than in loose or soft soil. Steel breasts or mould-boards are better 

 than iron ones for stiff soil. The share should have more or less 

 inclination downwards at the point in proportion to the hardness or 

 softness of the soil. Stiff soils require sharp, keen shares ; half-worn 

 shares should be kept for soft soil. Strong, sharp coulters are 

 necessary to cut through the strong, matted grasses of warm climates. 

 In strong grass land, the coulter should have a decided slope forwards 

 at the end point ; in clean land it may be almost straight down from 

 the beam. The point of the coulter should just clear the share, and 

 always cut in a straight line with the sole of the plough. When a 

 plough is fitted with two wheels, the small, or land wheel, should be 

 drawn up to the depth required to be ploughed ; and the large, or 

 furrow-wheel, should be placed level with the bottom of the plough, 

 and set to the width of the plouhing, measuring from the land slide 

 or slade of the plough. When a plough is fitted with a land-wheel 

 only, it must be drawn up to the required depth, the width being 

 now regulated by the judgment of the ploughman. When a 

 swing-plough (without wheels) is used, the depth and width has to 

 be entirely regulated by the skill of the ploughman. 



In comparison with similar tests made in England, dynamometer 

 trials at colonial matches say much for the skill brought to bear by 

 local makers upon the plough. In vol. I of u Transactions of the 

 Agricultural Society of England," we have the following figures : 



The draught in ploughing has been recently experimented upon in 

 America with the following interesting results: i. A deflection of the 

 traces when under draught, from a straight line from shoulder to whipple- 

 tree, results in a decided loss of power, and such loss is applied to the 

 galling and worrying of the horses. 2. The use of a six-inch land- 

 wheel under the end of the plough-beam, showed a saving of 14.1 per 

 cent, of the draught at the average of the trials made, and, in addition, 

 gave a more uniform furrow and relieved the ploughman. This 

 saving can be made only when line of draught is light. 

 3. The use of the coulter is not common in America, and 

 this report says its use was, without exception, attended with 

 a decided loss of force or increased draught by whatever 

 form of coulter used. The average gain of draught by dispen- 

 sing with the coulter was 15-6 per cent. The coulter invariably 

 disturbed the line of draught, resulting in a furrow of different 

 dimensions from those formed without it. 4. The draught of a 

 plough decreases in proportion as width of furrow increases, until 

 the normal capacity of the plough is reached, after which it in- 

 creases again under the same limitations as in previous case of 

 depth ; yet it does not increase in as rapid a ratio as is seen in 

 depth. The absolute draught in a 1 5-inch furrow was less than for 

 a lo-inch furro\v. On stony and sandy soils the share of the plough 

 wears away very quickly, and time is lost in taking it off for re- 

 laying, sharpening, etc. The chilled share is an advantage, so far 

 as the iron being chilled, or made harder on the under side than it 



