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Substitute for Trench Ploughing^ and new Mode of put- 

 ting in Winter Grain, and on live Fences. By Caleb 

 Kirk, near York, Pennsylvania. 



Read Nov'r. 11th and Dec'r. 9th, 1806. 



I observe in the United States Gazette, sundry pre- 

 miums offered for improvements in -agri culture ; among 

 which the 2nd and 7th subjects, viz. Trench plough- 

 ing, and live fences, have engaged my attention for 

 a number of years. As to trench ploughing, I am 

 fully of the opinion that 12 inches is a depth, too great 

 to bury a scanty soil, except the farmer, has a great store 

 of manure to dress his field after ploughing. Moreover 

 as few farmers have six able work horses or oxen, the 

 paring and trench ploughs, which are directed by the 

 society to be in action at the same time, cannot be em- 

 ployed; besides, I know from my own experience, du- 

 ring seven years, that equal benefit may be derived from 

 the adoption of another mode of working land, as from 

 trench ploughing, without requiring more than half the 

 number of horses. 



In the first place, coulter the ground with a coulter 

 plough drawn by two horses, about eight or ten inches 

 deep, the cuts being about one foot apart : then plough 

 the land in an opposite direction, with a common bar 

 share plough with two horses to about the same depth, 

 and let a man follow in the furrow with a naiTow spade 

 plough, three inches broad and draAvn by one horse, to 

 break the under stratum four or six inches deep. Thus 

 the surface is turned eight or ten inches deep, and the 



