THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 335 



between the handles, and never fall into the unworkmanlike 

 practice of walking two or three feet behind the handles. Take 

 a firm hold of the handles, and make the arms so stiff, if it is 

 necessary, that the handles will take the plowman off his feet 

 before it can deviate from a right line. If a stone or anything 

 else should cant the. plow from its erect position, with a quick 

 jerk with one hand set it instantaneously erect. Keep the eye 

 a good portion of the time on the furrow-slice, to see if it is not 

 cut too wide, and to see if it all seems to be broken up, and 

 whether there is not a narrow strip which remains unbroken. 

 Some plowmen, too indolent to step up to their work, will sup 

 port themselves, in part, by the handles, and will roll to the right 

 and left as a huge ship does in a storm, carrying the handles of 

 the plow with them, until the plow almost loses the furrow-slice, 

 or cuts one so wide that it cannot turn it, when they will begin 

 to " right up." Such plowmen always make crooked furrows ; 

 and no plowman can perform a job neatly who does not cast his 

 eye forward of the team and plow, and endeavor to cut straight 

 furrows. By riding on the handles of the plow from an indolent 

 habit, or for the purpose of keeping the plow from running too 

 deep, increases the draft of the plow always ; because, when the 

 handles of a plow are long and the plowman rests heavily on 

 them, the fulcrum being at the heel of the landside, and the weight 

 at the end of the beam where the draft is downwards, the draft 

 is increased as much, many times, as it would be if a number of 

 hundred pounds of stone were carried on the plow. On the con 

 trary, when a plowman walks up square with his handles, and 

 instead of riding on them, lifts a little, and at the same time leans 

 a little forward, he will diminish the draft of his plow from 

 twenty to fifty pounds, and at the same time plow a furrow just 

 as deep and wide as he who indolently rides on his handles. 



467. Many a good plowman, understanding this principle, when 

 the committee at our agricultural fairs and plowing matches have 

 been testing the draft of his plow with the dynamometer, has 

 secured the first prize by lifting and shoving a little on the han 

 dles, instead of riding on them. The movements of a good 



