556 



EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE 



The instrument, which is deemed peculiarly Flemish, is the 

 mouldebart, of which I annex a plate. It is designed for the 

 speedy removal of earth, when it is not required to transport it 

 to a great distance. The horses or oxen are attached to this 

 implement, which immediately dips itself full of dirt, and when 

 full, the handle is then pressed down, that it may slide easily 

 over the ground. When it reaches the place of deposit, the 

 handle is raised, and it empties itself; and the string, which 

 is constantly held by the workman who guides it, is designed to 

 pull it back after it is emptied. It is thus prepared to take up 

 another load. It is a most useful instrument, and effects a great 

 deal of work with a small expense of labor in a short time. It 

 has been used many years in the United States, and is there 

 called an ox-shovel. 



The plough which I saw frequently used in Italy was without 

 a mould-board, and its share resembled the bowl of an inverted 

 teaspoon, only more flat. It simply stirred the ground, but did 

 not invert it. 



The spade is an instrument much used among the small 

 farmers of Flanders ; and in the best cultivated districts, such as 

 the Pays de Waes, they deem it necessary, once in five or six 



