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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



and the Bedford plough was fairly launched. The 

 original intention was but a modest one, for it 

 aimed at little beyond supplying the Shire itself 

 or the more immediate vicinity. But the fame of 

 the plough gradually extended, while its projector 

 wisely confined himself to the exclusive study of 

 this one branch of business. The practical 

 men were again and again called in, as they ever 

 have been, to suggest alteration, and to point to 

 yet further improvement. And still the Bedford 

 plough worked on, until the opening day of the 

 Royal Agricultural Society endorsed its many 

 merits, and established its reputation. From that 

 very period the Society's Journal itself is but one 

 continued chronicle of the Howards' success as im- 

 plement manufacturers. At the first meeting, at 

 Oxford in 1839 — and we were there to see — "the 

 plough exhibited by Messrs. Howard of Bedford, 

 of small size, with a mould-board or furrow turner 

 of excellent form, calculated to give the least re- 

 sistance in turning over the furrow, was much ap- 

 proved." The Society could say no more, for 

 there were no prizes for implements in those early 

 times. At Bristol, " with regard to the excellence 

 of the work done by the ploughs, as well as the 

 lightness of draught, the palm of merit is unques- 

 tionably due to Messrs. Howards' two-wheeled 

 implement ; the furrow bottom being left cleaner 

 and flatter, the slice better turned and placed, and 

 the depth more evenly maintained, than by any 

 other of the competing ploughs. The dynamome- 

 ter not only proved this plough to draw four stones 

 lighter than any other, but also that it exhibited a 

 peculiar steadiness of movement and uniformity of 

 draught." At Derby, " Messrs. Howard of Bed- 

 ford appeared to have lost nothing of their ex- 

 cellence." At Shrewsbury, according to the 

 dynamometer, " Howards' plough took the least 

 draught as well as made the best work, a result 

 quite consistent with the experiments previously 

 made at the Society's trials." At Southampton, 

 "very good work was done on the light as well as 

 on the stiff soil by Messrs. Howards' ploughs." 

 At Newcastle-on-Tyne, " the manifestation of su- 

 periority in favour of the two-wheel plough made 

 by Messrs. Howard of Bedford was unquestion- 

 able, and in all respects such as would guide the 

 judgment of a competent farmer in his choice of 

 this important implement." At Northampton, 

 "for the trial of ploughs on light land twenty-two 

 were selected, and the prize awarded to Messrs. 

 Howard, the judges being quite satisfied with the 

 numerous and excellent quahties of their plough, 

 which implement they considered did great credit 

 to its makers." At York, "we decided that 

 Messrs. Howards' plough was the best— even 

 amongst this numerous and excellent class." At 



Norwich "the land was of a hard and stubborn 

 character, and we awarded the prize to Messrs. 

 Howards' champion plough." At Exeter, " after 

 a few rounds the plough by Messrs. Howard of 

 Bedford showed itself to be superior." At Lewes, 

 "a new feature in Messrs. Howards' ploughs de- 

 servedly obtained the Society's medal. The im- 

 provement consisted in making the box or nave 

 of the wheels so as to preclude the possibility of 

 dust, soil, &c., being cast on the spindle, thus ob- 

 viating a defect so commonly observed, viz., that 

 the wheels, if even constantly oiled, are ground 

 untrue." At Gloucester — "Ploughs for general 

 purposes : — Among the number sent out for trial 

 the superiority of that class with which Messrs. 

 Howards' name has been so long connected was 

 soon evident." At Lincoln, in speaking of the deep- 

 ploughing the judges say, "The work done by 

 Messrs. Howards' plough appeared to us not only 

 the cleanest cut, but the most effectually turned 

 and laid up. We awarded the prize to Messrs. 

 Howard." At Chelmsford the culminating point 

 in this history — " Ploughs for general purposes : — 

 the performance of Messrs. Howards' was upon 

 the whole such as clearly to entitle it to be placed 

 the first in this class. — Ploughs best adapted for 

 heavy land : — The result of this trial afforded a 

 striking proof how ample and complete is the 

 control which our best-constructed ploughs now 

 give over the most stubborn soils in the country. 

 The judges awarded the first prize to Messrs. 

 Howard. — Ploughs best adapted to light ^land : — 

 The superior work of Messrs. Howards' plough, 

 combined with its lightness of draught, induced 

 the judges to award to them the first prize." 



These reports, given it must be remembered on 

 the very highest authority, are flhe best evidence 

 we could offer to the practical value of the plough, 

 as well as the elements for the story of its rise and 

 progress. Since the sign of "The Barley Mow" 

 was pulled down, and the yet more agricultural 

 type of " Speed the Plough" hoisted in its stead, 

 the Howards have not been a year in the business 

 but they have found that business increase. They 

 began, as we have already inferred, at a very happy 

 time, when farming was fast coming into fashion, 

 and railways, as it has been declared, first afforded 

 the due development for that now great interest, the 

 agricultural implement trade. Never, however, 

 did the Howards receive so great an impulse to 

 that trade, as during the time of the Great Exhibi- 

 tion in, 'Fifty-one. It told equally on their home 

 and foreign connection, as we beheve indeed was 

 the case with many of their fellows. The next 

 great stepping-stone was at Chelmsford, in 1856, 

 when the champion plough was first— first — and 

 first — in the three classes, and the town's-people 



