Care of Plows. 247 



the cut by the line A, B, D. If for any reason the line of 

 drait becomes a broken one as A, C, D or 1, 3, 5 or 1, 4, 5 

 instead of 1, 2, 5 the draft of the plow is made heavier. 



The greatest care should be exercised to have the length 

 of the traces, or the hitch at the plow bridle such that the 

 plow "swims free," requiring little or no pressure at the 

 handles to guide it. If a steady pressure in any direction 

 is required at the handles something is wrong and the team 

 is doing more work than is necessary as well as the man 

 holding the plow. 



309. The Scouring of Plows, There are certain soils, 

 whose texture is such that the most perfect plow surface 

 fails to shed them completely and in such cases the shapes 

 approaching the sod-plow are more successful. But it is 

 a matter of greatest moment that the mold board possess 

 not only an extremely hard finish, so as not to be scratched 

 by stone or grit in the soil, but it must also possess an ex- 

 tremely close texture so as to be susceptible of a very high 

 polish. If the metal itself is coarse grained there will be 

 inequalities even in the bright surface in which the fine soil 

 particles may lodge and thus clog the plow. 



310. Care of the Plow. Too great pains cannot be taken 

 to maintain a bright clean surface on all polished parts of 

 the plow and the necessary care to do this will always pay; 

 this caution is doubly important where the soils are in- 

 clined to clog. 



Whenever a plow is laid by, even for a few weeks, its 

 bright surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned,, wiped dry 

 and coated with a layer of the thick mineral lubricant used 

 for journal bearings, to prevent rusting. A little rusting 

 may practically ruin a plow for use in a soil which tends to 

 clog and a single winter of rusting may injure a plow more 

 than a full season of heavy service in the field. 



311. Keeping the Plow in Form. A plow cannot render 

 heavy and long continued service without getting out of 

 proper form. The point becomes dull, too short and as- 



