358 



NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



Aug, 



importance of an accurate adjustment of the 

 different parts of the plough with each other. 

 It was found, for example, that when the ten- 

 dency of the plough was to dip into the 

 ground, and was resisted by the ploughman, 

 such counteracting inlluence absorbed 150 

 pounds of power ! When the adjustment was 

 made so that the plough swam free, the aggre- 

 gate indications of the dynamometer fell that 

 amount. Even placing the coulter three- 

 fourths of an inch out of the centre of draft, 

 greatly increased the resistance and spoiled 

 the perfection of the work. In one instance 

 a coulter that was .somewhat blunt and rusty, 

 was rubbed with a scythe stone until it was 

 bright and its edge sharpened a little, which 

 decreased the power required in its rusty and 

 dull condition seme twenty-three pounds ! 

 The accurate adjustment of the parts of the 

 plough invariably decreased the amount of 

 power. 



The labor of these experiments would have 

 been comparatively fruitless had it not been 

 for the service which the dynamometer ren- 

 dered. This not only measured the power 

 with great nicety, but measured the distances 

 travelled over at the same time. It is the ip- 

 vention of Mr. Henry Waterilvn, of Hud- 

 son, N. Y., the gentleman of whom I have 

 spoken in the former part of this letter. It 

 has been tested in various ways and found ac- 

 curate, so that it has been called into use on 

 railroads, common roads, and in many other 

 ways where power was to be measured. By 

 it, it is ascertained that seven pounds weight 

 will move a ton on the railroad, at a velocity 

 of ten miles per hour ; on a Macadamized road 

 60 pounds, and on a common road 2G0 pounds 

 per ton. The changes which continually oc- 

 curred in this wonderful machine, when the 

 plough left a light for a compact soil, or came 

 where bunches of small roots were interlaced 

 in it, proved it to be sensitive in the highest de- 

 gree. It only needed an hour's watching to 

 ensure perfect confidence in its truthfulness. 



Some of the results of the work were sur- 

 prising and exceedingly gratifying. The 

 first experiment with a plough was to find its 

 "surface draft" — that is, how much power 

 was required to haul it along, standing on its 

 sole, on the surface of the ground. The larg- 

 est plough required ninety-nine pounds. It 

 was then intended to plough one furrow one 



inch deep, and then increase an inch in depth 

 and an inch in width, until a furrow twelve 

 inches deep and eighteen inches wide had been 

 turned. This was done, but commencing with 

 three inches, as it was found impracticable to 

 plough only one inch. Nothing could exceed 

 the fineness of the particles as they lay. No 

 skill in spading could reach it. It was a per- 

 fect seed-bed, only needing a little leveling to 

 receive the finest seeds ever used. A succes- 

 sion of experiments followed this, during near- 

 ly thiee days of the closest application, but I 

 must not detail them here. Mr. Gould will 

 make a full report from his ample record, 

 when I hope to refer to them again. 



I began to plough in boyhood, and with 

 some intermissions, have continued it to this 

 day ; thought I comprehended it, in part and 

 in whole, and understood about how much 

 and what quality of work it was capable of 

 performing. But witnessing these tests has 

 proved that my ideas were comparatively 

 crude and imperfect, and shown that the 

 plough is governed as much by scientific prin- 

 ciples as the jenny or the loom, and is as sen- 

 sitive as these to any departure from such 

 principles. It seems to me that but little 

 more is to be done to perfect the ploughs 

 which were used in these tests. Some of the 

 principles that have generally prevailed in all 

 ploughs heretofore, have been entirely re- 

 versed, such as changing the face of the mould- 

 board from a concave to a convex form, and 

 so shaping it as to twist the furrow-slice un- 

 til it is broken into innumerable fissures or 

 cracks. 



All the reports of Mr, Gould, on this sub- 

 ject, ought to be published and put into the 

 hands of every farmer in the land. 



A few examples from my notes will show 

 the nature of the tests. The object was to as- 

 certain the amount of power required in 

 ploughing at different depths. 



Swivel plough, No. 4, 6\ inches, 557 lbs. 



" " " " Ti " 584 " 



" " <« " 8 " 641 " 



Same plough, to ascertain power required with- 

 out n cutter. 6x13 Inches, 482 " 



Coulter l.inch in the ground, 605 " 



Within 3 iucbes of the place of the Bo'e, . . . .604 " 



Plough No. G9, weighing IGo pounds, sur- 

 face draft, 99 pounds. 



No. C.3, Lap plough, 77 pounds, and with a 

 furrow 2)5x11 wide, required a power of 'd2i 

 pounds; and at 8x11, 552 pounds, — the cut- 

 ter in all being set for flat furrows. A lap 



