4 Report on Trials of Flows. 



ally use it. The only special treatise upon it, known to us, is the 

 work of Small, which was published late in the last century, and 

 even that tells us very little of its history, or its theory, being 

 mainly devoted to practical details. 



The census of the United States for the year 1860 gives the 

 immber of acres of improved land in the United States, but unfor- 

 tunately we are not told how many acres are in grass, or how 

 many under tillage. 



We know, however, that in New York about two-thirds of the 

 improved lands of the State is in grass, and that in the State of 

 Ohio about one-third of the improved lands is in grass. The 

 averao^e ratio of the G^rass to the tillage land in these States is, 

 therefore, as 1:1; or half of the whole of the improved lands are 

 under tillage in these two States. If we may assume that this is 

 the proportion throughout the Union, then, since there are 163,- 

 110,720 acres of imiJ roved lands, one-half of the amount, namel}', 

 81,555,360 acres are under tillage, or say, in round numbers, 

 80,000,000 acres. As Ohio and New York are the chief grass- 

 raising states, it is probable that the average tillage in the other 

 states is still greater than it is in them; but at all events, our esti- 

 mate would not seem to be an exaggerated one. If now we 

 assume that every plow turns over fifty acres annually, it will 

 require one million five hundred thousand plows to accomplish 

 the Avork; and if a plow lasts on an average eight years, it will 

 take one hundred and eighty-seven thousand five hundred new 

 plows every year to supply the demands of our countr}'-, without 

 referring to the large number exported to foreign countries. 



There are 833,412 farmers in the United States who own from 

 three to fifty acres, and 1,121,602 who cultivate farms between 

 fifty and one thousand acres each. Or, there are 1,955,012 inde- 

 pendent cultivators of the soil. The above calculation would 

 agree with a purchase of one new plow by each cultivator every 

 tenth year. 



The number of establishments in the United States for the 

 manufficture of plows, harrows and cultivators, is four hundred 

 and twenty-three, and the total value of these products is $2,855,- 

 248. If we suppose that one-third of this value is to be deducted 

 for harrows and cultivators, it will leave $1,903,499 as the value 

 of the plows manufactured annually; and if Ave assume that the 

 average value of each plow is ten dollars, we shall have a result 

 which varies very slightly from the estimate we have given. 



