336 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Many soils are so adhesive and difficult to work that the 

 ordinary iron plough is inadequate. In a fine, sticky mould, 

 like the black friable soils of the prairies of the West, none but 

 steel ploughs can be used, for the reason that no others will 

 " scour," or run clear. In some sections the soil seems like 

 putty in its adhesive properties, while often a very fine quartz 

 sand will rough up the polished surface of even a steel plough, 

 if made of ordinary sheet or cast steel, and not high tempered 

 or sufficiently hardened. 



Sheet steel ploughs have, therefore, been in use on the prairies 

 of Illinois and other adjoining States for the last forty years, 

 having been introduced as a matter of necessity. Tlie first 

 steel plough was made there by John Lane, near Lockport, 

 Illinois, the sheet being taken from saw-mill saws and welded 

 together to get a sheet broad enough for a mouldboard. This 

 plough scoured in the heavier prairie soils, and was a great and 

 decided advance upon all iron and wooden mouldboards 

 hitherto in use. Sheets of spring or blistered steel were after- 

 wards rolled out, and thousands of ploughs were made from 

 them, the plough makers forming them with the hammer on the 

 anvil. 



VJATERS SBN 



THE COLLINS PLOUGH. 



But even cast steel ploughs made in this manner were found 

 vto be defective. They could not be uniformly tempered. Many 

 of them, therefore, would not scour perfectly and run clean. 

 The process of hammering, rolling, and bending, would produce 

 a strain upon the fibre of the steel. It would stay in shape 

 only while it was cold. It would warp while heating to get the 

 requisite temper, and warp still more while cooling off again. 



