HAMPDEN SOCIETY. 239 



of poultry, especially in the larger towns, where owners have 

 no place for their chickens to run, except the gardens of their 

 neighbors. And we have reason to believe that these prejudices 

 are not as much regarded as justice and good neighborhood 

 demand. But with this exception, we repeat that the general 

 practice of raising poultry may be recommended as a matter of 

 economy, profit, and usefulness. 



WILLIAM STOWE, Chairman. 



Farm Implements. 



Plough. — The cast-iron plough has been in use in England 

 about one hundred years. The first plough of this kind known 

 to have been used in the United States, was used by Charles 

 Newbold, of Burlington, N. J., in 1796. In 1798, Thomas 

 Jefferson spent much time in constructing a mould-board so as 

 to turn over the sod with the least possible resistance. And up 

 to Jethro Wood's time, 1819, we find that many improvements 

 had been made, which, it would seem, left little room for him, 

 upon which to found a patent. The manufacturers of the 

 present day have brought these implements to such perfection, 

 that even a surgeon's knife hardly does its work more surely than 

 does the improved cast-iron plough. The number of ploughs 

 annually manufactured in the United States, is estimated at 

 two millions, which, at an average price of six dollars each, 

 amounts to the sum of twelve millions of dollars annually. 



Harrow. — On some soils it is almost impossible to spend too 

 much time with the harrow. It pulverizes and prepares the 

 ground for the seed, and should be well and thoroughly used. 

 Either the Geddes or the folding square harrow, is much su- 

 perior to the old triangular harrow ; they conform themselves 

 to the inequalities of the surface much more readily than any 

 other kind. 



Cultivators, for working corn, are now in very general use, 

 and to the full satisfaction of those who have given them a 

 fair trial. After the corn is well set in, and in a thriving 

 condition, the roots should not be disturbed by the plough. 



