving six abreast B.& C. sometimes
has to be ade lonyrer than B.d. which makes it necess-
ary to turn the rein over or slide the buckbe B. alon,:;
distance on the stem,making the fork come much farther
from the hits than was intended, and -aking it necessay
to nave a long row of buckle holes punched in the stem
in order to allow of so much shifting.

The rein that I prefer is also composed of two
parts as seen in Figure 7 D

 

A.B. steia whieh is simply a straisht strap wit
fie end turned back and sewed down making, a loop at B.
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C.B.D. the cross rein is a continous strp 12 feet
long with the usual arrangements for fastening it into
the bits, and looped upon the stem as represented at B,

When the loops are drawn upon they will not slip
but are easily loosened, when the cross-rein may be
sli ped in either direction as far as desired.

I often use a stem or handpiece of quarter inch
rope, looped upon the leather cross-rein, this makes
a very light,bheap rein that any one can make in 4
few minutes, of any length desired.- For driving six
the reins need to be uncommonly long and lightness is
also consideration. A whip long enough to reach the
remotest horse is an essential part of the drivers
outfit. This need not be an expensive braided affair
but may be cut from a good heavy boot leg or some other
piece of firm leather,

Six abreast make a rather loose jointed team and
the driver must not expect to hold them as strictly
to place as if driving two, and if they get out of the
proper course, are not to be brought back suddenly by
@ sharp pull, but gradually by an easy curve,

The guiding of six abreast reminds me of the
steering of a large boat, the man at the wheel never
stops turning it, first a little to the right and then
a little to the lef$,so with six abreast, the driver
mus t be constantly touching this rein then that, nip-
ping in the bud each incipient curve, not making and
straightening great ones.

The easiest way to drive six, if walking, is to
tie the reins aogether and put them around the body,
The force required to straighten so many reins, will
very materially lessen the labor of walking: while if
holding the reins simply in the hand the strain on
the hands and arms is very tiresome.

I always feel however that a six horse driver
deserves to ride and when using a tool without a seat
as for instance, a harrow, I generally couple on @
little cart made for the purpose, which aijditts much to
the comfort of the driver and not very much to the
draught of the team.
When unhitching four and especially six horses
the driver will necessarily be out of reach of several
horses most of the time and they are apt to take
advantage of this and begin to stray away causing
much trouble. Do not allow one to start till all are
ready to go and if necessary have a light strap or
rope ready and pass it through a bit ring of each
horse snapping or tieing it to the two outside ones,
this will prevent all trouble and when all are unhitché
it can be unsnanped at the ends and pulled out. This
plan will prevent much trouble and if the horses are
inclined to be frisky perhaps weal danger.

My plan and constant aim when working horses is,
whateva tool I am using, to have power enough to keep
it going constantly, I do not intend to have the team
stop much more than I do a threshing machine. From
the time they start till time to turn out, it is as
steady jog,- not fast, unless the footing is firm and
the work light but constant. When a team has to rest
every few minutes the time thus consumed, soon amounts
to an alarmingly great part of the day, and resting
will wery likely be carried to excess if the drivers
inclination leans that way, and if net the horses will
be in danger of being overwork ed.

What would you think of a teamster who on the
road constantly loaded his horses so that they hd to
rest every mile? You would say he was a fool and not
fit to drive a horse. How much better is a farmer who
does the same thing in his field?

Horses worked so hard that they have to be rested
frequently are much more likely to have sore sholders,
than when worked moderately and continually, and of all
the jobs that fall to the lot of a teamster, I think
nursing a sore shouldered horse is about the most
discomrayeing and of ail the abases carried on by
respectable people, I count working a horse with the
collar pressing into a raw sore about the worst.

A ‘four or six horse evener, with whiffletrees
attached., is a heavy thing at the best, and should be
made as light as possible. The easiest way to reduce
the weight, and keep the strength, is to reduce the
Length, and consequently the other diminsions, of the
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whiffletrees. For most work I prefer whiff!etrees
two and one half feet long to those three and&x@mg@xx
feet long, and they only require to be about two thirds
as ieavy.

When using this length of wiiffietrees the long
evener for six horses should be eight and one half
feet long and four horses, six feet long; These Lengths
aliow for three inches of timber at each end beyond the
pin holes, and also a little distance between tne ends
of the whiffletrees.

When an evener is made it should have several
holes bored at each end, also several in the middle, to
allow plenty of latitude for giving light horses the
advantage, and also in case of a six horse evener, to
allow of its being used for five horses,

A three horse evener when composed of a long arm
and a short armed , should always, if possible be
attached to the main evener with the long arm out as
in this position, it is much Jess likely to foul
against the main evener than ghen the long arm is
turned in, ‘

Every evener whether for two ,three, four or six
horses should have @ centre clevis and ring, by which
to attach it to whatever is to be hauled, and every
Implement, to which horses are to be attached, wherther
it be a wagon,plow,harrow or roller , should have a
hook to whieh the evener may be instantly attached,
without taking off the centre clevigs and ring.

If wagons and cultivators have hammer straps and
pins and other tools have attachments requiring a
centre clevis and ring, the pins will be changed about
and often missing and so will the clevises and rings.
This I know by experence, but the universal rule of a
hook on every rool and a clevis and ring on every
evener has ended this trouble,

Do not use a staple instead of a clevis and Tring,
in the centre of an evener, as it offers the greatest
opportunity for a lazy horse to take advantage of a
free one, a thing which should be guarded against in
any team, but especially whe drév@pgmore than the
usual number of horses.
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Figure 8.

In attaching four horses to a pole a four horse
neckyoke is a very good thing, but les not practically

necessary. Figure 8 shows a pole with four horse
whiffletreest and neckyoke, connected by traces and

breaststraps, where it is evident that if one horse
goes ahead, another must fall back correspondingly, and

the tension on oreast stTgps and neckyoke remain cons-
tantly the same. Po ly

fH
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Figure 9,

Figure 9 shows pole with four horse whiffletrees
and two horse nekkyoke, where it is evident that 1f

the two fMiddle horses advance and the outside ones fall
“F
pack the tendency is to slip the neckyoke off the end
of the tongue. On tne contrary if the outside horses
advance and the middle horses fall back, the traces
and oreast straps of the inside horses being practicaiy
continious straps, pecone taujsht, and the terdency is
for the outside horses to draw the entire load, the
inside horses simply supporting the pole, by means of
the tightened traces and breast straps.

To avoid these troubles the end of the tongue
should project well beyond the neckyoke ring, to pre-
vent its slipping off, and the breast straps siould be
long and rather loose, which will counteract the other
difficulty.

For driving six abreast on a pole a four horse
neck yoke is necessary as the two difficulties just
wentioned are increased to such an extent as to be
serious practical difficulties, wien only two uorses
Suppor t tule pole. Figure 10 shows a four horse
neck yoke,

 

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Figure 10,

A and b are ordinary two horse neckyokes, C four
horse neckyoke, wl ch is twice the Llenjth of a two
horse neckyoke and madg@f a good piece of agh or rock
elm board one and one half inches thick, by four or
five incaes wide in the centre and tapering at the
ends to about two inenes. D.d.hookb by which ¢c is
attached to a4&b , H.R light clevises by waica tie
ring is fastened to c.

This neckyoke is ver easily made and can be.
ang van tly attacned and detached by means of tne io:
' With reference to implements, suitable for whole-
sale farming in Michigan, volumns might well be written
It is not my aim however to go beyond a point where
I pelieve my suggestions might be of immediate practi-
cal value, to a large nwaber of Michigan farmers.

The plow is the great foundation implement, and
though improved by thousands of inventors, and bought
to great perfection in some respects seems to be the
hardestof all tools, to increase in width by multipli-
cation; There are yang plowshowever, that work well
under favorable circumstances and would be very
valuable tools on many farms, except for the difficulty
Attaching and driving the horses.

In sperking of gangs, I refer only to those
composed of two plows.

uakers of gangs generally claim that they can be
operated successfully by three horses, and that if
four are required they can be driven successfully
abreast without driving a horse on the plowed ground.

I have tried a number of gangs, but they all draw
so hard that to work them with three horses, is not
even to be thought of, Et is possible to work them
with four horses, if the ground is in nice condition
and the furrow not too large , but this brings the
Mitch so far to one side of the plow as to be objec-
tfonable, and even with the shortest whiffletrees,
crowds the furrow horse very badly. I am satisfied
that one might partially relieve this troubles by
lengthening the traces, say from three to six feet,
by introducing some tace chains, and I should certainly
try this if I wanted to use four horses on a gang. I
think a better plan would be to hitch five abreast,
putting one horse on the plowed ground and giving him
the advantage to compensate for the hard traveling.
Pits would give.powereenough, to turn two furrows re
wéf1, and also bring the hitch in the same place, ast@®*
using three horses which I consider tne only proper
hitch for a two furrow plow.

Whoever can manage to run 4 gang, successfully
will find it a great help in pushing work along, espec

lally fal) Plowing, when apple picking and corn
on

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harvest call off the men and leave the horses idle.On
my own gang I drive tree horses abreast on the pole
and three abreast for leaders, this makes an elegant
and powerful tean, but ag it requires the addition of
an elevated seat on the plow for the driver, and the
usé of a whip about twenty five feet long, it is of
little use to reccomend it to any but a professional
four horse teamster,

On the whole gang plows work .,xZaxxas das far as
I have observed is not first class, but I think it
averages as well as the work done by hired men with
walking plows.

I strike out and finish up my own lands with the
gang and think I do so as well ag can be done with any
sulky plow,

To apy one interested in gangs, I would say don’t
buy till you try and reserve the right to be your own
judge whether or not the plow is a success, W

With reference to harrows for four or six &reast
I can simply give my own manner of combining two in
one.

Harrows as we buy them are usually composed of two
leaves hinged together and hooked to & coupling evener
To combine two in one simply place them dide by side
remove the short coupling eveners and substitute one
long enough for both harrows, with four hooks instead
of two.

This makes a tool too wide to run steadily when
the hitch ig@ only in one place in the middle of the
long coupling evener, and requires a crotch iron or
chain as shown in Figure ill.

 

 

 

 

Figure ll.
—

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va

o-4
a@.b. Long coupling evener.

e.c.c.c.c Hooks by which harrows are attacned.

d.d.Clevises,

e.e. Iron rods with loops in each end by which
they are aitacned to d.d. and also to the hook f,

I have often thought of making a harrow with eacn
section independent of the others, except for being
hitched to the same long evener in front. This would
allow much preater freedom in raising - a great
advantage., and also the sections might be coupled
toyetuer in odd numbers allowing one to use three or
five sections togetier, instead of confining him to tue
use of four,

The coupling for two rollers consists of @ wooden
stretcher between the ends of the two tongues to keep
them always at the proper distance, ada short cnain
say 18 inches or 2 feet long, iooked to the adjacent
ends of the gust rollers just tight enough to prev-
ent one roller from yetting ahead of the other,

The teams are attached as if the rollers were to
be used sepemately then driven side by side the stret-
cher fastened between the tonprues and the chain hooked

The seat is the most difficult part of tne outfit
as the driver naturally wants to sit directly behind
the middle of his team, which would be over the ends
of the two rollers where there is no suitable »lace to
attach the seat. A plank extending between the seats
of the two rollers or some other support in the
middle of each roller ,furnishes a seat on which the
driver can take any position he desires, and also
brings all the weight at the proper points. This
plank seat must needs slide endwise at one support or
the other as these two supports must evidently change
there distance from each other, with the tipping of the
rollers and also as one roller advances or receded
with reference to the other as 1t must continually do.

The exact arrangement that I use would. “be here,
as my rollers were made with special reference to
peinz used together,

Figure 12 will pive a su;estion that will I think

be practicably applicable on most of tue rollers "
in use,
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Figure la.

@.a. Roller seat standards.

bob. Pieces of scAntling bolted to standards and
projecting backwards from under seats.

ce Plank seat extending between the two standards.

d. Rolter on which one end of the plank slides.

e, Bolt on which tiie other end of tiie plank turns.
This arrangement of rollers leaves a narrow strip
of unrolled ground, between the two rollers which may
be disregared or rolled like the rest by the means of
a small roller attached to one of the others,

A very pleasant way of cultivating is to hitch
one tool behind another as a harrow behind a roller.
This is a favorite plan because it is so easy to make
the hitch with a couple of short chains and some hooks
on the roller frame.

I also use a roller behind a harrow which I con-
Sider really a better combination in most cases for
several reasons, lst.- It leaves the ground rolled
which is often a benefit. and.- It makes a better
footing for the horses when going over it the next
time. 3rd. It is perfectly killing to lumps great or
small, as moist ground is stirred by the harrow, and
pressed by the roller with only the lapse of a second
or sO, and has no chance to become hardened by the sun
or wind.

It requires however that the tongue be removed
from the roller and a short ohw substituted, and also
a somewhat complicated attachment applied to the harrow
to receive the end of the short tongue, allowing it
lateral motion in turning and also vertical motion in

ppassing over inequalities in the surface of the ground.

See Figure 153.

  

 

 

 

Figure 15.

&. Foundation of wood or iron of any shape con-
venient for fastening to the harrow,

b. U shaped piece of tron or wood to which the
roller tongue c. is attached by means of the pin d.

e. Bolt by means of which b. turns on 4,
"ry

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In hitching four or six horses to @ tool having
a pole it is necessary to guard against putting too
much wei:ht on tne necks of the horses,

I have in mind my own dise harrow on which the
place for tne whiffletrees was originally above the
tongue, but which I have changed to @ point a consid-
erable distance below,

Fizpure 14 gives approximately acurate measurements
taken from this tool which will sefweto illustrate
this point. — \

_— .
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WLS
Ay

 

Figure 14,

a Dise,

b. Pole.

ce. Whiffletrees in original position.

c* Whiffletreeg in new position.

ced. Trace in original position,

e.d. Trace in new position.

d. Point of attach ment to hames both of trace and
breast straps.

e.c. Trace produced.

Now with the whiffletrees c. in the original
position, f.g. at right angles to e.c.d. would represent
the short arm of a@ lever with the horses attached at
f., the fulecrom at g. and ged. the long arm bearing on
thenecks of the horses at d.

Then the short arm f.g. which is 1 1-2 feet :.gd.
which is 14 l-2 feet :: 12: 9

From which we see that when the whiffletrees are
placed atc. 1-9 of the entire draught of the horses
comes on theneck of the team

This harrow originally intended for two horses,
when set to its full capacity furnishes abundance
of work for four.

Now let us hitch on four horses with the two
middle horses carrying with tonyues an a set of four
horse whiffletrees weighing 50 pounds at c. add to
this 1-9 of the entire draught of the four and we will
have a weight on the neckyoke sufficient to soon lay
the team up with sore necks,- Moral- Put the whifflee
trees at c%

To the average farmer, four horses appears to be
@ ponderous and unwieldy team, when in truth it is
not a hard team to drive, and can be handled with ease
in a good large garden, and I believe that many 4 fare
- mer who has driven horses all his life, would as
readily undertake to run the Frie Rail Road, as to
hitch up and drive six, still they can be handled to
advantage in any medium sized field, that is not full
of objections and after one has become used to such
teams, the feeling on going to work with two is that
of throwing away ones time and probably not less so
than in case of a man used to driving two or three
horses on going to work with only one,

I have spoken of driving large teams in cultiva-
ting the soil and I believe that four horses ought to
be a very common team for hauling loads on the road,
a large part of the farm produce of Michigan, is
hauled from three to five miles, to market, and much
of it farther, and all by teams of two horses, each
driven by a man who with a little practice, might just
as well drive four and haul nearly or quite, twice as
muche

Farmers frequently pass my door hauling loads
with two overworked horses, when I know they have
horses lying idle at home that might just as well
help to haul much larger loads and still have the work
easy for alle

What is the reason of this, - Our roads are
straight- our bridges are good= We can hardly think
 

 

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that our men and boys, are not as capable as in other
countries, a din other parts of our own country, where
four horse teams are@® common, both on the farm and on
the road.

I can see nothing in it but a habit, A wasteful ,
shiftless habit, in which the whole community has in-
dulged, till a four horse team in tne hands of a farmep
is considered a danyerous monstrosity, only to be used
in case of absolute necessity, and then with two drives
and @ foo tman.

Such a state of things, is am indoustrious and
energetic community, where we boast of our quickness,
to adopt and carry out every new plan, for making aor
saving money and where every man is a teamster is a
paradox of folly beyond my comprehension,

I can only compare it to the state of things that
missionaries say exists in barbarous countries, where
the people cultivate the ground with crooked sticks,
and though freely furnished with improved implements,
throw them away and return to there@id methods.

What is the matter of the farmer? The trouble
is that he lacks education in the principles of meche

- @htc&. and engineering,+ The principles that govern
*that application of power to work.

The horse is the farmers engine, and he will
never have any thing but a two or three horse power,
until the agricultural implements manufacturer, moved
by his own selfish interest, gets up one for hin,
unless he makes an effort in this direction himself,

Professor barrows, Dr.Beal, and Dr. Kedzie, can
answer his entomological, botanical, and chemical
ques tions better than he can hope to do himself, But
mechanical questions arise almost daily that if solval
at all must be solved immediately and by the farncr,

- shits Ii,anu witout slighting the others, these are the
questions that he omght first of all, to prepare him
self to solve if he hopes to advance,

Education cures the barbarian of plowing with a
crooked stick, and the right kind of education, will
cure the Michigan farmer of wasting his time in larye
Smooth fields, and on straight turnpikes, with the
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game team that his grandfather used, wien he nad only
alittie patch of stumy clearing, no bridges 4nd no
roads.
2
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AN Te el 14 | eal ney bese bw Bee
 
 
 

   

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