TRIAL OF PLOWS. 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE TRIAL OF PLOWS 

 AT THE STATE FAIR AT POUGHKEEPSIE. 



The committee to whom was assigned the duty of instituting a trial 

 of the plows offered for the Society's premiums respectfully report, 

 that there were eight competitors for the premiums on plows, and 

 thirteen plows in all presented for examination. Your committee ap- 

 proached their duties with more hesitation and reluctance, in conse- 

 quence of the great difficulty which has been experienced by the very 

 competent gentlemen who have served on this committee at former 

 meetings of the society, in arriving at a satisfactory conclusion in re- 

 gard to the merits of the plcws exhibited. If the labors of the pre- 

 sent year have been less arduous than heretofore, it should be borne 

 in mind that we have had the benefit of former experience, and also 

 that fewer plows were this year exhibited than on former occasions. 

 We have, however, devoted much time to the details of this trial, 

 with the view of satisfying ourselves at least — if we were unable to 

 satisfy all who were competitors — and entertain the confident belief 

 that in point of equality in land, and fairness of trial, the test now in- 

 stituted approximates as near to correctness as can be expected from 

 the time and the conveniences which are afforded at the annual exhi- 

 bitions of the State Society. The ground furnished for the trial was 

 a rather light soil, and very uniform throughout, showing very little 

 difference in the land assigned to the different plows. 



Each competitor was first directed to draw a few furrows without 

 the dynamometer attached, to show the work which his plow was ca- 

 pable of doing, after which a test of draft by the dynamometer 

 was had, first with teams, and afterwards by means of a machine 

 furnished by Mr. Chase — one of the competitors — by which the plow 

 was drawn with great steadiness and uniformity. The following table 



