AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY AND IMPLEMENTS 



165 I 



without a larger raimber of trials: their success depends on the proportion 

 of moisture present in the soil at the time of ploughing. 



The writer further deals with cable traction, but does not think that 

 there is much scope for this in France. 



II. The majority of the ploughs used for motor cultivation are iden- 

 tical with those designed for animal traction. The only difference is in the 

 greater number of furrows which they can make. 



It is difficult to improve the working parts of ploughs so the greater 

 number of modifications during the last few ^'ears have centred round the 

 ease of handling the implement. 



The writer thinks the Baj'ac counterbalance p>lough with moveable 

 balance weight is particularly interesting (fig. i): the effort to reverse the 



Fig. 2. — Bajac disc plough. 



plough at the headland becomes excessive when the weight of the machine 

 is increased. In order to avoid this, the designer has placed the moveable 

 balance weight on a sliding rod in front of the plough; the length of the rod 

 is calculated so that the weight of the moving mass almost exactly balan- 

 ces that of the body when it is at the extreme end of the rod. The effort 

 required to turn the machine is then very slight; on the other hand, when 

 working, the weight is carried a little behind the place of support, on the 

 body side, which increases the grip. 



The writer also mentions the Bajac disc ])lough (tig. 2) and the 

 GiLTER plough with automatic lift, (fig. 3) .specially designed for mechan- 

 ical cultivation. This machine uses the adhesion of the soil to the supportiiig 

 wheels of the plough to lift the shares. The shares are raised, not in one 

 block, but one after the other; the same method is used for starting the 

 furrows. 



To mitigate the tram])]ing of the animals at the bottom of the furrow, 

 the writer notices the Gertani plough; he also mentions the Melani ])lough 

 with turning fore-carriage — the P'lover balance-plough which can make 



