| Show proper form of ox yokes A wisconsin correspondent sends the N Y tribune a description of what he considers the right form for an ox yoke the true way says the tribune is to have the yoke so crooked or the center part of it so deep that the line of draft that is the point where the ring draws upon the staple shall ie be exactly even with the center of the bow meaning from the of the bottom of the bow which should be shaped liked the small end of a hens e egg eg uzi uti g to the underside of the yoke where it rests on the top of the neck the bow should swell out at the sides and enter the yoke so that the sides and curve which should be ve very ry deep should form a continuous line in the circle which in its shape as formed by yoke and bow looks like a flat sided letter 0 A yoke that is too straight 0 on the neck with bows with strai straight 0 bt sides and a rather flat circle at bottom will always tend to compress the wind pipe and make the ox pant for want of breath it is idle and wicked to say that oxen can work in anything t crooked or straight it dont make much difference it is true they can work in anything t but it ig is not true that it makes no difference A pair of oxen in a well fitting yoke will do twice the work that they would in a bad one it is far better to work oxen with a pole lashed to the horns than with a pole fastened to the neck with ill dittin fittin bitting bows oxen for should be selected wath with reference to similarity form in neck beck and shoulders and then have a yoke fitted to them with as much care rare as a man gets his boots hoots fitted to his feet the correspondent gives the following foli owing 0 directions about making 0 an ox yoke A yoke th that atwill will work well on any ox from abour a four year old steer to the largest size must be made from a stick 9 by 11 4 feet 6 inches iong tong where it rests on the neck 9 inches wide and in no other place as wide in the centre about 5 inches wide and about 8 12 1 2 deep where the staple goes through though though this depends upon the quality of the tizer timber as some kinds will bear more cutting down on the top than others the ile first thing to do after the yoke is marked out is to bore for the bows with a seven quarters auger nine inches apart from centers where it rests on the neck at the proper angle to just fit the bows the length of yoke between the center of the neck circles will be 32 inches work the crook for the neck so that the bows will be well supported this will make them firm for the ox to push against it also makes the yoke stronger by taking banig a part of the pressure low down the end should be made so that when it is set down on hard or frozen ground it will not lot be liable to split this is done by cutting an end off on an angle so that the longest part will be opposite the circle that rests 0 on n the top of the neck |
