Rototilling Ox-Manure/Shedded-Paper Compost into Garden

Thanks for repairing the rototiller Ken! As you can see it's running good.

It appeared the tiller had died but Ken worked his magic and it is up and running again. It pays to have a mechanic in the family.

After sitting for the summer the pile of shredded paper bedding and manure has broken down into a nice workable compost. (I used white non-glossy paper and newsprint for Scout the Ox's bedding last winter.) The compost is spread on the garden and I am tilling it in.

Ox Playing With Cattails

Scout the Ox discovered cattails and amused himself with them several times --- the last time of which I caught here on video.

Scraping Ox Manure: The Cameraman Has Horns

This video shows me scraping out ox manure for spreading on our vegetable garden, using an 8N Ford tractor like my Grandpa used to farm his 160 acres with. Perhaps Scout the Ox is feeling insecure with the introduction of the tractor to our very small farm. He need not, because the scraper has made the ox-manure handling a lot more doable than with pitch fork alone.

Suzanne Drives the Ox Cart: So Far So Good!

Amy Drives the Ox and He is Up to Mischief

Scout the Ox drives well for Amy until he sees an irresistable opportunity to brush off some horn flies --- and perchance, the cart and driver. Is Amy is up to the challenge?

Scout and Amy: Ox Still Growing as He Nears Age Two

 

At 23-months of age Scout the Ox has graduated from a broom-handle to a shovel-handle. See Training Aid.

Less than two-years ago he rode home in Amy's lap. See Scout in Amy's Lap

Unloading Ox from Stock Trailer at Night after Exploring "The Big Swamp"

The shake, rattle and roll of hooves on the stock trailer floor brings back memories of the excitement of hauling semi-loads of livestock during my bull-hauling days. More often than not the unloading was done in the dark.

The Historic Pembina Trail by Ox Cart

Some sections of the old Red River Ox Cart Trails still exist in northwestern Minnesota. This short video gives a taste of what the trail looks like as it follows the Lake Agassiz beach ridge. The ridge allows a spectacular view of the surrounding Red River Valley in as near native state as is available in Minnesota. The trail is not untouched, as it has been improved by a bulldozer sometime in the past years and there are a number of abandoned gravel pits scattered along the way. An occasional farmstead can be seen in the distance and there are a few tumble down barb wire fences. However, with even a little imagination it's easy to picture the seemingly endless grasslands of previous centuries. The croplands are distant enough that they blend into the grass and aspen landscape. Red River Ox Carts

Pembina Trail: Scout the Ox Bums a Drink

Ox and Dog on a Summer's Evening

Scout the Ox and Harry the Dog take a breather on a township road in northwestern Minnesota. Scout is pulling an antique stud cart that I purchased at Bill and Carl Larson's estate sale. The Larson Brothers were known for their work horses and the cart was used to to drive their stallion from farm to farm to provide stud services.

Transporting the Ox: Scout's First Ride in the Stock Trailer

Chautauqua and French Festival 2011

Scout the Ox and Harry the Dog visited the Chautauqua and French Festival --- August 27, 2011.      (See also Chautauqua and French Festival 2010)

Scout the Ox and Harry the Dog approach the Chautauqua and French Festival with great caution. The Red Lake River flows on the left. During the years of the Red River Ox Carts the Woods Trail crossed the river at this location.The trails ran from Pembina, on the Canadian border, to St Paul, Minnesota.

Scout the Ox poses by a replica of a Red River Ox Cart.  The oxcarts carried furs on their way south and needed supplies when traveling back north. The carts were driven primarily by the Metis.                           History of the Red River Ox



The annual festival is held at Old Crossing Treaty Park, Huott, Minnesota. Scout the Ox was absent his ox cart when the pictures were taken, though he had pulled it through the park earlier in the afternoon.                    Red River Ox Cart Train 



Harry the Dog greets a fearless pooch. My main objective was to get Scout the Ox and Harry the Dog used to being around lots of people, dogs, horses, and new sights, sounds and smells. We accomplished that. Scout was very excited and quite a handful to control when we arrived, but he had calmed down by the time we left.

Scout the Ox was a hit with many of the kids. It sure would be nice to get an authentic Red River Ox Cart for Scout to pull! I've heard the Metis people in Canada have made some in recent years.  Red River Ox Cart Diagram, Photo, and Cartmaking Video.

Book Review: Ox-Cart Man

Excellent review of my favorite children's book. I read this book to my kids years ago. It probably influenced my decision to get an ox. Thank you Lady Xeona.

Grandkids Ox Cart Adventures

Kind-a long, but plenty of action.

Trailering the Ox: Learning to Load

Scout the Ox checks out the inside of the stock trailer but keeps two feet safely on the ground. Harry the Dog gives wide berth, not taking any chances.


Scout the Ox learns the livestock trailer is a safe place to be. Harry the Dog wants nothing to do with it. I set one of his favorite temptations, cat food, inside the open trailer door where he could reach it with two of his feet still on the ground. After several days he still hadn't touched the cat food.

Scout the Ox and Harry the Dog, Summer 2011

The dog days of summer. Scout the Ox and Harry the Dog are both 22 months of age. Scout is an Ayrshire steer being trained as an ox. Harry's a Newfoundland/Pit Bull cross dog. Scout and Harry are companion animals to each other.

Grazing on the lawn, by the firewood pile, is one of several rewards Scout might get after an outing with the ox cart. By varying the rewards we avoid getting into a routine with certain expectations that can become entrenched and difficult to vary from. For example, we get Harry to go into the kennel/pasture by offering a treat. He will refuse to go in without the treat and sometimes will hold out on us for a "better" treat. He has us trained pretty well.

Scout the Ox, an Ayrshire steer, grazing by firewood he helped put up.

April Ox Hauling Firewood with a Sled - Click Here

Scout theOx, an Ayrshire steer, wearing a rope cattle halter and lead rope.

The horn of the Ayrshire breed of cattle. Both cows and bulls
have horns, unless they are removed shortly after birth. Oxen
horns are useful, and seldom removed.

Harry the Dog is a cross between a Newfoundland and a Pit Bull Terrier.
He has an even temperment and gets on well with Scout the Ox.

Scout will not be part of a team of oxen, but is being trained as a single ox.

In the tradition of the Red River Ox Carts, Scout works alone.
 As part of training, he enjoys grazing on the lawn as
 a reward for good work.

(See short video clips in the same setting.)

Through the Woods With an Ox and a Dog

A little sidetrip with Scout the Ox pulling the ox cart. Enjoy.

Ox Team, Wharf at Matinicus



Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue. New York, New York 10028
George Wesley Bellows - 1916



More Smart and Clever Cows and Oxen Pump Water for Themselves in India

So, is this animal instinct? And are humans (and apes) still the only ones who use tools? Actually, since the claim that tool use was unique to human beings many other species have been documented as tool users.

An Ox Working a Water Pump, India

I came across this video of an ox pumping water for itself, and remembered the below clipping I'd saved of a cow reportedly doing the same --- way back in the 1800's.



A Cow Working a Pump
Chatterbox Stories of Natural History

Copyright 1880
by
R. Worthington


My informant writes me as follows: “We have a wonderful cow here—about ten years old, and very clever at opening gates and breaking fences. There is an Abyssinnian pump about three feet high in the center of the field, near my house, over a trough, which is, or ought to be, filled daily. It was on a hot day, when my man had omitted to pump the trough full, that the cow was first observed to help herself: the way in which she managed to pump was by pushing the handle up with her head and then forcing it down with her horns. Very little elevation of the handle is required to get water, and she would work it for five minutes together, and sometimes drank from the spout, and sometimes from the trough.”

On the Ethics of Training an Ox



"But, my dear, my dear...."

Artist: Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828-1882
unfinished painting

“What of the ox that loves his yoke and deems the elk and deer of the forest stray and vagrant beings?”

Poet: Kahlil Gibran 1883-1931

Olly, Olly Oxen Free!

Perhaps the lad has found one of his father's oxen, and is now 

calling for the other one, who is hiding behind a bush, "Ollie! Ollie!"

Or, perhaps he has found this oxen so worthless he is calling out,

"All ye, All ye, oxen free! 

Artwork by
Dutch Artist Adriaen van de Velde 1636-1672

What does the children's game hide-and-seek have to do with oxen? Not very much it turns out. When playing hide-and-seek children often call out "Olly, Olly Oxen Free." That means that anyone who is still hidden can come out from hiding to regroup for a new game. There are two versions on the origin of the phrase that sound plausible. The first is English, "All ye, all ye outs-in free." There is a very similar phrase in German, "Alle, alle auch sind frei" that translates all, all are free also.

Kids, like the rest of us, often use words or phrases without understanding their true meaning. The hypothesis is that "outs-in" or "auch sind" got changed to "oxen" which is a word English speaking kids would be familiar with.

The game hide-and-seek is at least four centuries old according to one source. My guess is that it's as old as man and womankind. I'm pretty sure it even predates the use of oxen!

What's your take on a possible original meaning of the phrase Olly, Olly Oxen Free?

Making a Nova Scotian Style Head Yoke for Oxen

These three videos were produced by Charing Cross Production in cooperation with Ross Farm Museum, the videos were created to show  Roy Levy, a grandfather, passing on the skill of yoke making to his grandson Brandon. Watch as they work together to create a yoke. These videos are links to Ross Farm Museum's YouTube Channel.

Storybrookeripples:ox and dog blog has no affiliation with Ross Farm Museum and holds no rights to these videos or their content. Special thanks to Brandon and Roy Levy for sharing their skills, and to Ross Farm Museum and Charing Cross Production for making this possible.

 Ross Farm Museum is a living, working, farm museum depicting 150 years of agriculture in Nova Scotia.  Ross Farm Museum is still being farmed with Oxen, the way it was in the late 1800's

With Grandma, by Ox Cart

Scout the Ox takes Grandma and Grandkids for a ride on the cart.

Ox Cart Girl In Bonnet and Dress

My granddaughter in period costume takes the reins of the ox. The cart is a "Sulky," or alternatively, a  "Studcart." 
Music: Din Din Wo, Habib Koité, Bamada, From the Album Muso Ko

Remember this picture from June 14, 2010? Compare the carts and kids, separated by over one-hundred years and 1500 miles.



5-year old boy in ox cart.
NewYork State about 1900.
an Ervin Davis photo





4-year old girl in ox cart
Minnesota, 2011
You've come a long way baby!



Scout the Ox's Next Ox Yoke?

I've got my sights on this Ash log for my next ox yoke. It's probably Green Ash though I'm not certain.That's the youngest of my three grandchildren posing beside it. The Ash tree was cut over a year ago by my son-in-law who does tree trimming and removal.

Ox Takes Time to Smell the Lady's Slippers

Ox Pulling Cart Spots Showy Lady's Slipper Orchid

Scout the Ox Smells the Native Prairie Flowers

Ayrshire Steer and Minnesota State Flower
Cypripedium reginae

Just a Little Cowlick

Music: Love Comes - The Posies (Every Kind of Light)

Ox Steps Through Ox Yoke While Grazing

Scout the Ox discovers a minor difficulty when he puts his head down to graze while wearing his yoke. The yoke slid behind his head and as he stepped forward he stepped into the "bow."

Having lifted his feet frequently when he was small, paid off in remedying this situation. Early training of the ox-to-be is invaluable when he has grown too big to be overcome physically. I weighed him on a registered scale over the weekend and he came in at 1400 pounds. He's a year and eight months old and still growing fast.

Oxen Yoke: Neck, Withers, or Head? Ox Collar

An ox yoke is in it’s most basic definition a piece of wood that transfers power from an ox or oxen into work for mankind. The iconic yoke connects two oxen together for this purpose. Yokes occur in a continuum of designs along which three notable stops are head yokes, neck yokes and withers yokes. A large number of variations have been used based on local needs, resources and customs. The ox collar is an aberration from the traditional yoke but accomplishes the same basic function.



Neck Yoke
The neck yoke is the "traditional" ox yoke of the United States. As the name suggests the yoke rests on the oxen's neck. The beam is held in place by the oxbows.



Withers Yoke
The withers yoke is used with Bos indicus oxen.
Bos indicus oxen have a prominent hump over their withers, against which the oxyoke rests. There is usually a rope or other light fastener that loops under the neck to hold the yoke in place, but the fastner does not  transfer power from the ox to the pole or chain. This particular withers yoke is attached to a wagon pole by lashing it with a rope.  

Head Yoke
Head yokes are secured to the oxen's horns and/or forhead; that lashing transfers the power from the oxen to the yoke, which in turn transfers the power to the work. Headyokes must be carefully fitted to the individual ox. 

Ox Collar
The ox collar does not quite fit the definition of an ox yoke, but it is yet another way to transfer power from the ox to the work at hand. See also: A Horse Collar Doth Not an Ox Collar Make



Jersey Steer Begins Cart Training as an Ox

Anuttama says Makani is a little over a year and a half old and weighs about 1050lbs.

She commented on my video, Hip-Hop Back to the Drawing Board in which Scout's early version of an ox yoke fell apart:

"I just hooked my little boy for the first time today and he was so good. Then we also had an incident: he slipped, fell on his side and broke a shaft! But he wasn't hurt and didn't freak out. I had to unharness him to get him up but then we reharnessed and pulled a drag so that the last thing that happened was good. Your Scout seems sensible, too."

Scout continues to amaze me with his lack of panic in surprising experiences.

Certainly for training on a light cart like this, the horse collar is working well. As you can see in the video they have turned the collar upside-down to make for an improved fit. It is recommended by ox drovers much more experienced than me, however, that a horse collar not be used for heavier work; the ox is likely to be uncomfortable and could develop sores. See also: A Horse Collar Doth Not an Ox Collar Make.

Thanks Anuttama for sharing your video on YouTube. We'll be watching for a progress report on Makani. Happy carting!

Bird Song, Ox Training, and Dog

Pulling the wagon through a variety of terrain was good training for Scout the Ox. It provided different experiences, and minor mishaps, all of which make him a more adaptable and cool headed beast-of-burden. Harry the Dog added a bit of light- heartedness; the sounds of nature and the Spring greenery provided a pleasant backdrop. The video is a little long, and more contemplative than instructional. In the opening clip notice the small tree in the forground as the ox cart passes.

Oxen Training: Ground Tying the Single Ox

Here's another job where the ox has replaced my small tractor on my very small farm. I'm using the dirt from gopher mounds in the pasture to fill low spots in the yard and garden. The problem with this kind of work is that the ox being a grazing animal wants to keep stepping forward to the next best thing to eat. Out of necessity I learned that if there is nothing to tie him to, I can tie him to the pull chain or the wagon. If he attempts to step forward his nose chain snugs up around his nose.

Adjusting Hitch Point on Adjustable Ox Yoke

It's been in the news that oxen are replacing tractors due to high fuel costs and farmers are turning to YouTube to learn how to drive the oxen! I just heard it on the radio.

Well here it is. I used to move the hayfeeder with the tractor but now it is a job for Scout the Ox. This video clip demonstrates how that the longer the pull chain the greater the likelyhood that the yoke will not stay in place. It also demonstrates how adjusting the hitchpoint will affect the proper functioning of the yoke.

See also: Ox Yoke Malfunctions

Dog and Ox Commune with Pair of Wild Geese

Nesting pair of Canadian Geese



Scout the Ox was intrigued by the honking geese.



Harry the Dog did a pretty good job of pointing.

Canadian goose on pond in Minnesota.

 

Harrowing the Garden with an Ox --- Day 2

May 29th, 2011

The garden was drying out a little. Sherry got a few early things planted --- lettuce, radishes, and such that can take a little frost. I tilled it once more and then Scout the Ox and I gave it it's final harrowing. The green clump is garden chives that come back early in the spring. Scout developed a taste for them last fall and seeing his opportunity couldn't resist the temptation. Watch.

Sarah said...
Nice that you have someone to help you with the garden :)

Harrowing the Garden with an Ox --- Day 1

May 8, 2011



We enlarged the garden this year. After Scout the Ox and I hauled in some topsoil to fill low spots, and I roto-tilled what was previously lawn, Scout came in handy to do the harrowing. Harrowing levels the seed bed, breaks up the soil, and helps kill weeds. This Spring harrowing had the added bonus of drying and warming the soil; it was very wet and looking like we wouldn't get our early crops planted. The frost came out late and the ground was much too soft for the garden tractor.


What a good boy! Thank you for sharing this. brianzpartner
on YouTube

School Girls Learn About Oxen and Yokes

Mackenzie and Annamae Try Out the Ox Yoke

Centreville, Mich. --- Centreville High School teacher Rob Collins tried something new with his sociology class this spring. The students studied something old: early Michigan farming and home activities as it tied into a unit about culture. Here students Mackenzie and Annamae learned about oxen and yokes at the demonstration on early Michigan farming.

Read complete story at SturgisJournal.com;

 Original work by Rosalie Currier currier@sturgisjournal.com Posted May 25, 2011 @ 07:02 AM

Copyright © 2006-2011 GateHouse Media, Inc. Some Rights Reserved. Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.

Oxen Turn Sod for Blue Ridge Institute and Museum Building Addition



Oxen Team "Nip and Tuck" Stand Ready to Turn the Sod
Photo courtesy of Ferrum College



April 20, 2011 Ferrum College in historic Virginia found a novel use for the oxen at the neighboring farm museum. They replaced the usual administrators and politicians, wielding golden shovels, with "Nip and Tuck," the oxen team, yoked to a walking plow. The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum preserves Appalachian culture and mountain lore near Ferrum, Virginia.

Fire and Ox

Scout the Ox crosses the fire-line; prairie restoration controlled burn, May 5th, 2011.

The Ox and the Frog(s)

    (April 25th, 2011)

....listen!....                                                                    

 

De la Grenouille & du Boeuf
Les Fables d'Esope Phrygien, mises en Ryme Francoise.
Auec la vie dudit Esope extraite de plusieurs
 autheurs par M. Antoine du Moulin Masconnois.
 A Lyon, Par Iean de Tournes, & Guillaume Gazeau. 1547


  

American Impressionist Painting of Oxen Team Plowing with Walking Plow

Fall Plowing
Edward Henry Potthast (1857 - 1927)

Edward Henry Potthast was an American painter who was influenced by French Impressionism.

Snowmelt: Ox and Dog at the Water Outlet

April Ox: Hauling Firewood with a Sled

April 16, 2011, fresh snowfall was ideal for sledding firewood out of the woods  with oxen.


Unloading firewood from sled pulled by Ayrshire steer.



Ayrshire single ox-in-training wearing ox yoke.