Before 1800 oxen were widely used for ploughing, and most other jobs on the
farm were done by farm labourers. But with the Agricultural Revolution came the
horse, and the famous heave breeds of Shires, Clydesdales and Suffolks
developed.
Horses were more versatile than oxon and came to be used for many tasks other
than ploughing. Following the Industrial Revolution the ingenuity of Victorian
manufacturers produced an enormous range of horse-drawn agricultural machinery -
not just ploughs, but grubbers, cultivators, harrows, rollers, drills, reapers,
binders, root lifters, manure spreaders, rakes and many other types - which
continued in use until the tractor replaced the horse around the 1930s.
This book describes these machines and includes drawings and photographs of
many of them.
Contents:
Introduction
1. The plough
2. Clod-breaking machines
3. Hoes
4. Drilling machines
5. Harvesting machinery
6. Root lifters
7. Fertiliser and manure distributors
8. Haymaking machinery
9. Portable machines
10. Horses and harness
11. Inventors and manufacturers
12. Where to see horse-drawn farm machinery
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
