The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-10-23
Horse Versus Ok Labor.


Mr.. r. B. Shepard, of Mt. Vernon,
Indiana, thus sums up the arguments
on this much-debated question
Some hold for the OK, but still more
for the horse. Let us examine the
relative merits of each. A pair of good
farm-horses will cost $500; harness,
double-trees, and brest-yoke, will cost
$50, making in all $3.50 for the cost of
the horses. The price generally paid
for good yoke of oxen is about $3.50
yoke and chain $40 more, making $3.50
for the oxen. Now let us see what it
will cost for keeping each ten years,
or the working life of each. To COM
mence, we said, the horses cost $3.50
the interest on the money at six per
cent, for ten years, would be $500 |;
the shoeing would cost $15 year, or
$3.50 for ten years for feed it will take
$3.50 year, or 81 500 for ten years,
amounting in all, for the first cost,
interest, shoeing, and feed of horses,
to 81, 2,045. But let us examine the other
side of the question, or the oxen: One
hundred and sixty dollars for the first
cost of the oxen interest ut six per
cent, for ten years, amounts to $96 /;
the feed will cost two thirds MS much
ms the feed of the horses, which will be
81, 900. For the oxen, the whole amount
of the cost, interest, aud feed, is 3, ,256.
against 80, ,045 on the horses side. Be-
sides this the oxen are constantly in
crcasing in value, until they are twelve
years of age. On the other hand the
horses are decreasing from the time they
are eight years old A yoke of oxen at
twelve years old are worth two-thirds
of their working value for eef {; but
what is pair of stiff, worn-out, and
broken-down horses worth ? Scarcely
anything, except for the manure heap.
Suppose that one of your horses was to
get his leg broken, the only thing that
could be done would be to shoot him,
or pay large bill for his cure. But
let old Bright" get his leg broken, or
suffer any injury that would make him
unfit for use, and you can readily get
the market price for him for beef just
the same as if he was all right. Why
is it then that there is so small an
amount of OK labor used as compared
with that of horses? 1t is simply this
We do not know how to drive them
Give hired hand a yoke of cattle tc
work, and in less than a week he viii
have his lungs nearly exhausted by
yelping, squalling, and whooping
which there WAS no need of. 1t only
tends to worry them, and get then
scared. 1 have seen my father driv,
oxen all day long with little switcl
for whip, and he would never speal
above his ordinary tone.
When travelling on our public road
horses are superior to oxen, but TO
7 work on the farm, such as hauling ma
e nure and grain, plowing, &C., oxen vii
7 do as much as horses. They will ploI
l as many acres of land, and as well, hau
f as many tons of manure and grain, ant
S haul larger logs and more of them
g Oxen are harder than horses, or the
q could not stand the treatment they re
n ceive. When driving they are subiecte
e to a heavy goad, which horses are moi
!. They do not know what O curry-com
e and brush are. They are freer fror
IS disease than horses are. One of tn
t great objections urged against oxen
D that they cannot stand the heat. True
V they cannot stand it at noon-day in mic
q summer, neither can any other farl
n stock then stand it well. Did you eve
If notice pair of work horses, when take
a out at dinner-time, after having worke
az SISuJty I'LL lOIeHOon Va llop ouhliii'
If day? I think if you did you woul
" have seen something that would nj
D. stand the heat much better than cattl
l. If you will let cattle rest during IL
Of heat of the day, bring them out in IL
N morning, when it is cool, work the
4. until 10 o'clock, and let them rest unit
Id the heat goes off, and take them o.
a again say at 2 o'clock, they will do goo
ly work. Another objection against ok
a. is the slowness with which they NOV
r. Some cattle are unusually slow, it
It. true, but this is owing to the way th
Is were broken. They are made to car
n a heavy yoke, (it only for old and flu
Id grown oxen,) and hitched up to hea
yh cart when too young by boys that knt
IL nothing about breaking oxen. Cat
,e. that are properly broken and made
We step quick, are nearly as fast as hors'