PLOUGHING. 61 



mony from all parts of the county : all agree that the labor in 

 cultivating a crop upon tough grass land, that has been 

 ploughed with the Michigan plough, is much more than it is 

 where the common plough is used. 



The r.eason of this is obvious to any one who will notice the 

 operation. He will see that the grass roots are nearer the sur- 

 face, and in a more favoraljle situation to vegetate than they 

 are when the common plough is used. 



Common sense, as? well as chemistry, applied to agriculture, 

 will teach us that in ploughing grass land we want a plough 

 that will place the g-rass roots where they will soonest decom- 

 pose. If the mechanical effect of the double plough is better 

 for pulverizing the soil than the single one, and the chemical 

 influence is not so favorable, we had better use the single 

 plough. 



On a stiff soil, where there is but little vegetable matter, we 

 think the double plough may be advantageously used. But 

 our impression is that the plough manufacturers have increased 

 their harvest by its use more than the farmers have theirs. 



The land upon which the ploughing match took place was a 

 rocky loam, better suited to try the strength of the plough and 

 the patience of the ploughman, than to exhibit the speed of 

 the team. The soil, where the rocks did not obstruct 'the 

 plough, was stirred nine inches deep. 



Wm. R. Putnam, Chairman. 



In regard to the depth of ploughing, the doctrine taught by 

 most of the societies, strange as it may seem, has been that 

 shalloAV ploughing is best ; and the premiums have been awarded 

 for ploughing from five to seven inches deep with single teams, 

 and from seven to nine with double. These depths may be 

 sufficient under some circumstances ; but the inconsistency was 

 in constantly praising deep ploughing, while offering and 

 awarding premiums for shallow. The highest premiums, at 

 least, should, it is thought, bo offered for deep ploughing, since 

 there is comparatively little skill required to plow otherwise, 

 nor is the draught of the plough so thoroughly tested. 



