There is an interesting pamplhet by John Stokes (1853) "THE OX AS A BEAST OF DRAUGHT IN PLACE OF THE HORSE RECOMMENDED FOR ALL PURPOSES OF AGRICULTURE..." (London). There is a copy in the British Library under 7076.b.60. You could probably order a photocopy on-line from overseas. Stokes argued from extensive experience that oxen were more economical than horses, (as did Fitzherbert much earlier). He recommended buying oxen as 2 years, selling at 4 years. He used 8 oxen per 100 acres, always having half young oxen and half older. His ox 'team' was a pair. The meat was said to be excellent, when sold, while horses (in England) were for the dogs. You can find part of this in The Farmer's Magazine, 1843, vol. 7, Jan-June 1843, pp 24-25. This is available at Google books, on line.
I saw the end of cattle traction in Serbia in the 1970s: The 'oxen' were cows, and the owners said that young cows quickly learned from the older ones - which was Stokes' point too.
Best regards,
Tony Legge
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