Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1853-10-14
AGRICULT URAL.
(From the Lancaster Exa miner. }
The Voice OF ExperIencc.

The Voice OF Experience.
There is so much in the following
communication, that we cannot permit
il to go forth without commenting 1t to
the careful perusal of our readers. II
comes from the pen Of one OF the most
enlightened farmers Of our State, and as
the factswhich he states and the deduc-
tons which he makes, are the results OF
his own experience, both the one and
the other should command profound con-
sideration:
PL0UGHING BY OXEN.
( procured from Sinclair g. Company
! ploughs suitable for pair OF xen,which
they call the Patuxent Plough. flush
to the depth Of inches, and use three
horses to a plough; the work was better
done by the on, than by the horse ploughs
which | attribute 10 the more uniform
and steady gait Of the oxen. Oxen have
not been used here for the plough--sev-
eral fmy neighbors came into see the
performance; and they generally concur
red thai tie flushing was the best they
/ had ev. seen.
Next to manual labor, the horse is the
most expensive on farm, and when
horses atta in ten years they gradually
decline in value, and often in old age,
like Roman horses, in ancient days, are
turned out to starve, or killed TO make
dus of their bones. An OK at 10 years
of age is worth more for beef than steer
at four.
The heaviest work on a farm is plow-
ing, spring and summer. | keep Ia
plough horses, by which work four
poughs, three to a plough, and two for
relief, when a horse falters. | inteRd
TO add eight oxen, six for regular work,
and two relief,this vi i'll add three plough
by which my flushing can be accomplish
ed in little more than half the time, bet
ter prepared for the crops. | am now
in the habit Of using exclusively oxen
for Drag Dog, the heavy Roller and
Harrow--to these never put a horse
and 10 this attribute the health and
longevity OF my horses--I have now sew
eral In regular work,morc than 20 years
old.
do not recommend tho substitution
OF oxen Tor horses Qua FARM should
never think Of using them In the wheat
drill,t reaper or the thrasher;nor work
them among corn when IL had grown
largc-but deem them valuable auxili-
aries
have heard objections to oxen as
beasts for ~ plough n account OF their
sloth-I think this Is mainly owing TO
the manner in which they are trained
after being subdued to the yoke. They
are generally put into the hands OF reck-
less boys.to be driven In caits,who press
them beyond proper speed and when ex
hausted, they fall into a heavy dull walk
which becomes habit.
do not aliege that a plough drawn
oy two oxen would hold way with one
carried by three light footed horses
crossed with English blood-but hold
that pair Of Devon oxen, we'll broke
and well trained, would pillow furrow tor
furrow, with the heavy Conestoga hor-
SEES, such as have seen in Pennsylvania
and western Virginia.
When horses are put TO heavy work,
they are fed at every meal with grain
Oxen after hard days work,are gener-
ally turned out at night to shift as they
can. Oxen at plough should be regular
ly fed with dry hay, cornstock fodder,
and little refuse corn, which all farms
afford.
have before stated, that to flush
ground well requires three horses To
plough, aud that two oxen are sufficient
by this rule six horses will carry two
ploughs, six oxen three; and any farmer
who will try the experiment will find six
oxen will break more ground in day
than six horses.
have made this communication under
the impression that the more extended
use OF oxen in agriculture, would be
found profitable. On large farms where
IL TO ID horses are used, number might
be reduced one-third The first cost OF
a horse, his speedy decline cannot be es-
timated at less than fifty dollars per an
mum. An OK after his days of work
are past il suffered to run free on farm
for year, will bring his first cost.
WIN. CARMIcH Ell.
WHY, June 18th, 1853.