256 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Nov' 



TRIAL OF PLOWS. 



The following Report of the Judges on the Trial 

 of Plows near Geneva, in August last, contains 

 facts and suggestions worthy of particular attention. 

 It will be read with interest by farmers and plow 

 manufacturers generally — and we trust its publication 

 will induce s>rr.llb.r trials in this and other sections 

 of the country. We are indebted to John Dela- 

 fielp, Esq., President of the Seneca Co. Agricultul- 

 tural Society, for the Report : — 



To the President and Members of the Seneca County Agri- 

 cultural Society : 



Gentlemen : — When we received the notice of 

 our appointment, to act as Judges at " The Trial 

 of Plow?,'' in Seneca County, we felt in common 

 with our farming community, the importance of the 

 movement, and the benefit to arise from a careful 

 and judicious accomplishment of the purpose. 



As practical farmers, accustomed to the Plow and 

 its use, we feel justified in presenting a few remarks, 

 in connection with the matter before us, for the con- 

 sideration of the farmers, and the mechanics who 

 are disposed to aid us in the proper arrangement of 

 of the implements we need in our vocation, and 

 more especially the indispensable and important in- 

 strument, the Plow. We think it has been long 

 evident that caprice and accidental circumstances, 

 have given rise to a large catalogue of Plows, which, 

 upon trial, have disappointed the hopes, and wasted 

 the means of the purchaser; of this class o.f plows, 

 few perhaps have been constructed by makers, hav- 

 ing a knowledge of the use of the implement, and 

 but little of the skill or science necessary for the 

 construction of a good plow. 



There seems to be another error, also, quite 

 prevalent among plow-makers generally — too often 

 adopted by our farmers, boding evil to our agricultu- 

 iccess, or at least, to a thorough and proper til- 

 lage of tbe soil. We allude to the frequent attempts 

 to produce plows, which shall, by turning broad fur- 

 rows, work over two acres per day — gaining time at 

 the expense of the necessary breaking up, and essen- 

 tial pulverizing of the soil. Thus farmers are tempted 

 with plows, to turn furrow slices of 14 to 16 inches 

 in width, while the depth rarely exceeds Q\ inches. 

 We will not deny that circumstances may exist 

 when a broad furrow of 12 inches and more in width, 

 may be useful; but, as a general principle, greater 

 depth with pulverization, should be the main object 

 of the plow-maker; the second effort being to over- 

 come resistance with the least power. 



We feel strong in the opinion, that large masses 

 of soil turned over in furrows of fourteen inches 

 wide, by six inches deep, must require a large outlay 

 of subsequent labor, to render the soil friable, and in 

 fit condition to receive manure in a well mixed state. 

 Neither will the land so treated be in a state to afford 

 thorough nourishment to the seed deposited, from the 

 manures intended for it. The gain of time, there- 

 fore, in rapid plowing by broad furrows, may lie, and 

 oftimea is, an expensive system. 



Another error in the manufacture of Plows, from 

 which, us practical farmers we are called upon to 

 suffer inconvenience, is, the imperfect line of draft 

 presented In our teams, not only because this line is 

 not preserved at right angles with the shoulders of 

 our horses, but also because of the arrangement 

 of the beam as attached to the iron frame of the 

 plow body. In this latter arrangement much diffi- 



culty appears to exist,»and fancy has too much swov. 

 The obliquity of the beam to the line of the Ian i- 

 side may be necessary in some degree, to produce a 

 direct line of draft from the true point of resistance: 

 but, as practical men, we have reason to object to 

 the too frequent need of shifting our guide' b 

 and the . use of other expedients to accommodate 

 the erroneous line of draft adopted by the ma 

 We feel well assured that our agricultural mechan- 

 ics are abundantly skillful, and possess 

 science to correct this inconvenience, when brought 

 to their notice. 



When we consider the object or intent of the plo v, 

 we arrive at the fact that it is to perform i 

 hands of the farmer the same operation, and produce 

 the same effects as the spade in the hands of the 

 gardener; that is, to turn over and thoroughly pul- 

 verize or break up the soil. Now the man and his 

 spade, acting together, is a most complex and perfect 

 tool, but the time is yet to come when a simple 

 machine shall be produced, to accomplish with equal 

 excellence the same results as the man and the i 

 We may not doubt, however, from the vast improve- 

 ments of late years, that such ra fin will in time 

 be constructed; the talent and science of our agri- 

 cultural mechanics fully justify such expeetati 

 and the rapidly increasing attention of farmers to 

 the study of their vocation, will act as a stimilus 

 to the innentor, and a chsck upon his visionary 

 attempts. 



With these prefatory remarks we now present a 

 report of facts, connected with the trial of Plows — 

 facts which oti'er to every man of thought and i 

 vation, much matter of reflection. On tiie morning 

 of Thursday, the 30th of August, 1849, we rei 

 the ground selected for the trial of plows. The 

 field presented a generally uniform appearance, gently 

 sloping from east to west; the soil was a clay loam, 

 rather tenacious, as is most of the wheat land of the 

 fertile county of Seneca. The sod was of Timothy, 

 with a mixture of clover, and had not been plowed 

 for several years. It should here be mentioned and 

 remembered that, since the month ef May last, but 

 little rain had fallen in this section of country, which 

 was made manifest by reference to a meteorological 

 table, as well as by the condition of the soil. Never- 

 theless, as the soil was uniform in its nature, so the 

 resistance offered was relatively the same to each 

 plow, and the trial was alike to all, and under like 

 circumstances. 



A stationary power had been well placed, midway 

 between the eastern and western extremes of a plat 

 of ground, 150 feet long; a traveller or guide was 

 prepared to bear and direct the rope, in order 

 each Plow might be directed with precision. Fur- 

 rows had been previously opened six inches deep; 

 the plows were entered on the Secretary's books in 

 numerical order, and called to the trial in the ,same 

 order. A substantial dynamometer was placed in 

 our hands, with a certificate from the proper officer, 

 that the same had been tested and proved by the 

 State standard and was correct, indicating <> 

 high as one thousand pounds. .\u extent of ground 

 was carefully surveyed and marked into spaces of 30 

 by 300 feet, for the purpose of exhibiting the man- 

 ner in which each plow could perform the work 

 required. 



With these and other arrangements our duties 

 were comparatively easy, an ! no haste or hurry was 

 permitted. We continued our labors through two 



