164 



THE FARMERS CABINET. 



VOL. 



East Indies— Trinniph of the 

 Aiuericau Plough. 



Match between an American and Deccan Plough. 



In the early part of the present year, Mr. 

 Ashburner placed at the disposal of Col. 

 Williamson, of Bombay, two American 

 ploughs; they were forwarded by the latter 

 gentleman to Indapoor, for the purpose of 

 having their utility fairly ascertained. The 

 trial was made under the direction of Mr. 

 Goldsmid, of the larger American plough 

 against a Deccan plough, and the result was 

 highly satisfactory, inasmuch as the Ameri- 

 can plough, with six bullocks, actually did 

 double the work of the Deccan plough, 

 drawn by ten bullocks. No doubt an ex- 

 perienced hand was selected to guide and 

 maintain the reputation of the old Mahratta 

 implement, while both the ploughman and 

 his team, in the case of the American 

 plough, were new to their task. Every ef- 

 fort will now unquestionably be made by the 

 Agricultural Society of Western India to 

 introduce the extensive use of this plough. — 

 That great and important benefits would re- 

 sult therefrom we entertain no doubt. 



A full and clear account of the trial, pre- 

 pared by Lieutenant Wingate of the Engi- 

 neers, an eye-witness of the experiment, and 

 said to be a very competent judge, from his 

 knowledge of the husbandry of the Deccan, 

 has recently appeared. He pronounces the 

 victory of the American plough complete. 

 We make the following extract : 



" A level spot of ground which had been 

 laying waste for several years, was selected 

 as likely to afford a fair specimen of the 

 powers of the respective ploughs. The soil 

 was of moderate stiffness, less difficult to 

 break up than the fine black soils, but more 

 so considerably than those generally used for 

 the Khurreef crops, and covered in patches 

 by the grass called ' Koonhah.' * 



A team of ten well conditioned bullocks, 

 of ordinary size, having been yoked to the 

 Deccan plough, and six to the American, the 

 two were started together. It was found, 



• A powerful grass, with large woody roots 

 •triking deeply into the soil. It grows with 

 wonderful rapidity, and being cxlremrly diflicult 

 to extirpate, forms one of the formidable ob- 

 •tacles to the successful cultivation which the 

 Daccan cultivator has to contend against, 



after the lapse of an hour, when the tr 

 terminated, that the ground broken up 

 the latter measured two roods six perch* 

 and by the former two roods. The team 

 six bullocks appeared slightly more distrei 

 ed than the other, but the difference, if ar 

 was hardly perceptible. The furrows wt 

 then in several places accurately gaug( 

 when it appeared that those made by t 

 Deccan plough varied in depth from seven 

 jten inches, and by the American from sev 

 to eight and a half inches. The superior 

 I of the Deccan plough, in this respect, ho 

 «ver, was more apparent than real ; for t 

 lower portions of its furrows were m( 

 scratches, made by the sharp points of 1 

 share, and a ridge of firm, unbroken grou 

 remained between every furrow. This, 

 course, entails the necessity of anotl 

 ploughing, while, on the contrary, the Am 

 ican plough ensures every portion of the s 

 even to the bottom of the furrow, being co 

 pletely broken up and turned over. 



This consideration alone is conclusive 

 to the great superiority of the latter, w 

 which, as the cultivators themselves asse 

 bled to witness the experiment, fully 

 knowledged the ground was as complet( 

 broken up in one ploughing as could be dc 

 with tlieir own in two. 



The American plough, however, possesi 

 other advantages. Its extreme lightness 

 such as to admit of its being carried eas 

 by one man, and would thus offer no ( 

 stacles to a Coonbee cultivating fields \vid( 

 apart. It requires no other tackling thai 

 simple rope or chain. Its surfaces in a 

 tact with the soil, being of cast iron, woi 

 soon acquire a high polish, and thusenal 

 it to glide easily through a wet heavy sc 

 which would offer serious impediments 

 the Deccan plough. 

 Such are a few of the advantages which tl 

 plough has over the native ; but in the f 

 lowing respects it appears to be somewl 

 inferior. Its small size and lightness n 

 der it somewhat inapplicable to the purpc 

 of breaking up heavy black soils, whi 

 form some of the most valuable lands in t 

 Deccan. A larger and stronger plough, 

 similar construction, might, however, easi 

 be made, and rendered applicable to the pi 

 pose. Another disadvantage urged by t 

 natives, and one for which it is difficult 

 devise a remedy, is, that instead of tear! 

 up, it cuts through the roots of the ' Koond 

 The Deccan plough, however, is far frc 

 answering the purpose of rooting out tl 

 powerful grass efTectually, and its superi( 

 ity in this respect appears to be trifling. 



It is gratifying to add, that the Coonbe 

 (who were assembled in crowds,) seemed 

 view the experiment throughout with t 



