u 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



at the other side. There are cases of lea-ploughiug where the 

 rectangular furrow is as advantageous as the crested, such as 

 in early ploughiag in light friable soils with a tender sward of 

 grass, and where the crop is to be drilled; but we should bear 

 in mind that early lea-ploughiug is the exception rather than 

 the rule in Scotland, and most of the grain is sown broadcast, 

 and not drilled, ia which case the more numerous the furrows, 

 and the better they are closed, the more uniformly will the 

 seed be scattered, and the more equal the braird. 



On the second day we tested the merits of the ten ploughs 

 selected on the first day, and these were Nos. 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 

 17, 20, 24, 27, and 30. They were tried ia crossing land that 

 had been ploughed before the frost, when also their draughts 

 were ascertained by means of the dynamometer. The soil 



was ia a most friable state, beiug well-mouldered down by the 

 frost ; it was, therefore, well adapted for the power of the 

 ploughs to clear their way through the loose soil. The imple- 

 ment which performed its work best was No. 4, Andrew 

 Gray's swing-plough, which not only laid the furrow well over, 

 but brought up the loose soil from the bottom, clearing its 

 way well, Some of the other ploughs, which made good work 

 on the lea, were deficient in cross-ploughing, for they did not 

 clear away the loose soil from the bottom and turn it up to 

 the surface, but pushed it from them, pressing it together by 

 means of the mould-board. 



We present in a tabular form the following observations, 

 made tha second day on the ten ploughs selected for further 

 trial : — 



Maker of Ploughs. 



No. 

 4. 



9. 

 17. 

 20. 

 24. 

 27. 

 30. 



Andrew Gray 



J. Finlaysou 



Andrew Gray 



J. and K. Howard.. .. 



William Millar 



J.D.Allan 



R. Hornsby and Sons 

 R. Hornsby and Sons 

 R, Hornsby and Sons 



We are unanimously of opinion that the prizes should be 

 awarded to the following ploughs in the order of merit men- 

 tioned as those " best adapted for all kinds of work in which 

 that implement is usually employed on the farm," viz. : 



Ist to No. 4. Andrew Gray, 'Me\g\e—Su)inf/. 

 2nd to No. 6. J. Fiulayson, Bridj>,e of Allan — Wheel. 

 3rd to No. 27. R. Hornsby & Sous, Grantham— JF/iee^. 

 4th to No. 24. R. Hornsby & Sous, Grantham — Wheel. 

 5th to No. 8. Andrew Gray, Meigle — Siiin(/. 



No. 30 commended. 



No. 3 would have obtained a prize, but the committee in- 

 formed us that it was disqualified on account of an informality 

 in the entry. 



The first prize having been gained by a swing-plough, the 

 extia medal was awarded to the first wheel-plough, No. 6, J. 

 Finlayson's. 



In summing up our reasons for the awards, we have to state 

 that the work done by No. 4, Andrew Gray's awios^-plough, 

 on the lea was a bol(J-crested furroy, firmly put together, 

 well closed, and well finished. Whatever difference of 

 opinion there may have been the first day as to the exact 

 place it should have held, there was none the second day 

 as to its proper place in the cross-ploughing, and in 

 the final arranging for the premiums. No. 6, James Finlay- 

 son's wheel-plough, was preferred to No. 4 in the lea-plough- 

 iug, but it was not equal to it in the cross-ploughing, and in- 

 dicated, besides, a much heavier draught. The furrows of 

 Hornsby and Sons' wheel-ploughs, Nos. 24 and 27, were not 

 so firmly put together, and tended the second day to show 

 opeuiugs between them. In the cross-ploughing, whether from 



* The measurements in this column were taken by applying an 

 ordinary square to the apc-x of the furrow, one of the arms of 

 which was made to rest on one side of the furrow. If the fur- 

 rows were square— that is, if the angle at the apex were a right 

 angle — the other arm of llie square would, as a consequence, 

 rest on the other side of the furrow. But if the furrow were 

 crested— that is, if the angle were an aeu'e one, or less than a 

 right angle— the other arm of the square would be elevated above 

 the other side of the furrow ; and the numbers in the column 

 indicate the heights of that elevation at six inches from the apex. 



the mould-board being too convex for this work, or some other 

 cause, the loose soil was not so much turned over as rubbed 

 into a furrow-slice. Howard's wheel-plough. No. 9, laid the 

 lea furrow too much on its back, its draught was considerably 

 above the average, and it did not clear its way sufficiently in 

 the cross-ploughing. 



We were next instructed to test the " comparative eflSciency 

 of the swing and wheel-ploughs." We may premise here that 

 some of the ploughs competing might have been used either 

 with or without wheels, and, with men accustomed to use 

 them, would have produced equally good work either way, such 

 as Finlayson's. And we cannot but express our doubts as to 

 the advantage of attaching wheels, however ingenious the 

 contrivance, to an ordinary swing-plough, when the effect of 

 such an addition is to raise the price of the plough and wheels 

 to £6 10s. — the price of Finlayaon'a — particularly if the work 

 could have been performed as well without as with wheels. 

 The main use of the wheels is to insure uniformity of depth, 

 and to enable the farmer to emplo}' less skilful workmen in the 

 ploughing of his land. It has been well said that the wheel- 

 plough partakes more of the character of a machine, and the 

 swing-plough more of that of an implement. By means of 

 the wheel-plough, the work is performed with more exactness, 

 and is less dependent on the skill of the ploughmen than the 

 swing-plough. In some kinds of ploughing the draught is 

 very much diminished by the use of wheels, such as in lea- 

 ploughing, where the surface on which the wheels run is even 

 and smooth ; but in stubble or cross ploughing the wheel- 

 plough has not always this advantage, particularly in damp 

 weather. Thus, in the trial of the draughts of the ten se- 

 lected ploughs in cross-ploughing, after the sun had melted 

 the frozen surface of the soil which adhered to the wheels, the 

 average draught of the swing-ploughs was 2| cwt , and of 

 the wheel-ploughs 2| cwt. — that is, 14 lb. more. We consider 

 that wheel-ploughs are better adapted for some descriptions of 

 soil than for others ; for soils, for instance, pos : -sing uniformity 

 of character, or those free from stones, whether laud-fast or 

 loose, but of such a size as to impede the working of the im- 



