No. 2, 



Trial of the Centre-Draught Plough. 



57 



THE CENTRE-DRAUGHT PLOUGH, 



From the Cultivator. 



Trial of the Centre-Draught Ploughs. 



Mr. James Pedder, general agent for the 

 sale of Prouty «Si Company's Centre-draught 

 Ploughs, broi'ght to this city in May last a 

 number of these implements. They being 

 comparatively but little known in this vicin- 

 ity, several persons were desirous that a pub- 

 lic trial should be made with them under the 

 supervision of a judicious and impartial com- 

 mittee. This was more especially wished, 

 as an unfavourable report had reached this 

 country in regard to the performance of this 

 plough, and that of Messrs. Ruggles, Nourse 

 and Mason, at the exhibition of the Royal 

 Agricultural Society of England, last year. 

 The work of the American ploughs at this 

 trial was represented as decidedly bad — a 

 result for which we are wholly unable to 

 account, except on the ground of the plough- 

 men not being well acquainted with the 

 somewhat peculiar construction and opera- 

 tion of these ploughs. We have seen the 

 operation of several of the most celebrated 

 English and Scotch ploughs, which have 

 been brought to this country, among which 

 we will name that of the celebrated Ran- 

 some plough, which received the highest 

 prize at the English trial referred to. With 

 the exception of this, we are confident we 

 have seen no imported plough, which, every 

 thing considered, can be deemed equal to 

 the American ploughs mentioned. The 

 Ransome plough which we saw, was im- 

 ported a few years since. It is unquestion- 

 ably a good one. Some late improvements 

 are said to have been added, of which we 

 cannot speak. We know not what would 

 have been the result of a comparative trial 

 of this with the best ploughs made in this 

 country; we however hope that such trial 

 will yet be made — but at present we can 

 only expre?s our concurrence generally with 

 the conclusions of the committee in regard 



to the work of the Centre-draught Plough, 

 as set forth in the following report: 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. 



We whose names are underwritten, were 



solicited to examine the Centre-draught 

 !! Plough and witness its performance, at the 



farm of T. Hillhouse, Esq. The perform- 

 I ance of this duty was certainly far from 

 j being courted by any one of us. But hav- 

 ing been selected for that purpose, it would 

 I have been uncourteous to have declined; 

 [and having performed the duty, it is incurab- 

 le ent upon us to report the result of our ex- 



!amination. We have no desire, we must 



'state in the outset, unduly to magnify the 

 [[Centre-draught Plough, nor to praise unduly 



I its performance. Neither can we be pre- 

 ' I vailed upon — even if desired so to do — to 

 ' undervalue all or any of the various new 

 [and improved ploughs now before the agri- 



'cultural community, which are brought in 

 ' competition with it. But we nevertheless 



[willingly report truly and fairly the facts in 



the case. 

 ; The committee are almost strangers to 

 ;;each other — inhabitants of different parts of 

 '[the State — chiefly, if not entirely, practical 

 [men, and accustomed to use — and perhaps 



prejudiced in favour of — other ploughs. Yet, 

 [with entire unanimity, we concur in the 



opinion that the Centre-draught Plough is 

 ;not surpassed by any plough with which 

 'any of us are acquainted. The work per- 

 1 formed by it is equal in excellence to any 

 [thing we have ever seen, and performed 

 'with as little labour and fatigue by both 

 [ploughman and team, as it could, in our 



opinion, possibly be done. 



Perhaps nothing more than the above need 



be said, as it comprises in general terms all 

 [ that we can say, or that it can be desirable 



to say. However we will add : 

 I Tliis plough can be adjusted with the 

 ^greatest nicety, both as respects the depth 



