THE PLOUGHMAN'S DUTIES. 23 



plough less earth. If, on the contrary, the share skims 

 along too near the surface, the stilts must be raised, or 

 the draught-bolt regulated so as to give more earth. 

 In the same way, if the furrow-slice be too narrow, the 

 ploughman, by leaning to the right, or setting the 

 draught-bolt that way, gives the plough more land; 

 if the furrow-slice be too broad, the contrary must 

 be done, and thus he gives less land. 



All these things are matters of every-day practice ; 

 but there are faults connected with them into which 

 the good ploughman is careful not to fall. The plough 

 should move flat upon its sole, but in the hands of 

 some ploughmen it seldom does so, for they have a trick 

 of either leaning forward on the stilts, or of habitually 

 leaning to the left. The latter practice makes the 

 furrow-slice thinner on one side than on the other, and 

 at the same time deceives the eye with the appearance 

 of its being 'of equal thickness throughout, for the 

 thick side is uppermost. Bad or infirm ploughmen 

 lean in this way in order to lighten their work, but 

 it is dishonest to do so, and injurious to their master's 

 interests. 



In order that the ploughman may avoid the common 

 errors of his class, he should take care to understand 

 thoroughly every part of his plough, and get a complete 

 mastery of it. And this he can scarcely fail to do, if 

 he has a willing mind, and good common sense. The 

 plough has probably been his companion all his life 

 (for the ploughmen are generally chosen from among 

 the ploughboys), and if he has been sharp and at- 

 tentive, he can scarcely be ignorant of the make of 

 the plough or of its working under any circum- 

 stances. Accustomed from his childhood to see and 

 take part in the management of the cattle, the ad- 

 justing of the plough-irons, and other necessary opera- 

 tions, he must have been very dull or very careless 

 not to acquire the sort of knowledge necessary to make 

 a good ploughman. Every lad when first set to work as 



