Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1849-10-13
@ Cell alre Ut 8 /.
Wagons and Carts

A farmer in England, named Edward B. Lidd-
ington, has produced prize essay on the com
paratye merits of wagons and carts, which
should arrest the attention of our farmers for
if he is right, our farmers, in general, are wrong
After hye years experience with wagons, and
nearly the same with one horse carts, on a farm
of one hundred and seventy acres of arabic and
eighty acres Of pasture, he came TO the conclu-
sion that the carts were of the greatest advan-
tage. AS our farmers all use wagons, let them
pay some attention to his statement. He says
" have no light ploughed land, nor had more
than twenty or thirty acres of very heavy land
| will, therefore, relate my actual experience.
In the employment OF wagons and the old broad
wheeled dung-carts, | required one wagon, one
cart, and three horses to every fifty acres of
arabic land. | also kept light cart for general
purposes. Now that | am employing carts,
hnd that | get through my work much more ca
silly with two horses and two carts to fifty acres.n
In the calculation of items, his saving was
nearly four dollars the cultivation of one
acre, in the year. Again he says, it is admit
ted that one horse attached to given weight
will move it more easily than two horses attach
ed to double that weight. This arises not only
from the advantage gained by having all the
power OF draught close TO the work, but also
all the power applied at the same moment
which is almost impossible where two or more
horses, having different wills and steps, are at
t3Cheu 10 lhe WSlghL ana Ior lne same reason
one horse will travel more quickly.
When a cart is filled there is no delay in at
taching the trace-horses, during which ope ratioI
one horse would be two hundred yards on the
road. | know this might be done more ouickl,
by having men ready to change the horses as il
the practice of opposition coaches but an
speaking of the matter-of-fact working of The
system. Then again, when the load is deposit
ed, the one horse turns in much less time thar
the two or three. These facts are too self-evi
dent 10 admit of the contradiction indeed,
believe the economy of carting manure with one
I horse carts is generally allowed, but the en-
Ployment of them in harvesting is much object
ed to. In this respect, however, | find them
equally expeditions and economical. Ny actu-
al experience is, that three carts with the har-
vest frames attached, will convey as much hay
or corn IN the straw as two wagons and that
they are bound with the ropes in the same time
therefore no time is lost in binding. They are
easier to pitch into than wagons, aud not more
difficult TO unload and all the advantages are
gained of speed in travelling.
My attention was first drawn seriously to the
subject from hiring man to draw some stones
for draining. He came with horse only four
teen hands high, and small cart, when the
work he accomplished so surprised me that
at once decided to try two light carts which
after succeeding well in all other operations,
employed in the harvest field and being fully
satisfied with them in this capacity, soon dis
carded every wagon from the farm.