146 HANDY-BOOK OF HUSBANDRY. 



PLOWING FROM THE CENTER OF THE FIELD. 



About fifteen years ago, at the Farmers' Club, in New York, 

 the question of the " Gee-about system of plowing" was much 

 discussed. I numbered myself among its adherents and advo- 

 cates, and I have since seen no reason to change my opinion of 

 its merits. 



The only difficulty about it is to find the right starting point, 

 and to keep the furrows so uniform in width as to come out even 

 on all sides at the end of the work. 



The advantages of the system are manifest : — 



First. The soil, instead of being plowed against the fences, 

 where it is of no use, (is rather injurious,) is turned toward the 

 center of the field. Of course this should not be continued to 

 such an extent as to strip the land very far from the fences, but 

 it may' be repeated a good many times before the headland will be 

 stripped too far. 



Second. The team never treads on the plowed land, which is 

 left as light as the plow turns it, while they work better at the 

 corners from their more solid footing. 



Third. There is less heavy handling of the plow at the turn- 

 ings, and even the plowman has better footing for his hardest 

 work. 



Fourth. There are no dead furrows left in the center and 

 toward the corners, as in plowing around from the outside. 



To lay out a field for plowing in this way, (see Fig. 66,) take 

 a long pole and measure a certain distance inward from two points 

 on each side, (say three rods,) and set stakes at the points so found, 

 («, «, (7, etc.) Then take a position opposite one corner of the 

 field, and set a stake where the lines ranging from the two stakes 

 at each side of you intersect, [x.) Set stakes opposite the other 

 corners in the same manner. Next, measure another distance 

 inward from the stakes first placed, and mark the points of 

 their outer section, (^, ^, b^ etc.,) and stake the corners as at 

 y-i y-i y-i y- Continue in this way until you have only a small 



