AGRICULTURE. 



but not so on all, as there is too great rigidity 

 about them, and they do not adapt themselves to 

 any slight irregularity of surface, so that a more 

 pliant implement was required. This, to a certain 

 extent, was found in the Bedford harrow, origin- 

 ally constructed in three divisions, and containing 

 seventy-two teeth, being thirty-two more than in 

 the common harrow. The first formation of these 

 Bedford harrows has been changed by introducing 

 joints into the separate connections, and thus a 

 far more pliant, though necessarily weaker imple- 

 ment has been produced, as shewn in fig. n. 



n i i m m 



1 i ii iiiiiiiii 



Fig. ii. Howard's Harrow. 



These harrows work admirably in the same line 

 as the furrow ; but in crossing they are apt to 

 pull back the closing furrows of the ridges ; and 

 on newly ploughed or stiff lea ground they are 

 objectionable on this account. They are heavier 

 to draw than the common kind, and do not shake 

 out the quicken roots or couch-grass very freely 

 when the land is being cleaned : on this account, 

 it is preferable always to have both sorts on the 

 farm. The Bedford harrow costs about i more 

 than the rhomboidal. Other forms have been 

 introduced. All harrows are now made to cover 

 a space of nine feet, and are drawn by one pair 

 of horses. In ten hours, about sixteen imperial 

 acres can be gone once over. As it is often 

 necessary to go from four to seven times over the 

 same ground before the surface can be made 

 sufficiently fine, it would seem advisable to have 

 an implement covering a narrower space, but 

 more effective, so as to save several of these 

 repeated journeys. 



There is a useful article called a drill-harrow, 

 for cleaning and lowering down bean and potato 

 drills. This implement consists of two parts, each 

 of which fits over the top of the drill, and, being 

 concave on the under surface, acts on the top and 

 sides. It is drawn by one horse, and is very 

 effective. 



Other sorts of harrows there are for the purpose 

 of cleaning the intervals between the rows of 

 green crop ; but these are now less used, the 

 horse-hoe being made to do much of the work to 

 which they were applied. 



The Norwegian harrow is an implement which 

 is much used in some localities ; and as it can be 

 wrought in showery weather, when it is impossible 

 to have rollers going, it has advantages which 

 commend its use. It acts more in the way of 

 cutting than compressing, and is also preferred on 

 this account 



The roller and clod-crusher are implements that 

 cannot be dispensed with on any farm. The 



smooth iron roller is too well known to require 

 any description; and CrosskilPs clod-crusher is 

 acknowledged to be a very efficient implement for 

 strong clay lands ; but the Cambridge roller has 

 superseded it for general purposes, and is now 

 considered the best in use. Like CrosskilFs, it 

 consists of a series of rings strung on an axle, and 

 while they fit closely, each has an independent 

 motion ; but while CrosskilFs leaves the ground 

 rough, it is made smooth by the Cambridge, 

 though raised into small half-circles, with a narrow 

 indentation betwixt each. 



Carts. Two kinds of machines are in use for 

 conveying produce to market and other purposes 

 in husbandry wagons and carts and of these 

 there are several varieties. Wagons with four 

 wheels, and drawn by two or more horses, are 

 acknowledged to be best adapted for conveying 

 great loads to a great distance, and that is their 

 principal merit. For all ordinary purposes con- 

 nected with husbandry, the one-horse cart with 

 two wheels is preferable. 



The Scotch cart, as it is called, is a most con- 

 venient and useful machine; and to add to its 

 uses, it may be 

 rendered service- 

 able for carting 

 hay or straw by 

 placing a mov- 

 able frame on its 

 sides, as repre- 

 sented here. The 

 Scotch cart 



Fig. 12. 



(without the frame) is suited for conveying any 

 kind of material dung, turnips, grain in sacks, 

 &c. and usually carries from eighteen to twenty- 

 two hundredweight, when drawn by only one 

 horse ; with a horse in trace, the weight may be 

 augmented. In Scotland, all grain for market is 

 carried in these one-horse carts, and to any dis- 

 tance. On such occasions, one driver can take 

 charge of two carts. 



The following advantages of one-horse carts are 

 well enumerated by Lord R. Seymour. 'A horse, 

 when he acts singly, will do half as much more 

 work as when he acts in conjunction with another; 

 that is to say, that two horses will, separately, do 

 as much work as three conjunctively : this arises, 

 in the first place, from the single horse being so 

 near the load he draws ; and in the next place, 

 from the point or line of draught being so much 

 below his breast, it being usual to make the wheels 

 of single-horse carts low. A horse harnessed 

 singly has nothing but his load to contend with ; 

 whereas, when he draws in conjunction with 

 another, he is generally embarrassed by some 

 difference of rate, the horse behind or before him 

 moving quicker or slower than himself; he is like- 

 wise frequently inconvenienced by the greater or 

 less height of his neighbour : these considerations 

 give a decided advantage to the single-horse cart. 

 The very great ease with which a low cart is filled 

 may be added ; as a man may load it, with the 

 help of a long-handled shovel or fork, by means of 

 his hands only ; whereas, in order to fill a higher 

 cart, not only the man's back, but his arms and 

 whole person, must be exerted.' To these just 

 observations it need only be added, that in many 

 parts of England there is a wasteful expenditure 

 in horse-power, a couple of horses being often set 

 to draw a clumsy wagon to market, containing a 



523 



