22 LAND AND LABOR. 



by attaching two or more plows to the axle, forming 

 what are known as gang plows, five or more acres a 

 day are plowed by increasing the team. Or a traction 

 engine is used, with the result of plowing an acre or 

 more an hour. 



It must be borne in mind that in speaking of the 

 work days of our fathers, or the period included in 

 the first quarter of this century, and for all time be- 

 fore, that not less than twelve, and more commonly 

 fifteen or more hours a day were consumed in work, 

 especially by the agriculturist, whilst ten to twelve 

 hours are now, in most parts, the common time. 



Thus it is seen that in the work of plowing one man 

 to-day, with a gang plow that turns two furrows will 

 plow five acres in a day, which would have required, 

 in the days of our fathers, under the best conditions, 

 the labor of two men for five days, and not unfre- 

 quently as many as four to six men for seven days. 

 Being a difference of from one man now doing the 

 work of ten, up to one taking the place of thirty. 

 \Yith a three gang or furrow plow, now in common 

 use with teams, the difference would be fifty per cent, 

 greater. With the steam plow, using gangs of five 

 or more, the work accomplished would be still more 

 widely marked. And more than this, the work is now 

 done incomparably better than ever before. 



After the plow there follows the harrow, the culti- 

 >r, and the roller, to thoroughly pulverize and pre- 

 pare the soil to receive the seed. The harrow, though 

 an old tool, has recently been so greatly improved as 

 to more than double its efficiency. The cultivator is 

 a new machine and most effective in its application. 



