56 PLOWING 
A disc plow does not throw the soil from the bottom 
of the furrow slice on top. It stirs and loosens the soil 
to the depth plowed, completely covering all organic 
matter to be plowed under, yet does not bring the sub- 
soil to the surface; so it is always safe to plow any 
depth possible to be plowed with the disc plow. 
The disc plow pulverizes the soil as it turns it over, 
which no other plow will do, and its draft is lighter. 
When the author began to use double disc plows on 
his farm, using three horses only, and plowing two 
twelve inch furrows an average depth of eight inches, 
the neighboring farmers characteristically condemned 
them at sight, denouncing them as “horse killers.” 
And though he continued to use them several years, 
yet these farmers took no pains to investigate their 
merits and continued to condemn. But the author 
knew their merits and paid no attention to the farmers’ 
comments, and after using them several years, one spring 
he employed a neighbor negro farmer to plow for a few 
days. The negro came to work at noon with two 
horses expecting to hitch to a walking plow. The 
author gave him one of his horses and directed that 
he hitch it with his two horses to one of his double 
disc plows then standing in a field where it had been 
in use, and also telling him that the plow was properly 
adjusted and all he had to do was to just plow. The 
author then walked off, noticing however, that the negro 
looked as though he wanted to make some objection or 
protest. The author returned in the evening just before 
quitting time and the following conversation took 
place: 
