FRANKLIN SOCIETY. 283 



strength of manhood, that nourishes the rounded form, the 

 brilliant and enchanting loveliness of blessed woman. It is 

 the fruits of the plough which load the white winged broods 

 of busy commerce that cover the seas, and furnish the raw 

 material for the myriad flying fingers of steel and iron, that ply 

 their tasks in the great manufactories, while they give nourish- 

 ment to the thousands upon thousands of industrious operatives. 



All honor, then, to the plough ; and fit it is, that the mon- 

 arch of the mighty agricultural land of the Orient, that feeds 

 the most crowded population on the face of the earth, should 

 annually drive the ploughshare in the presence of his people, 

 and that the great, free, intelligent States of the western world 

 should hold their yearly fairs, to glorify the plough, and cele- 

 brate the humane and bloodless triumphs of this noblest of the 

 useful arts, the great foundation art of agriculture. Thas grand 

 and impartial is the ofiice of the plough, and hence our agri- 

 cultural societies have instituted ploughing matches and pre- 

 miums to encourage and aid, as far as lay in their power, all 

 progress in tillage, and improvement in the ploughman's labors, 

 — every advancement in the thorough culture of the soil. And 

 your committee believe that in the department of the plough 

 and ploughing, the following essential elements are to be taken 

 into consideration : — 



First, The depth to which the soil must be moved and 

 stirred. 



Secondly, The thorough disintegration, or breaking up of 

 the earth. 



Thirdly, The diminution of pressure on the ploughshare, and 

 hence of draft, and the consequent lightening of labor for man 

 and for beast ; and the lay of the furrow. 



The rules and regulations of the society name seven inches 

 as the depth required. Your committee, however, beg leave 

 respectfully to suggest, that they regard this ultimatum of 

 depth as far too shallow for any thorough tillage and proper 

 culture of the soil, in any and every place where the plough 

 can be driven deeper. There doubtless may be, here and there, 

 tracts of rocky land, where the ledge crops out, or lies very 

 near the surface, where deep ploughing may be an impossi- 

 bility ; but the more these rocks are exposed by the plough- 

 share to the action of sun and air, the more quickly will they 



