FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 291 



wheels, and drawn by three Horses, which, in smooth lands, 

 makes very good work; but it is believed that ploughs 

 without wheels, when well constructed, will perform just 

 as well, and at the same time as easily, with two Horses, as 

 the wheel-plough will with three. 



For the purpose of gaging the plough, when turning over 

 a smooth sward, one small wheel of cast iron, properly fixed 

 under the end of the beam, would be found to run much 

 easier, and would be much cheaper, than the wheelplough 

 just mentioned. This wheel might be so contrived as to be 

 raised, or lowered, so as to make the plough run deeper, or 

 shallower, at pleasure. 



Instead of the present method of directing the plough^ 

 it might be performed, to better effect, in smooth lands 

 particularly, by a moveable coulter, which could be turned 

 to the one side or the other, by a tiller; so that the opera- 

 tion of steering the plough would be similar to turning the 

 rudder of a vessel, far the purpose of steering it, if the 

 rudder were placed before. 



In the one-horse plough, which is proper to be used in 

 cultivating hoed crops, a coulter is not necessary. The 

 shar^, and the construction of the plough, in other respects, 

 should be nearly similar to that of the plough, first spoken, 

 of, but smaller, and lighter; and it is not so essential to 

 have its mouldboard of cast iron 3 nor need it have so much 

 of i he twisting shape. 



In constructing a plough to be drawn by two or more 

 Oxen, it is believed that the better way is, to extend the 

 beam quite into the ring of the yoke; and, even, in such 

 case, ttie beam need not be very long, as the heels of the 

 QXUJ would require to be only a little before the coulter. 

 A plough thus contrived would be found to run as steady as 

 a wheelplough. 



Nor would there be any difficulty in extending the beam 

 of the plough between a span ot Horses, and thus bringing 

 them back, in the same manner, so that their heels should 

 be just before the coulter. In this case, there should be a 

 cross-piece, fixed on the end of the beam, about eight inches 

 in length, and from the ends of this two short ropes, or 

 chains, should extend to the inner sides of the haims by 

 which the Horses are to draw ; and two such short ropes, 

 or chains, should extend from the outer sides of the haims 

 to two outside shafts, which should extend from a cross- 

 piece, to be set on the beam of the plough, just before the 

 coulter. 



A two-horse plough, fixed in this manner, would also run 

 as steadily as a wheel-plough; the team would be much 

 shortened, which in ploughing is highly desirable ; and the 

 expense of the harness for the Horses need be nothing 



