permaculture

["John D'hondt" <dhondt@eircom.net>]

plus.google.com/photos/116100117925365792988/albums/5700259890779141377
> Amazing to think of the coordination required of the man and the dog team.

It is actually quite easy with the right breed of dog. One of my grand 
fathers used a dog cart until the 1940's. Here on our farm we have over the 
year tried collies (most difficult is that they tend to accelerate too 
much), bull terriers (veer to the side when any smell presents itself), 
goats, donkeys and horses and really, the horse is it for speed and load 
bearing capacity and the ease of working as a team. With a good horse one 
word will do and they are as fine tuned as any tractor. We are transporting 
silage bales at the moment (about half a ton) and sometimes a movement of an 
inch is necessary. No problem with a horse. It would take more than a few 
dogs to get a silage bale up a 16% incline.
john