PLOUGH AND PLOUGHING. 



the turn-furrow would cause it to 

 turn towards one side, atid it woidd 

 require a considerable force to keep 

 it straight. In order to prevent this, 

 the line of draught is placed at an 

 angle, which varies with that of the 

 turn-furrow and the force recjuired 

 to push the furrow-slice over. To 

 adjust this angle, so as to cause the 

 plough to keep in the intended line, 

 there is a contrivance at the end of 

 the beam to change the position of 

 ihe ring by which tlie plough is drawn 

 to the right or left of the line of the 

 beam, and another by which it may 

 be raised or lowered. In most ploughs 

 the beam, having been originally set 

 at a small angle with the sole towards 

 the right, has an arch of wood or 

 iron at the end, as in the annexed 

 Fig. An iron, shaped as in Fig. 12, 



Fiff. 11 



is made to embrace the beam, to 

 which it is attached by a pin (a), round 



a 



Fi^.12. f, 



a. 



which it turns as a centre. Another 

 pin (h) passes through one of the 

 holes in the circular end, and keeps 

 the iron in any required position to 

 the right or left of the line of the 

 beam. The end of this iron, which 

 is called a bridle or clevis, has sev- 

 eral projecting hooks in the oblong 

 curve which terminates it, on which 

 an iron ring is hung at different 

 heights. By these contrivances the 

 plough maybe drawn from a point on 

 cither side of the beam, and higher 

 or lower, as may be required. When 



the plough is found to take too much 

 land, as ph)Ugl)iuen say, that is, tends 

 to increase the width of the slice cut 

 off by the coulter, the bridle is shifted 

 to the left by moving the pin {b) into 

 another hole ; when it goes out of the 

 land, as it is called, that is, diminishes 

 the width of the furrow-slice, the pin 

 is moved a hole or two to the right, 

 unlit the plough has no tendency to 

 deviate to either side. If it inclines 

 to rise out of the ground, the ring is 

 shifted in the iron bridle, and placed 

 in a hook or notch higher up ; if, on 

 the contrary, it dips too deep, the 

 ring is hooked lower. Thus a plough 

 may be made to go straight and at a 

 regular depth, without any more force 

 being applied to the stilts than is re- 

 quired to counteract inequalities in 

 the land, or accidental obstacles, such 

 as stones or roots, which might throw 

 the plough out of the ground. When 

 the soil is of unequal texture, it is 

 useful to have a small wheel con- 

 nected with the fore part of the beam, 

 so as to prevent its dipping down- 

 ward, which would require a great 

 pressure on the stilts to keep the 

 point of the share up, and thus in- 

 crease the friction of the sole on the 

 ground, and, consequently, the labour 

 of the horses. In the Rutland plough, 

 two wheels are connected with the 

 beam, one of which runs in the fur- 

 row to the right, and the other on the 

 unploughed soil to the left. When 

 the plough has been well adjusted, 

 and the larger wheel runs in the angle 

 of the furrow, it acts as a gauge to 

 regulate the width of the slice, as 

 well as its depth ; in very uniform 

 soils without stones, the plough, when 

 set in the proper direction, will make 

 a very straight and even furrow, par- 

 allel to the one in which the wheel 

 runs, without any person holding the 

 stilts ; so that all that is required is 

 to turn the plough at the end of each 

 furrow, and set it into the proper line 

 to form the next. As this admits of 

 a very correct adjustment, no unne- 

 cessary force is required to draw the 

 j)l()ugi), and hence tins [jlough appears 

 to be the easiest fur the horses ; and 

 if the wheels are not very heavy, and 



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