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ON THE EIVE-STOCK.

imitation of British farmers. A few proprietors have sup-ported this recommendation, by their own practice. Still,however, over the greater part of Scotland , it would not bemuch more difficult to prevail with farmers to Jay aside theirthreshing-mills, and adopt the method of treading out thegrain, practised in these countries, than to dismiss their hor-ses, and perform all their labour by oxen.

Many farmers still alive were accustomed to work oxenin their early years, and have laid them aside as an impro-ved system of agriculture was established. Even at the! pre-sent day, a few oxen are still employed by very intelligentmen; and there is therefore no reason to ascribe the aversionof the great body of farmers to oxen, merely to their igno-rance. Several farmers who now prefer horses, have hadexperience of both, so lately, that they could not but knowwhich of them was best adapted for the present modes ofmanagement. As it is altogether incredible, that the leastexpensive instrument should fall into disuse, and be sup-planted by another, which is said to be attended with muchloss, it must be inferred, that farmers are either altogetherincapable of calculation, or that horses are almost universallypreferable to oxen for their purposes. Men may for a longtime resist innovation, and turn a deaf ear to conclusions ob-tained from the experience of others. They may continue,for instance, to gratify their propensity for teams of four orsix horses, gaudy trappings, and unmanageable waggons.But there has never been an instance of a farmer employ-ing four horses in a plough, after he had found, from severalyears’ experience, that two horses did the same, or nearly thesame work, quite as well. Nor is it at all probable, now that theadvantages of convertible husbandry have been fully ascertain-ed, that at any after period farmers will ever return to theold arrangement of out-field and in-field.

The advocates for the employment of oxen, have arguedthe question rather on the ground of national, than privateinterest. The vast quantities of grain consumed by horses,