The Republican journal., 1884-04-03

Stockton and Prospect Farmers CIui

Stockton and Prospect Farmers Club
The meeting of March 18th was called tC
order by the president, y. W. Staples. The see
retary then read the question; (Which is the
most profitable for farm labor, horses or oxen:'
The debate was opened by Freeman Partridge
who favored oxen As the most profitable lie
had had more experience with oxen: has al
ways kept oXen keeps one horse. a yoke of
oxen can he kept for what it costs to keep d
horse. if we take into account Wear and tear
of harness. >hoeing, etc The moving machine
has had good deal to do with the change from
oxen TO horses. Then small families are the
| rule now and there are no boys to break the
steers and keep old Star and Golding at work.
Farm wages arc high and farmer, are obliged to
hurry up the teaming to get at other work,
and let their horses lay idle. Horses are kept
for their tabor; oxen for beef and labor There
is something gained in beef when oxen lay
still, while the feed of horses when Idle i, al
most ali lost to the farmer. The cost of rigging
up and keeping in order the TWO teams is
another point in favor of The ON team.
The secretary, f. W. Ellis. said he believed
!
! did not reckon how much provender oxen eat.
lie had one horse thai could do Il, much work
AS yoke of oxen; he was quite sure il could
| haul as much. He could cut and haul as much
hay in one day with Il horse H. with woke OF
oxen. He thought raising colts more profit
/ able than raising steers and that farms are I'M
| proved as much where horses are kept is with
oxen.
Matthew Partridge said he WAS very much in
favor of oxen. lie bought pair Of two years
old steers in the fall for $40: hauled - cord, Of
wood with them the first winter and was offer
ed SO for the steers in the spring The next
winter hauled 100 cords of wood and the next
winter | 10 cords. Last summer he took a lob.
after having. of clearing land for Sl50. in the
meantime doing all the farm work. and the
first Of the winter sold the cattle for sl52. He
thought no TWO horses in town had done more
work. The "hole cost OF yoke. bows and
chains was ST per yoke and they ar= good
now.
Nathaniel Ridley said lie had never realized
anything from keeping hoi-se>. He annually
RAISES pair of steers up To ihree or -four years.
and turns them. pair OF steers will begin 10
work.at two vars Ola, but colts are not good
lof mueH until four years Old. Tic cost of
keeping horses with >h0eing, is much more
'han steers i" 90 anything, horses must have
corn, but steers will grow up On hay and grass
and do the farm work
Frank Cunningham said he preferred oxen.
but thought colts profitable at present prices
The President. n ". ~tapleS Took 1pcidnl
ground against horses. lie thought trat Tor all
AlnuS OF WORK oxen are the best. You can
Jam oxen INTO hard places or send the hired
man With them Where no farmer would send a
span of horses. In clearing land oxen are
prohfable- 1t taktN two men with horses, one
to handle the doubie-Iree in hauling rocks or
among the stumpS. 1t co~'~ a. much to keep
horse, with >hoeing. a. 10 keep oxen. He
thinks farms are wearing uut where horses are
kept The dressing from horse, has not the
hoid-out Of that from other animals. There i,
not is much new land cleared TO increase the
hay crop as where cxeu are llpIt. II. had
raised some good oxen. one Islfr that sold for
500. girtine feet. He raised Them an i,ay
and graSs, finishing W with four itI>hel, of
meal. all that the, ever. .,.. -rh4, sIicled mn
the work IN fhe r3r,,, ii .,o.,,I .b,,. tho UaJ
plouahrd an acre in .n,cr l,,,,r. with, o>.,,.
held the plow and droya Can h,,. and .All
oxen without loss, but buyin,e horses * ri.lv
business as many farmers .,n testify
Frank Overlook SAID Tie preferred horses. lie
could take the same amount of money that
would buy a pair Of steers and buy a mir of
cheap horses and nat more wood ON the land
ing or do more farm work than with steers. He
| thought the farmer that kept one horse and oN-
en-, could keep two horses. raise Il colt every
year and do better without the oxen.
Lyman Partridge said that oxen We're
the most profitable for Him. His farm +, new
He cut 20 acres of burnt land hay last wear:
could do nothing with horses on rough land
He prefers oxen for teaming on the road, Has
hauled eleven loads, IL feet at Il load, to Sears
port, IN one week, Of yellow birch wood with
Il PAR of heavy oxen, and thought it would
take good pair of horses to do it. He thought
! the only way to make Old horses pay was to
Keep Them hauling rockweed and flats mud all
the spare lllhe-
+. Partridge thought If horses pay now oxen
US III the foRd breaking district ot the Old
CENTER consisting oI elSht farms, he had seen
"heh d poY- thirteen yoke OF steers and oxen
on what was called the Harrison harrow break
ing road. Inc farmers at that time put on the
landing about 800 cords of Old growth hard
wood, beside bark, spar, and ship timber haul
ed to market and logs to mill. On an average
one hundred rods of stone wall was built on
the eight farms and for a long time there was
rough land 10 plow, and the scds and carts
were poorer than now. The only advantage
| 'hey had over farmers now was that the fam
anu th'i' were 10 boys TO break the steers
! "hu hetP lne old oxen moving. Perhaps The
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