126 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March 



of the soil from almost every farm in the State, 

 nay, from almost every field, -woukl be necessary 

 to make it of much value ; and it is not generally 

 knovra that every such analysis, accurate enough 

 for this purpose, could not consume less than two 

 or three weeks. Bui I do not believe thai agricul- 

 lural chemistry is yd advanced enough to enable 

 the chemist to say in many coses what ingredient 

 added will be sure to render a barren soil prolific.'" 



I have written this article, Mr. Editor, not for 

 the purpose of throwing doubt or suspicion upon 

 the just claims of science ; but simply to bring be- 

 fore your readers the question whether the popu- 

 lar mind is not demanding and hoping more from 

 her than she has ever promised to do — more than 

 she can perform ; and consequently whether there 

 is not danger of fostering expectations, the certain 

 disappointment of which will strengthen prejudice 

 against all scientific teachings. And I will close 

 with a few reflections. The e.'ipcrience of the prac- 

 tical farmer may be undervalued, in the advocacy 

 of scientific knowledge. The impotence and falli- 

 bility of what is called science, rather than the 

 stupidity of farmers, a reason for the slow advance 

 of "scientific agriculture." Instead of the ff;)jt)/i- 

 cation of science to agriculture, the crealio?! or per- 

 fection of science for agriculture, is needed. "The 

 first thing to be done is, [not] to prepare the mind 

 [of firmers] for a better system," but to prepare 

 the "better system." "The preparation of com- 

 petent teachers .... will necessarily precede the 

 instruction of pupils." s. F. 



Winchester, Jan., 1853. 



AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. 



The use of horse-power, for the purposes of cut 

 ting and harvesting grain, for plowing and other 

 operations, may very probably, before many years, 

 be superseded in a measure by steam power. The 

 idea has been already suggested, and some at- 

 tempts have been made to carry it into practical 

 operation. It would seem that steam power coiUd 

 only be applied successfully to plowing, by run 

 ning the plow on v/heels, as is done in some parts 

 of Europe, and in the prairie plow in the West 

 and then that it could not be used to advantage 

 except on level, or nearly level lands, free from 

 stumps and large stones. Some experiments were 

 recently made in England with the plow, subsoil 

 plow and harrow, operated by steam power, all of 

 wliich are represented as fully answering all rea- 

 sonable expectations. The plowing took place on 

 old lands, having some dips. In one experiment, 

 four acres were plowed in ten hours, and might 

 have been subsoiled at the same time, making the 

 amount plowed nearly an acre an hour. The re- 

 lative expense of plowing twenty-four acres, is 

 found I>y that trial to be, by horse power, $-14 23, 

 and by steam power, §30 75, making a difference 

 in favor of the steam power in ploM'ing tiie twenty- 

 four acres, of $13 48. We can hardly realize 

 that it will ever be of practical use in New Eng- 

 land. 



After the most judicious selection of a plow, the 

 work will be quite likely to be badly executed, 



unless the principles of draft are understood. "So 

 great is the difference between an awkward and 

 skilful adjustment of the draft to the plow, that 

 some workmen with a poor instrument have suc- 

 ceeded better than others have with the best ; and 

 plows of second quality, sometimes for this reason, 

 have been preferred to those of the most perfect 

 construction." 



Perhaps the object of the Massachusetts State 

 Agricultural Society, in instituting the plowing 

 matches at Brighton, was principally an improve- 

 ment in the breed of vrorking oxen. Yet so slow 

 were the competitors in those honorable and use- 

 ful contests, to allow of any deficiency in their an- 

 imals, and to lay upon them the stigma of defeat, 

 that they were led to most searching examination 

 into the structure of their plows, to which they 

 were not willing to charge it. The result, there- 

 fore, has been successive improvements in the 

 plow. A geueral impetus has been thence com- 

 municated to the whole art of agriculture. Im- 

 provements and inventions have abounded. New 

 implements have been invented, old ones improved, 

 and thus a better tillage has been produced, and 

 greater ficilities in harvesting have enabled the 

 fanner the better to save his crops. 



Another indispensaWe implement upon the farm, 

 and one of great practical utility, is the harrow. 

 This instrument naturally follows the plow in farm 

 operations, and although scarcely less important, 

 in the service which it renders, than the plow 

 itself, has not seemed to obtain that attentiori 

 which it deserves. Indeed, while constructed io 

 the manner in which are most of them now used, 

 they will gain few golden opinions from intelligent 

 men. Their great objection lies in their weight. 

 They are too heavy and are moved too slowly. In 

 order to pulverize the soil thoroughly and leave it 

 in fine and delicate tilth, it is necessary to use a 

 light harrow, with sharp teeth, and to move it 

 quickly over the ground. "If we examine a field 

 one half -of which has been harrowed by weak, in- 

 efficient horses, and whose pace was consequently 

 sluggish, the other half by an adequate strength 

 and swiftness of animal power, we shall find tho 

 former will be rough and unfinished ; the latter 

 comparatively fine and level, and conipleted in 

 what would be called a husbandry-like mannQv .' ^ 

 On meadow sward, that is filled with roots of small 

 bushes and coarse grass, alight harrow with sharp 

 teeth, moved rapidly over the surface, cuts the 

 roots apart and brings up the fine, light soil, ad- 

 mirably prepared to receive grass seed ; while a 

 heavy instrument, slowly moved, would turn up 

 innumerable sods, and do little towards pulveriz- 

 ing the surface. "Many would be surprised, who 

 have never made the experiment, at the amount of 

 reduction of which seed harrows, at least, are 

 capable ; and where land is clear, to see how 

 effective very light small toothed harrows^ may be 



