332 



PLO 



P L O 



the right ; but if it makes an ob- 

 tuse an^le. ihen it will incliue to 

 fall to the left. A plough for two 

 horses ought not to be less than 

 nine inches, nor more than ten in- 

 ches wide in the bottom, and for 

 three horses from eleven to twelve 

 inches wide. The share sl)ouhl 

 never differ much in width from 

 the ploi.jgh. The cut of the share 

 and bottom of the plough, slioulil 

 be exactly in one plane. A three 

 horse plough requires no land in 

 its construction. A crook of tlirec 

 inches and a half in the beam, be- 

 fore the coulter mortice to the 

 right, will sutlice for the land of a 

 two-horse [s'ough. A plough with 

 a long beam runs the steadiest, 

 and it being long prevents the 

 plough from kicking ; and long 

 shafts give the ploughman a great- 

 er command of its direction. The 

 cast-iron plate ought to be scoured 

 with a grit stone before it is used." 



Freeborn's patent plough is 

 highly recommended, but we are 

 not able to give a description of it ; 

 and perhaps it is so well known 

 among practical farmers, that a 

 description is not necessary. The 

 Hon. Josiah Qiiincy gives this 

 plough the following recommenda- 

 tion. 



"Concerning its superiority, I 

 have had the opinion of every 

 practical farmer, who has witness- 

 ed its operation, I believe without 

 exception. The effect upon my 

 farm is this ; that 1 now break up, 

 with care, the same quantity and 

 qualities of land, say one acre in a 

 day, with one yoke of oxen and 

 one man, who both holds and drives, 

 which was never before to my 



knowledge, broke up with less than 

 two yoke of oxen and two men. 

 My ploughmen agree, that it takes 

 one-third less power to do the same 

 work than common ploughs re- 

 quire." — Jllassachusetls Agricultu- 

 ral Repository^ vol. V. p. 262. 



PLOUGIHNG, the operation 

 of turning, breaking and loosening 

 the earth with a plough. 



One rule to be regarded in 

 ploughing is, that no land, ex- 

 cepting green sward, should be 

 pioughed when it is so wet that it 

 will not easily crumble. For the 

 principal design of ploughing is to 

 break the cohesion of the soil, and 

 set the particles of it at such a 

 distance from each other, that even 

 the smallest and tenderest roots of 

 plants may find their way between 

 them in quest of their nourish- 

 ment. 



When, in ploughing, of land in 

 tillage, the furrow turns over like 

 a dead mass of mortar, ploughing 

 can be of no advantage at all. 

 The soil becomes no lighter or 

 looser by it, but rather heavier, 

 and more compact. On the con- 

 trary, land should not be ploughed 

 when it is too dry ; because it re- 

 quires the more strength of team 

 to perform it, nor can the furrows 

 be so well turned over. 



The plough should be used much 

 more tlian it is in this country. 

 When a crop of barley or wheal is 

 designed, the ground should, at 

 least, be thrice ploughed ; for a 

 crop of Indian corn, twice is not 

 too much. The extra expense 

 will be repaid by the increased 

 crops. The advantages of fre- 

 quent ploughing have not been 



