PLOUGHING. 125 



plough. But the work, on the whole, was admirably perform- 

 ed, — quite as well as in any preceding year. 



Some of the teams performed their work in as thorough and 

 workmanlike manner as we ever witnessed. Not a flaw could 

 be discovered in the ploughman, his team, or their work ; and 

 they all did their work remarkably well, abating some of the 

 defects we have mentioned. 



Before closing our report the committee wish to make one 

 or two suggestions in relation to this important labor of the 

 husbandman. 



The plough, the harrow, the shovel, and the hoe ; though 

 varying in their forms of manufacture, are of universal use by 

 farmers in all countries of the globe ; but the plough is much 

 more important than any other, and probably than all others 

 put together. Either of the others could be dispensed with, 

 though with great detriment to the farmer. But the plough 

 could not, without clogging the wheels, and stopping the pro- 

 gress of civilized life. It must be used in the preparation of 

 the soil for all of the crops of the grasses, grains and vegeta- 

 bles, of every nation; and he who improves the manufacture of 

 the plough, or learns and teaches others best how to use it, 

 ought to be considered the benefactor of his race. 



Who can estimate the pecuniary advantage to the people of 

 our own State, of New England, and the whole country, in the 

 improvement in the manufacture of ploughs by Ruggles, Nourse, 

 Mason & Co. and Prouty & Mears, not to mention many others 

 engaged on a large scale in their manufacture. 



The committee would express their convictions of the im- 

 portance of deep ploughing in almost eveiy kind and quality of 

 soil. It has been required, in the ploughing match to-day, to 

 plough seven inches ; but that, in most soils, is too shallow. 

 When it is recollected that the roots of many grasses descend 

 as deep as eight or nine inches in search of food, and that the 

 roots of many vegetables go as deep as two or three feet and 

 more, it will at once be seen that the common depth of plough- 

 ing, at the present time — though we plough much deeper than 

 was practised fifteen or twenty years since — is far too shallow. 

 If the soil is shallow and poor, the more need of deep plough- 

 ing, and every time such soil is ploughed the depth should be 



