242 



Dialogue between a Father mid Son. 



Vol. IV. 



the shinning' coats of their horses, than with 

 the proper stirring of the soil. 



Father — As there is so little resistance 

 against the mould-plate, in consequence of the 

 small furrow which we are compelled to 

 carry, and the manner in which it leaves it, 

 setting it on edge, or nearly so, and not turn- 

 ing it over, I am inclined to believe that to 

 this circumstance is to be attributed a part 

 at least of its good name ; to be sure the 

 length of the beam and handles give great 

 facilities for guiding it straight and steadily, 

 but do you remark the very narrow furrow 

 which it leaves, in which the furrow horse has 

 to walk, and how he treads down the land 

 side of it with two of his feet, because there 

 is not room for him to walk in the furrow '! 

 neither is there room for the furrow slice 

 when it is turned, for it lies so nearly on edge 

 as to leave a seam or channel, from whence 

 the weeds will spring with redoubled vigor, 

 if the land is left even for a sliort time iin- 

 ploughed. This plough is altogether unfit for 

 the use of those who have an interest in the 

 soil, and the unlevel state in which it leaves 

 the bottom of the furrow in some places, called 

 rafter ing; is decisive proof of inefficiency. 



We will now try the short and light Ame- 

 rican plough — but are you aware that the 

 swing plough is managed in direct opposition 

 to that with one or two wheels ! for if I wish 

 to go deeper I lift up the handles, whilst to 

 cause the plough with wheels to take a 

 deeper furrow, it is necessary to press down 

 the handles. 



Frank — I was just remarking that you ap- 

 pear sometimes to press upon the handles, 

 which I have often heard you say is impro- 

 per, as it makes nearly a horse draft difference 

 in the working of a plough, and that I sup- 

 pose cannot be good at any rate ; indeed I 

 never see you do so while using a plough 

 with a wheel. 



Father — As there is no wheel on which 

 the beam can rest, the plough is liable to drop 

 a little when the land is soft or wet, and this 

 sends the point of the share so deep into the 

 earth, that unless I were to raise it by press- 

 ing upon the handles, the plough would sink 

 so deep that the utmost exertion of the horses 

 would not be sufficient to move it. On the 

 other hand, if the land is hard or stony, it is 

 necessary to lift up the handles to send the 

 point deeper into the soil, and with tiiose 

 ploughs that are short and light, so hijih, that 

 the mould-plate is often raised so much as to 

 be out of its proper position for turning the 

 fitrrow properly over. And hence it is, thai 

 land which has been turned with such a 

 plough, is often found to be less level, and to 

 be full of baulks, or parts that are left un- 

 plouglicd, than that vvliich has been worked 

 with a wheel plough. This constant tendency 



to rise and sink is exceedingly troublesome 

 to the ploughman, and distressing to the 

 liorses, for they are very liable to be galled 

 by the collar — do you see how tenderly they 

 seem to advance in this hard spot, and how 

 the traces shake and jar them ? 



Frank — Yes I do, and now that I take the 

 trace in my hand, I feel it too. 



Fat hei-— -Nothing could be better adapted 

 to the purpose for which these short and light 

 ploughs were designed ; with a short beam 

 and handles, as well as a short bed or waist, 

 they were admirably fitted for turning the 

 earth amongst stumps, and stones, and roots 

 on fresh cleared lands, where, in the hands of 

 an expert ploughman, it takes place of spade, 

 mattock and pick-axe, spuddling the earth from 

 amongst them with the greatest ingenuity; 

 but in cleared land, when to go a Zee//e deeper 

 and to turn the furrow well up and over, is 

 the soul of good tillage, they are altogether 

 unsuitable ; for, in consequence of their light- 

 ness and shortness they offer no resistance to 

 a thick furrow slice, but, like an unfaithful 

 servant, are always slipping out of their work, 

 leaving it half done. The apology which is 

 sometunes offered, that you can plough nearer 

 the ends and leave a narrower headland, is 

 the most futile that can be conceived, for the 

 headlands should be wide and well defined, 

 thrown up high and round, with the furrow 

 at the head of the ridges, wide and deep, 

 serving the purpose of a water furrow to re- 

 ceive and carry oft' the drainings of the ridges 

 in wet weather. The shortness of the body 

 of this plough is the cause of its rising and 

 falling so abruptly and so readily, fitting it 

 peculiarly for its working amongst stumps, 

 but for the same reason, unfitting it for every 

 other purpose — they are excellent therefore, 

 but nut for general use. 



Now, we will try our new plough, which 

 is perhaps, the most perfect for many pur- 

 poses that can well be imagined. It is either 

 a swing or a wheel plough, but in nine cases 

 out of ten, the v;heel can be dispensed with, 

 its length and weight being sufficient to keep 

 it at the depth required, provided the rack at 

 the head is properly adjusted ; the objection 

 to its weight is groundless, for in very light 

 land that is of no miportance, and in a heavy 

 soil it is necessary, to form proper resistance 

 to a thick and heavy furrow slice ; for here, a 

 light plough would rise up and walk off] — 

 VVliile, therefore, the length of the body of 

 this plough keeps it steady to its work, every 

 little obstacle is apt to throw a light plough 

 out of it; and its constant tendency to rise, 

 compels the ploughman, as has already been 

 observed, to raise the handles so high to 

 counteract it, as either to lift it out of the 

 ground altogether, or to send the point so deep 

 as to require an immediate and sudden rever- 



