72 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



PLOUGHING. 



ESSEX. 

 [From the Report of the Committee.] 



One of the rules of the society is, that 'f only double ox- 

 teams shall have drivers." I think it well to adhere strictly 

 to that rule in the future ; but as the ploughmen all came 

 expecting to plough with a driver, and, with one exception, 

 were not prepared to plough at all without a driver, it did 

 not seem best to enforce the rule. Then, again, these teams 

 of three or more horses are practically double teams, and 

 should be required to do the work of double teams ; but the 

 rules only required them to do the work of single teams, 

 that is, to plough six inches deep. Though all the work was 

 well done, there was none of it good, practical, every-day 

 work, because it was not economical. It is not economy to 

 use a double team and two men to do work that can be as 

 well done with a single team and one man. 



The team, driver, ploughman, and plough which took the 

 first premium, each and all of them did as artistic work as I 

 have ever seen. The team, driver, and ploughman which 

 took the second prize, seemed to do as good work as the first; 

 but the plough they used was not in condition to make as 

 handsome work as the other. The^e were both four-horse 

 teams. The team with three horses abreast worked well, 

 and was well handled ; but the ploughman failed to do 

 artistic work in two respects. The first was, taking more 

 land than his plough would at all times turn well over to 

 its place, the sod doubling down, and leaving cavities which 

 it would take considerable harrowing to fill up : the other 

 respect — of no practical importance, except the very impor- 

 tant one of good looks — was, that he did not straighten the 

 crooks made when cutting out the lands, but continued to 

 plough as crooked as the copy set for him to work by. 



