34

Implements of Hu/handry. — Waggons—Irijh Car,

intelligent writer, who has attended much to the fubjeft; as by means of a crookedfide-rail, bending archwife over the hind wheel, the bodies or frames of them arekept low, without the diameter of the wheels being much leffened. The bodies areKkewife made wide in proportion to their Ihallownefs, and the wheels run fix incheswider than thofe ofmofl: other waggons, whereby advantages in carrying top-loadsare evidently obtained *.

In many diftri&s, waggons are the principal carriages employed in getting in thehay and corn, and carrying them to the market, and likewife in bringing manure,coals, and various other materials. In fuch cafes they are generally drawn by thewhole team on the farm, and two men, or a man and a boy, are neceflary to attendthem in performing the bufinefs.

But this fort of conveyance, however well conftructed, from its great weight andunwieldinefs, as well as its expence, feems far from being advantageous to the intereftsof the farmer ; as while it is highly deftruftive of the roads, it requires great powerm the draught, which muft be procured at much expence, without affording anadequate compenfation in the quantity of materials which it conveys. It is howeverfuppofed by a later author, that in performing diftant carriages, where the roads arelevel and fubflantially made, and the waggons at all times fully loaded, one of themmay probably be as advantageoufly ufed as two or more carts of lefs dimenfions \but that where labour is required to be performed with expedition, as in the harveft-ing of hay and corn, fuch unwieldy machines are ill calculated for the purpofe j andthat on every occafion, where they return only half or a third part loaded, thefarmer mufl obvioufly fuflain a confiderable lofs f.

The ufe of heavy carriages being found inconvenient in performing fome forts ofbufinefs, farmers, in particular inftances, have had recourfe to a lighter fort ofvehicle for conveying manures, and other materials of the fame kind, upon land,while large waggons are employed for other purpofes. In this way the improvedIrijh car has been made ufe of, and found well adapted to the conveyance of fuchfubftances, a good horfe being capable of drawing with eafe and expedition morethan a ton weight.

In its conftru&ion it approaches much to the fquare form, being only a fewinches longer in the bed than it is broad; the wheels are made low and broad,,with a flat bearing, and placed under the body of the machine. From thefe dif-ferent circumftances it poflfefles many advantages ; it can be readily filled, pafs con-fined gateways with facility, and be drawn upon foft meadow or ploughed groundswith much lefs injury and inconvenience. From the cylindrical form of the rims of

MarlhaU’s Rural Economy of Gloucefcerfhire.

f Donaldfon’s Modern Agriculture.