PLOUGHS AND PLOUGHING. Gfi 



The principal varieties of the modem plough are 

 the kinds called the Swing-plough, the Wheel-plough, 

 and the Turn-wrest plough. To the first kind be- 

 long all those in common use in this country and in 

 England. In the latter, the kind called the Scotch 

 plough, improved by Mr. Small, and sometimes call- 

 ed by his name, is the most approved. It is now 

 usually made wholly of iron. Those that have been 

 imported into this country, or made on a similar 

 plan here, have not met with as favourable a recep- 

 tion from our farmers as, from their reputation at 

 home, they would seem to deserve. There are sev- 

 eral ploughs constructed in this country of wood and 

 cast iron, which are preferred as being less weighty 

 and clumsy, quite as easy and good in working, and 

 procured at a much less expense. It must be ad; 

 mittea, however, that too many of the ploughs used 

 in this country are very imperfectly made, and have 

 the leading characteristics of Pindar's razors — of 

 being made to sell. An implement of such essential 

 service to the farmer as the plough should always 

 be well made on scientific principles ; and lightness 

 should, as far as possible, be combined with strength 

 in their construction. 



The Wheel-plough has been but little used in the 

 United States. It may occasionally be seen on the 

 Dutch and German farms on the rich intervales of 

 the Mohawk. Wheel-ploughs require but little skill 

 on the part of the ploughman, the depth and width 

 of the furrow being adjusted by the wheels ; but 

 they are of necessity heavier, more expensive, easier 

 clogged and put out of order, and require a stronger 

 team than the common plough. They have been 

 introduced into the Western States, and must be in- 

 valuable on the immense river-bottoms and fertile 

 prairies of the West. A traveller in that region as- 

 serts that he has seen a Western farmer at work on 

 his magnificent prairie of hundreds of a^es, riding 

 at his leisure on his two-wheeled plough, drawn by 

 II.— F 



